Mylokoville

November 14th, 2024: Congratulations are in order for Kyoto's newest geiko! Mameaya (まめ彩) of Ninben (亻) in Gion Kobu is celebrating her erikae! She was the most senior maiko in her district and the last active maiko at Ninben (for now). She suits the geiko look so well and her height can finally be appreciated in a geiko's attire! Her outfit features cypress fans, flower carts, and partitions while her obi features multicolored cranes ^^ おめでとうさんどすまめ彩さん ^o^! Image is courtesy of former geimaiko Mameryo.

November 14th, 2024: A new minarai has emerged! Tomikoma (富胡麻) of Tomikiku (富菊) in Gion Higashi as begun her journey to becoming a maiko. She will be debuting without an onesan, but will be joining a district full of maiko onesan to look up to! Her misedashi will be on December 19th ^^ Image is courtesy of the Tomikiku Okiya.

Geiko dress more demure than maiko as their gei/art is meant to speak for them instead of their outfits. Maiko wear elaborate hair ornaments, kimono, and accessories because they're still a work in progress and these visual items are meant to stand in for their faults. In the olden days geiko wore hair ornaments more akin to maiko as there weren't as clear visual rules that were followed until geiko were more mature (late 20s). After World War II these rules were standardized and geiko no longer wore larger hair ornaments. In Gion Kobu, when a geiko becomes independent she actually wears fewer kanzashi in her hair! She will no longer wear a maezashi and her kushi (comb) will usually be a solid colored piece of tortoiseshell instead of something with ornamentation ^^

I actually live in Canada! I get most of my information from people who are a part of the karyukai while other information comes from fellow karyukai enthusiasts or, yes, social media ^^

Asako is more senior than Masako as Asako debuted 13 days before Masako. Age isn't always the deciding factor when it comes to who has their erikae, but rather skill plays an important role as well. Even if a maiko looks mature she still may be kept back if she doesn't have the necessary skill set required to become a geiko ^^

The dance teachers and the kabukai choose who fills what role each year. The roles are always based on skill, usually natori, geiko, and maiko sets, and then a schedule is made around that ^^

Everyone gossips whether they're in the karyukai or not. If they're smart they won't do it out loud so as to not ruffle feathers ^^

I'm not too sure of the answers for either of those questions, so when I find out I'll let you know ^^

Geimei with that specific spelling haven't existed for decades as that stroke count contains the "火" kanji, which is considered a bad omen (fire burns kimono and traditional wooden buildings, which are a geisha's livelihood). Nowadays the "栄" spelling is used. There's many geimei out there with that spelling though, so feel free to browse around the "The Kanji of" tabs up top to see some examples ^^

Thank you for that! I had forgotten the name of them ^^;

Ah, you're very lucky! Just remember that Yuzuha is a young woman, so just ask her things you'd ask a young woman about, like what she's interested in, if she likes Sailor Moon (almost all geimaiko LOVE Sailor Moon lol), and what her favorite dances are. Keep the conversation light and fun and you'll do just fine ^^

That's a really complicated set of questions that's hard to answer. Can they be reprimanded? Of course. Could they close them? Unlikely. However, it's very unlikely that geimaiko are being mistreated in the first place as okasan go out of their way to make them happy as they know that if they're not happy they can just up and leave at any time. If a geimaiko was being mistreated then they could always go to their teachers or the kabukai with their issues.

In 99% of cases when a geimaiko retires they stay retired. Some can come back if they've been keeping up with their lessons while they've been gone or in some other extenuating circumstances, but it still remains a very rare occurrence. In theory, it's almost always possible to come back, but they just choose not to ^^

They start learning kitsuke from the first day they arrive at the okiya by the okasan. She'll instruct them in basic kitsuke and they'll learn by practicing over and over again ^^

Yes, mizuage for geimaiko is the amount of money made in a year. It is acknowledged each year during Shigyōshiki ^^

Osakazuki is ceremony in which the ritual exchange of cups (san-san-kudo) takes place that binds two women in an onesan/imōto relationship. This ceremony is repeated on the day of a misedashi and is part of the misedashi celebrations, but it is not the entire misedashi ^^

It'll be this month as she's already wearing sakkō ^^