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.

October 17th, 2024: Another new maiko has made her debut! Fukuhisa (ふく久) of Horiyae (堀八重) in Miyagawa Cho is also celebrating her misedashi this week! She is the imōto of Fukuteru (ふく光), also of Horiyae, and Fukuteru's first imōto in over a decade! She is Miyagawa Cho's fifth maiko to debut this year; a clear sign that the district is recovering well from the pandemic. Her outfit features waves, treasures, and treasure ships with cranes, chrysanthemums, and snowflakes on her obi ^^ おめでとうさんどすふく久ちゃん ^o^! Image is courtesy of 1020Kiddo.

October 15th, 2024: Congratulations are in order for Kyoto's newest maiko! Kimihana (君花) of Honjo (本城) in Miyagawa Cho is celebrating her misedashi! She is the imōto of Kimiyū (君有), also of Honjo, and the fourth misedashi for her district this year. She perfectly encapsulates the maiko look, which should translate into quite a successful career! Her kimono features partitions with haze and auspicious plants while her obi features matching partitions ^^ おめでとうさんどす君花ちゃん ^o^! Image is courtesy of Honjo Okiya.

September 2024: There's a new minarai in town! Kimihana (君花) of Honjo (本城) in Miyagawa Cho is now on the path to becoming a maiko! However, she isn't alone! There's a second minarai in Miyagawa Cho right now too! Fukuhisa (ふく久) of Horiyae (堀八重) has also started her minarai period! Both girls will be debuting at the end of October! BUT THAT'S NOT ALL! Maiko darling Kanohisa (叶久) of Kanoya (叶家) in Gion Higashi is BACK! However, this time she is a geiko! This is fantastic news for Gion Higashi! Image is courtesy of Honjo Okiya.

September 18th, 2024: A new maiko is born! Masaya (満彩矢) of Man (まん) in Gion Higashi is celebrating her misedashi! She is the first misedashi from the small district this year and, although she is debuting without an official onesan, she has the support of the entire kagai behind her! She will be present for the Gion Odori in November (I believe she will be doing the tea ceremony), so please look out for her there! Her lovely outfit features lucky treasures and wisteria with a woven karabana obi ^^ おめでとうさんどす満彩矢ちゃん ^o^! Image is courtesy of JP Kanrikan.

August 26th, 2024: A new minarai has begun her journey to become a maiko! Masaya (満彩矢) of Man (まん) in Gion Higashi has begun her minarai period! She will be debuting without an onesan, but will be well looked after by geiko Masaki (満彩希), Masanao (満彩尚), and maiko Masane (満彩音). Her misedashi will be on September 18th ^^ Image is courtesy of The Gion Higashi Kabukai.

Kanzashi of The Month: July - Gion Matsuri 2024's Design

Way back in 2019, Kazurasei went and uploaded images of the yearly kanzashi at the time and I covered them like a normal kanzashi feature. However, they hadn't uploaded the Gion Matsuri design annually even after it resumed... until now! As always, the kanzashi are courtesy of Kazurasei.

Image is courtesy of Kazurasei. Chō (蝶) - Butterflies Tsuyu Shiba (露柴) - Dew On Grass Tessen (鉄線) - Clematis When this image was originally uploaded at the beginning of July it came as quite a shock as the yearly motifs aren't often leaked early, but boy was it a great thing that it was! 2024's design is actually very similar to 2019's on paper; it features an insect and dew on grass on top of clematis. However, unlike the shimmering wings and stick figure bodies of the dragonfly, we instead have the puffy wings and silver wire bodies of the butterfly! Silver paper butterflies accompany the main motifs on the katsuyama (bridge) piece, so it's interesting to see them used now as a main motif too, making the katsuyama absolutely full of fluttering butterflies! Oddly enough, the rule of colors seems to have changed for this year as junior maiko were seen wearing kanzashi sets with two light pink butterflies and one purple butterfly while senior maiko were seen wearing kanzashi sets with two purple butterflies and one light pink butterfly. Usually junior maiko wear deeper, darker colors to symbolize their inexperience and senior maiko wear pastels to show their seniority, but this year everyone shared the same colors!

Image is courtesy of the Shigemori Okiya. Last time the clematis was featured, it was simply the six petal kind with a rhinestone center. This time around, it still has six petals, but the main ones are white and the accents are pink and blue. It's not unusual to see cultivated clematis have main petals that are one color and smaller, inner petals that are another, so this type of tsumami clematis is emulating that. When put together, the motifs make for a very cooling and calming effect, as shown on maiko Fukunagi (ふく凪) of Shigemori (しげ森) in Miyagawa Cho above. 2024 has now become one of my favorite yearly designs that I can remember (my other favorite is 2018's fireworks and water design). What's yours?

Due to me making room for some new acquisitions, I've decided to sell one of my antique geiko hikizuri/susohiki. It hails from the Taisho Period (1912-1926) and it's in fantastic antique condition. If you're interested, you can check it out on my Etsy here ^^

August 8th, 2024: Congratulations are in order for Kyoto's newest maiko! Fukuyumi (ふく弓) of Shigemori (しげ森) in Miyagawa Cho is celebrating her misedashi under the hot summer sun! She is the imōto of Fukuchō (ふく兆), also of Shigemori, and pictured alongside her above. Since this was Shigemori's first summer misedashi they ordered brand new hikizuri for the occasion, and since both onesan and imōto wear kuromontsuki for three days in Miyagawa Cho, they ordered a matching pair! Their outfits feature waves and lucky treasures on gold bands with matching golden obi ^^ おめでとうさんどすふく弓ちゃん ^o^! Image is courtesy of Shigemori Okiya.

July 8th, 2024: A new minarai has made her debut! Fukuyumi (ふく弓) of Shigemori (しげ森) in Miyagawa Cho has taken one step closer to becoming a maiko! She is the imōto of Fukuchō (ふく兆), also of Shigemori, and has a very unique geimei. "弓" means "Bow" (an archery bow), so her name means "Lucky Bow," which sounds both very cute and very masculine at the same time! Right now her misedashi date is unknown, but it's expected either at the end of August or the beginning of September ^^ Image is courtesy of Shiba Yukihime.

June 6th, 2024: Triple congratulations are in order across two kagai! Asako (亜佐子) of Nishimura (西村) in Gion Kobu and Masanao (満彩尚) of Man (まん) in Gion Higashi are celebrating their erikae while Katsuwaka (佳つ若) of Odamoto (小田本) in Gion Kobu is celebrating her misedashi! Katsuwaka is the imōto of Katsutomo (佳つ智), also of Odamoto, and was first seen during the Miyako Odori performing the tea ceremony under her real name as she had not yet officially been given a geimei by the time that the odori had begun. Masanao was the most senior maiko in Gion Higashi while Asako was the second most senior maiko in Gion Kobu, both with over five years of experience and stuck it out during the hard covid years. All three are wearing kuromontsuki with waves, a symbol of change and bringing luck, which will hopefully lead these women onto bright paths in the future ^^ おめでとうさんどす亜佐子さんと満彩尚さんと佳つ若ちゃん ^o^! Images are courtesy of Ono No Komachi, The Gion Higashi Kabukai, and Gion Niimi.

June 4th, 2024: Congratulations on another erikae in the karyukai! Kimishō (君翔) of Honjo (本城) in Miyagawa Cho is the celebrant this time! She was the only imōto of geiko Kimiaya (君綾), also of Honjo who left the profession back in 2021, but has grown into a hard worker and strong dancer. She is the third of four erikae to take place in two weeks across the karyukai, making this a very busy season! Her outfit features lucky plants among waves and kanji with a matching wave obi ^^ おめでとうさんどす君翔さん ^o^! Image is courtesy of the Miyagawa Cho Kabukai.

May 27th, 2024: Double congratulations are in order (slightly late!). Sayumi (紗友美) of Tsurui (つる居) in Gion Kobu and Ichikoto (市琴) of Katsumi (勝見) in Pontocho are celebrating their erikae! They're the first of four erikae scheduled for two weeks, making this a very busy time for the karyukai. Sayumi will be the last imōto that her onesan Sayaka will see celebrate her erikae as Sayaka is retiring in the coming weeks. Ichikoto, on the other hand, is the second imōto for Ichiraku to have her erikae. Sayumi's outfit features blue waves and cranes while Ichikoto's showcases wonderful treasure ships on waves ^^ おめでとうさんどす紗友美さんと市琴さん ^o^! Images are courtesy of Kyo Katsura Imanishi [1] [2].

May 16th, 2024: The Kanki Inari Shrine Festival took place today in Gion Higashi and Masanao (満彩尚) of Man (まん) was spotted wearing the sakkō hairstyle! During Man's last erikae, Masano's, the okiya was celebrating their first such event and as such borrowed the majority of their outfit from the Shigenoya okiya. This time around, it seems as though Shigenoya has gifted the gorgeous purple kimono to Man and that Man has purchased a new stunning black shippō patterned obi and a double crane kanzashi. Her overall look is truly stunning and we look forward to her erikae on June 6th ^^! Image is courtesy of a friend who wishes to remain anonymous.

May 9th, 2024: Double congratulations are in order for Miyagawa Cho! Kotsuru (小つる) of Shigemori (しげ森) is celebrating her erikae while Fukunaru (ふく成), also of Shigemori, is celebrating her misedashi! Kotsuru is the first imōto of geiko Kofuku (小ふく), also of Shigemori, to be celebrating an erikae while Fukunaru is the eighth imōto of geiko Fukuhiro (ふく紘), also of Shigemori. Kotsuru's outfit features her namesake cranes flying above pine trees and water with a karabana obi while Fukunaru's outfit features peonies over waterfalls with a karabana and shippō obi ^^ おめでとうさんどす小つるさんとふく成ちゃん ^o^! Images are courtesy of My Kyoto Photo [1] [2].

May 2nd, 2024: 'Tis the season for celebrations, and what could be bigger than an erikae? Two erikae! Kotsuru (小つる) of Shigemori (しげ森) in Miyagawa Cho and Ichikoto (市琴) of Katsumi (勝見) in Pontocho are currently wearing the sakkō hairstyle ahead of their May erikae! Both women are wearing the traditional outfits of their districts for their sakkō periods: Kotsuru is wearing a kuromontsuki, a black crested formal kimono, while Ichikoto is wearing an iromontsuki, a colored crested formal kimono. Kotsuru's erikae will be taking place on May 9th while Ichikoto's will be taking place on May 27th ^^ Images are courtesy of My Kyoto Photo and Geiko Ayano.