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March 1st, 2023: Congratulations are in order for Kyoto’s newest maiko! Fuminami (ふみ波) of Katsufumi (勝ふみ) in Kamishichiken has made her debut! She is the third maiko for the newly opened Katsufumi okiya and the first debut for Kamishichiken so far this year. Her outfit features shōchikubai and kai awase on waves and a golden karabana obi ^^ おめでとうさんどすふみ波ちゃん ^o^! Image courtesy of the Kamishichiken Kabukai.
February 13th, 2023: A new minarai has begun her maiko journey! Fuminami (ふみ波) of Katsufumi (勝ふみ) in Kamishichiken started her minarai period today! She is SUPER cute! It wouldn’t surprise me if Fumisono were to be promoted to ofuku within the coming months due to Fuminami’s debut too. Her misedashi will be in March ^^ Image is courtesy of Katsufumi.
On The Sixth Day of Fun I present... another request! I’ve been holding onto this one for a while, so if you’re the person who requested it, thank you for your patience and please enjoy!
Image courtesy of Kyoto Hanako. Materials: Silver, Agate, and Jade Motifs: Swirling Water, Dragonflies, Leaves, and Bamboo Owned By: Katsufumi (勝ふみ) in Kamishichiken This one is more traditional in its execution compared to the other Katsufumi piece that was covered, but it’s no less spectacular. This time we’re looking at more traditional silversmithing with that more flattened kind of look, but as we’ll soon find out, that’s all on purpose. The main motif here is swirling water, beautifully executed with movement and flow to look as through it’s really moving. On top of the water we first have a pair of dragonflies that are executed in the same silver as the waves. This gives them an almost ethereal quality, as if they’re made of the water they’re flying over! Next we have the leaves, which are made out of a creamy orange agate. The leaves themselves, a maple leaf, bamboo leaves, and an ivy leaf, symbolize the changing seasons, making this a multi-season pocchiri. The maple leaves represent autumn, the bamboo represents winter and spring, and the ivy represents not a season, but rather a more personal thing: ivy is the kamon of the Katsufumi okiya! Like the other pocchiri, they’ve managed to add it into this one as well to give it a personal touch. Finally, we have the green bamboo stalks that add contrast to the orange leaves and serve as lucky charms. Unlike the other pocchiri that used nephrite jade, these bamboo pieces are made from jadeite jade. So, looking back on everything, we have to ask: why was the water made flat? Not only does it provide depth for the motifs on top of it, but it also provides a nice base for everything to sit on. The answer may not be very complicated, but a simply executed design will always turn out better than something that’s overtly complicated ^^ Here you can see it being worn by maiko Fumiyuki (ふみ幸):
Image is courtesy of Katsufumi.
July 1st, 2021: More congratulations are in order! Fumisono (ふみ苑) has debuted from the Katsufumi (勝ふみ) okiya in Kamishichiken! She is the third maiko to debut from the small district this year and second overall from Katsufumi. Her kimono and obi matched displaying beautiful multicolored maple leaves! おめでとうさんどすふみ苑ちゃん ^o^! Image is courtesy of Kitano Shiki.
June 16th, 2021: A new minarai has made her debut in Kamishichiken! Her name is Fumisono (ふみ苑) and she is from the Katsufumi (勝ふみ) okiya! Her misedashi will be taking place on July 1st, so please look forward to it! Image is courtesy of Adachi Kyoto.
It’s a return to a shiny feature, but this time we’re looking at something that’s brand new!
Image courtesy of Takuya Iba. Materials: Silver, Coral, Pearls, Agate, and Nephrite Jade. Motifs: Folding Fan, Chrysanthemum, and Ivy Owned By: Katsufumi (勝ふみ) in Kamishichiken It’s always a treat to see the techniques used by modern artists to capture traditional motifs that straddle the line between old and new. Unlike older pocchiri that tend to put the most emphasis on the stones themselves, this one instead shows off some seriously impressive silver work that treats each individual motif differently in order to bring out its best features. In the fan itself we can see intricately carved motifs that make the silver sparkle and shine like diamonds. But, that sparkle gives way to relatively plain vines that wind their way behind and eventually around to the front of the piece. At the bottom we can see some of the ivy leaves carved into the silver, with the solid ones having that same shine as the fan. The bottom is also decorated with pearls that form a bit of a border underneath the chrysanthemum to bring our eyes back to its intricately carved coral petals. But, beside that beautiful chrysanthemum are two large ivy leaves; one made from an orange agate and the other from a nephrite jade. The stone we know as “jade” can actually come from two different sources: nephrite and jadeite. This piece is almost certainly nephrite as nephrite is known for its right, dark green color that is often compared to foliage. The bright greens and white that are seen in other pieces are characteristic of jadeite. Overall nephrite is cheaper per carat than jadeite as it’s not as rare and usually not as highly sought after as bright green jadeite. Now, you may be wondering: why is there ivy creeping around this entire piece, culminating with those two leaves made from semi-precious stones? Well, the five pointed ivy leaf is the kamon of the Katsufumi okiya. The entire design tells us that the chrysanthemum, the symbol of the emperor, and the fan, the symbol of maiko and geiko, are important aspects of Japanese culture, but right behind them, figuratively and literally, is the new growth that is Katsufumi. Here you can see it being worn by Katsufumi’s premiere maiko, Fumiyuki (ふみ幸):
Image courtesy of KH Photo NM.
September 26th, 2017: Congratulations to Fumiyuki (ふみ幸) of Katsufumi (勝ふみ) in Kamishichiken on the occasion of her misedashi! As the first maiko from a new okiya she is showing off a beautiful new wardrobe and a kuromontsuki that has yet to be seen in public. As shown on the Kamon of Kamishichiken tab her okiya’s kamon is the five point blank ivy ^^ おめでとうございますふみ幸ちゃん ^o^! Images are courtesy of Adachi_Kyoto on Instagram [1] [2]. You can also check out a bonus picture taken by the Kamishichiken Kaburenjo page on Facebook ^^!
Another late night saw me falling asleep before posting this, but that’s okay since even more news has happened since last night! Karyukai News -Fumiyuki (ふみ幸) of Katsufumi (勝ふみ) in Kamishichiken will be having her misedashi tomorrow (September 26th). -The Katsufumi kamon has been revealed and is now listed on the Kamon of Kamishichiken tab. -Shikomi Chiaki of Umeno (梅乃) in Kamishichiken has begun her minarai period! Her geimei is Umetae (梅たえ) and her misedashi will be after Kotobukikai in October. -Two new minarai have appeared in Gion Higashi this week! One is Fumine (文音) of Okatome (岡とめ) and the other is Tomichie (富千英) of Tomikiku (富菊). Both will be debuting in October prior to the Gion Odori. -The Takasegawa Boat Festival took place on Saturday with Ichiteru (市照) and Ichiaya (市彩) of Masunoya (桝之矢) in Pontocho taking part. -Ryōma (涼真) of Sakaemasa (栄政) in Gion Higashi had her misedashi on Wednesday (September 20th). Blog News -What’s That Thing? Part 1 looked at a very special waterlily kanzashi. -The Random Fact of The Week looked at Pontocho events. -Mylo’s Pick of The Week went to Momika (もみ香) of Yamaguchi (やまぐち) in Pontocho. -New additions have been made to the Sister Relationship tab, specifically the beginning of the Independent Naming Lines, which are lines that are new and/or independent from other members of the same okiya. -Thank you once again to everyone who sent in so many questions this week! I’ll have to go back and count, but there may have been a new record! It’s an honor to be teaching you all ^^!
I’m finally back home after spending the long weekend away at the beach, and there’s been a great deal of news! Karyukai News -There are two confirmed minarai in Gion Higashi! One has now been identified to be from Sakaemasa! -Fumiyuki (ふみ幸) of Katsufumi (勝ふみ) in Kamishichiken began her minarai period on September 1st. Her misedashi will be on September 26th. -Mikako (実佳子) of Nishimura (西村) in Gion Kobu is tying her obiage! Her erikae will be next month ^^ -There’s a rumor going around that a maiko in Pontocho is currently wearing pre-sakko hairstyles. I’ll try to update you all as I get more information. Blog News -I’ve been away for the weekend so not much as been done ^^; -Thank you to everyone who sent in their questions and waited so patiently for me to respond! I really appreciate the trust that you place in me and I do answer all questions that are sent in, so if I haven’t responded right away then please know that I have seen it and am likely researching the best possible answer to give you ^^
July 19th, 2017: Maiko Fumiyuki (ふみ幸) of Katsufumi (勝ふみ) in Kamishichiken did her nihongami hair trial today! Maiko in Kamishichiken often try out the wareshinobu hairstyle before they become minarai, usually as a way of celebrating the passing of their maiko test ^^ From Fumiyuki on Instagram.
Last week someone asked what the oldest and newest okiya are per district, and it’s been noted that Kamishichiken hasn’t had a new okiya open since Umeno in the 1990s. Well, that’s all about to change! Former geiko Katsufumi (勝ふみ), who currently owns a henshin studio, is opening her own okiya too! Like her studio, the okiya is also named Katsufumi and its first maiko, Fumiyuki (ふみ幸) will be debuting on September 26th! You can check out their new website here and the Instagram account of current shikomi Fumiyuki here ^^
