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October 25th, 2019: Welcome back to Mamefuji (まめ藤) of Tama (多麻) in Gion Kobu! This move is a bit unprecedented as it’s been decades, if at all, since a maiko has made her return to Gion Kobu as a geiko. Mamefuji was extremely popular during her tenure as a maiko, so hopefully she will bring that same level of popularity back to Tama ^^ Image courtesy of Kyotogokagaigeimaiko.
An entire month that doesn’t focus on flowers!? You bet! But who needs flowers when you have almost every color of the rainbow? As always, all kanzashi are from Kazurasei.
Image courtesy of Kazurasei.
Momiji (紅葉) - Colored Maple Leaves
Ichō (銀杏) - Ginkgo Leaves
Matsuba (松葉) - Pine Needles
The second most popular month for tourism in Kyoto is November, and it’s edging closer to April’s haul each year. Before rebirth in the spring there must be death in the fall, and the millions of trees that encompass Kyoto give a show more colorful than fireworks in the process. Every temple becomes a treasure trove of colors in the form of changing leaves and become venerable a haven for photographers. The term for autumn, Aki (秋), is made up of the characters for “Tree” (禾) and “Fire” (火), which directly eludes to the colorful leaves!
The most popular autumn leaf to observe by far is the maple leaf. The Japanese variety of maple trees, Acer palmatum, which encompasses hundreds of different species, are popular around the world for their bold colors, so it’s only natural that they’re also popular in their native country. As discussed before, maple leaves can be known by two different names in Japanese depending on their color. Regular green maple leaves are known as Kaede (楓), whereas colored maple leaves, defined as any that have changed color, even slightly, are known as Momiji (紅葉), which literally means “Red Leaf.” Momiji can also be used as a blanket term to describe all autumn leaves, but it has since become synonymous with the maple leaf.
Image courtesy of Kazurasei.
The second most popular tree to observe in the autumn is the Ginkgo or Maidenhair Tree. Its leaves are prized in the karyukai due to its shape that closely resembles a folding fan. The graceful leaves also tend to flutter when they fall, which are said to resemble the fluttering of a fan in an alluring dance. Unlike the maple leaves, ginkgo leaves are made from rounded tsumami petals, which provide a beautiful contrast to the maple leaves’ pointed leafs. Unlike shidare from almost every other month, the “petals” for November are actually made like the leaves and feature pointed shapes. They’re meant to mimic individual leaf points instead of petals, so they look very sharp, literally!
Image courtesy of Kazurasei.
Keeping on the topic of leaves, it may seem a bit odd that pine needles are a common feature during the month, but their status is viewed as that of the leaf of an evergreen. The two kanji that make up “Pine Needle” in Japanese literally mean “Pine Leaf,” so the beautiful green needles are often added to maple and ginkgo leaves as a bit of an accent. They also serve a very important artistic function! The small, golden bases that are added to the needles help to attract the eye first. Then the pine needles, which are made from wrapping very thin, shiny threads around sticks, are often set at angles to provide movement for the eye to travel around the kanzashi.
Image courtesy of Risha Soul.
Leaves are extremely versatile as maiko can wear motifs that showcase the full spectrum of colors available for the month, which can range from green to yellow to orange or red and sometimes even brown! It’s rare to see a leaf that only has one or two colors, so kanzashi fans are well served during this time, many of which are the maiko themselves!
Like other full motif shidare, November’s leaves can be worn by junior and senior maiko alike. It’s often used as a bridge between the two seniorities, so it’s commonly seen being worn by junior maiko who are about to become senior, like Katsuhina (佳つ雛) of Odamoto (小田本) in Gion Kobu (above). The swaying leaves on this full motif shidare are as elegant as the wind blowing gently through the trees, so it’s the perfect way to show off autumn’s versatile colors!
Image courtesy of Onihide.
Even though they’re leaves and not blooms, November’s various leaves still follow the rules of juniors and seniors when it comes to sizes. Senior maiko, like Kanoka (叶果) of Kanoya (叶家) in Gion Higashi (above) wear one or three of a motif to make a bold statement and show off their impending transition into adulthood. As the tips of a ginkgo leaf are round they are often placed in a circular formation, both to make the entire motif look like a cute circle, but also because it resembles a pin wheel! This reminds us that even the most senior maiko are still children, but that this time is shortly coming to an end, just like the lives of the leaves.
Image courtesy of Japanexperterna.
In the case of junior maiko, the various leaf kanzashi are the ultimate rainbow that draw attention to them immediately and keep that sight burned into the minds of those who behold them! The bells notify you that they’re close, the shidare brings your eye up, and the main cluster explodes into an array of hues you never thought were possible, like with Mamefuji (まめ藤) of Tama (多麻) in Gion Kobu (above). You may have noticed that a few of the kanzashi do have small flower added to them, and this isn’t too uncommon. The flowers are small Chrysanthemums, which were the main motif for October and are a prominent autumn flower. However, the chrysanthemums are not meant to compete with the leaves in November, but rather to offer a soft palette to the otherwise strong colors of the leaves ^^
Another week, another episode Game of Thrones, so, it’s time for another weekend update! This week has been a bit more active that last week (both for the karyukai and the blog), so let’s get down to business! Karyukai News -Fukucho (ふく兆) of Shigemori (しげ森) in Miyagawa Cho will be having her erikae this month! So far no official date has been announced, but her okiya has directly confirmed that it will happening. Speaking of Shigemori... -There are rumors that Fukunae (ふく苗) of Shigemori may be retiring soon. This would explain why her junior sister Fukucho’s erikae has been moved up. However, it has also been speculated that Fukunae’s erikae has been pushed back because her okasan wanted her to stay as a maiko for a bit longer, so she may not be leaving after all. We’ll just have to wait and see how this develops. -Tomitae (富多愛) of Tomikiku (富菊) in Gion Higashi is wearing sakkō! One of her last public performances as a maiko will take place on May 15th, so her erikae will likely be May 17-20th as maiko take a day off to prepare before the big event. -Hisamomo (久桃) of Tanmika (丹美賀) and Ichinana (市奈菜) of Yamaguchi (やまぐち) in Pontocho are now seniors! They have both appeared at the Kamogawa Odori’s tea ceremony wearing white collars and their hair in the yakko shimada style. I am personally very happy that Hisamomo is finally a senior since she’s been a maiko for 3½ years and this is an unusually long time to be a junior. -Mamefuji (まめ藤) of Tama (多磨) in Gion Kobu has apparently retired. It seems as though many of the rumors circulating around were true (even though there were mixed messages on both sides) and this is quite the loss for Gion Kobu. Mamefuji was the #1 maiko (#2 overall) in 2015 and she seemed to have such a bright future ahead of her. Blog News -What’s In a Name? Part 6 looked at the unique naming lines of Taka (孝), U (卯), and Nao (尚). -What’s In a Kamon? Part 3 looked at the kamon that represent the districts themselves: the plover (千鳥), dumplings (団子), and interlocked rings (輪違い). -What’s In a Book? Parts 1 and 2 of the previously announced book reviews have been posted. They looked at “Geisha: A Living Tradition” by Kyoko Aihara and “Geisha” by John Gallagher. Both summaries of the reviews and consequent reviews can be found in the new “Book Review” tab at the top of the page. Right now I want to try to keep this to one book a week, but, since there are many books, I may do two. I was also thinking of trying to review as many multi-language books as I can first so that a larger audience can have easier access to these books. I do plan on eventually reviewing books that are in Japanese only or ones that are a bit rare to track down, but I’d rather that people be able to see what’s easily accessible before going into the harder stuff. -More terms were added to the Kagai Glossary. -Even more names were added to the meta list, specifically under Pontocho who saw an increase of over 100 names! Current number of names are as follows: -Gion Kobu: 592 -Pontocho: 315 -Kamishichiken: 141 -Miyagawa Cho: 135 -Gion Higashi: 52 That’s 1,235 names!
It’s Sunday and Game of Thrones is over, so it’s time for an update! Karyukai News -The Miyako Odori is over. -The Kamogawa Odori has begun. -Rumors are back about Mamefuji retiring. We’ll know more in the next few days. (It’s been a bit of a slow week in the karyukai, so there isn’t much to report on) Tumblr News -What’s in a Name? Part 5 looked at Yu (愈), Shime (〆), and Ka (哥). -What’s in a Kamon? Part 2 looked at Ivy (蔦), Bell Flowers (桔梗), and Paulownia (桐). -All available known names for Kamishichiken have been added to the meta list. Unless new scans of odori program books surface there will no longer be any additions. Current number of names are as follows: Gion Kobu: 590 Pontocho: 205 Kamishichiken: 141 Miyagawa Cho: 135 Gion Higashi: 52 That’s 1,123 names! -Starting this week I’m hoping to add book reviews as my collection is decently sized and many people have told me that they’re hesitant on buying books unless they’ve read reviews. I will then add a new tab at the top where all book reviews will be stored in a meta list for easy browsing.
It’s Sunday again, so it’s time to summarize what’s happened in this last week with this page and the karyukai (after watching Game of Thrones, of course!).
Karyukai News -Fukuna (ふく那) of Kawayoshi (河よ志) in Miyagawa Cho debuted on April 21st. -Yumeno (夢乃) of Fukushima (福島) in Gion Kobu has left the profession. -Minarai Satomi (簑弓) has been confirmed to be from Tanmika (丹美賀) in Pontocho. And, something I haven’t made an announcement on yet (it’s a bit hard to when using a phone): -Nishimura (西村) of Gion Kobu has a new minarai! So far she is known only by her real name (Tomoko 朋子) but she will be debuting in May after the Miyako Odori. There is also likely to be a new maiko debuting from Ninben after the odori as well. -Mamefuji (まめ藤) of Gion Kobu is still not quitting.
Tumblr News -Due to not having much access to a computer after my laptop’s adapter died “What’s in a Name?” does not have an entry for this week. -However, a new section called “What’s In a Kamon?” debuted with Part 1 looking at Wisteria (藤), Oxalis (Clover) (酢漿), and Butterfly (蝶). -The Kagai Glossary has been added to help people understand what many Japanese terms used on this page mean. I’ll add more terms as they come up, so look forward to it growing in the future. -More names were added to the Pontocho list before the computer kerfuffle, and the current number of names are as follows:
Gion Kobu: 590 Pontocho: 205 Kamishichiken: 60 Miyagawa Cho: 135 Gion Higashi: 52 That’s 1,042 names! Thanks for being there for the first 1,000!
Since it’s Sunday I’ll be summarizing everything new that’s happened this week to which you can then go explore. Karyukai News: -Newest Pontocho minarai is named Satomi ( 慧弓) and she will debut on May 26th. -Katsusen of Gion Kobu is finally a senior. -Mamefuji of Gion Kobu is still not quitting. Tumblr News: -Part 4 of “What’s In a Name?” looked at Ko (小), Chi (千), and Yo (代). -Kamon sections for each hanamachi were added. -Total number of active maiko and geiko for each district has been added along with symbols to identify who’s who. -Hundreds of names have been added to the geimei meta lists for each hanamachi. Current number of names are as follows: Gion Kobu: 590 Pontocho: 154 Kamishichiken: 60 Miyagawa Cho: 135 Gion Higashi: 52 That’s 991 names! -The ability to select or copy has been removed and, should anyone try, they will find that the ability to click on anything has been disabled. I didn’t want to do this at first, but since it takes a long time to write out and translate so many names and to research and add different kamon I don’t want other blogs or websites to just take everything that I have and not give me any credit back. I’m more than willing to help anyone who wants access to the text, but you’ll have to ask me first and then we can work something out. In all honesty, I welcome collaboration ^o^!
Straight from Rekishi-No-Tabi on Flickr (This image does not belong to me! Please click on it to see the original!). Sharing for all of the non-believers: Mamefuji is NOT retiring! PLEASE stop spreading that rumor!
