Spotlight - Okatome (岡とめ) Sakkō Outfit

Since this has been requested a few times now it’s only proper to take a look at the sakkō traditions surrounding various kagai and the okiya within them. Gion Higashi is a small kagai where the women who are about to become geiko wear the same outfits as the previous maiko who have made that switch, with almost every aspect of the outfit being identical. Here we’ll be looking specifically at what the women of Okatome (岡とめ) wear before they make the big change. Since their last erikae was Miharu back in October 2010, there aren’t many older images, so all of the ones used will be of Hinayū to keep the quality high ^^

The Kimono

Image courtesy of the Gion Higashi Kabukai. Gion Higashi is unique in that each okiya’s sakkō kimono is a stunning dark purple with some kind of white pattern on top. Depending on the addition of other motifs these kimono can be classified either as Edo Komon (江戸小紋) or just a notch under a Montsuki (紋付き), which would make these outfits semi-formal. Okatome’s features white Pine Needles (Matsuba - 松葉) in various sizes, with small ones acting as an overall background and larger ones mixed in with the additional motifs. Like all senior maiko kimono, the motifs are found along the hem and at the bottoms of the sleeves. The additional motifs here are colorful Autumn Leaves, specifically those of the Maple (Momiji - 紅葉), Ginkgo (Ichō - 銀杏), and Japanese Oak (Kashiwa - 柏), Chrysanthemums (Kiku - 菊) with leaves, and Plum Blossoms (Ume - 梅). Due to the motifs that cover such a wide window in which they can be worn, this piece is seasonally available from October until May. 

The Obi

Image courtesy of Chihiro Imanishi. As is also custom in Gion Higashi, all maiko during their sakkō period will wear plain colored obi, usually white or black, with an emphasis on gold thread. Okatome uses a dark grey obi with golden Flower Diamonds (Hanabishi - 花菱) and colorful Chrysanthemums. Hanabishi are geometric symbols that can be traced back to Buddhism in that they can represent literal flowers or repeating forms like mandalas. Chrysanthemums are one of two official flowers of Japan and have been symbols of the Emperor and nobility for centuries. You may have noticed in the first image and slightly in this one that she is wearing an obijime and pocchiri! This is a tradition unique to Gion Higashi as no other kagai wears obijime and pocchiri during this time as they are usually not worn with formal outfits. Her pocchiri features three bamboo leaves against a bamboo trunk. The trunk itself is silver while the leaves appear to be made from jade and coral.  

The Kanzashi and Eri

Image courtesy of Okiram_3604. The beautiful kanzashi features a very large silver crane made from extremely thin wire. It may be a bit hard to see, but the crane has a pair of pine needles in its beak! Pine trees are symbols of endurance and strength, so it symbolizes her bringing those gifts with her into her new role as a geiko. Her eri, which all maiko in Gion Higashi wear, is bright red with gold and silver embroidery. Red is a prominent feature in both the sakkō hairstyle and the collar as red is considered a color of childhood and of new beginnings. The gold and silver embroidery show that this is a special occasion since it makes the eri sparkle and draws attention to the wearer ^^

What’s That Thing? Part 2

Another entry in the new series, this time we’re looking at an interesting query.  @ktellusastory asked: Hi missmyloko, On my instagram account I have seen many photos of maiko dancing in simple houmongi kimono and no oshiroi makeup. I am wondering, are there times when maiko can dance publicly or privately without the whole "look"? And are there events were the general public can see this? So, let’s start by looking at the images they’re referring to:

Image courtesy of  H.Ishibashi1001 on Instagram. Starting with Mikako (実佳子) of Nishimura (西村) in Gion Kobu, we can see that she’s not wearing a houmongi at all. She’s wearing a komon, which is what she should be wearing as this image was taken during dance practice. You can tell that she’s practicing because she’s using the practice fans that I’ve spoken about earlier.

Image courtesy of H.Ishibashi1001 on Instagram. Secondly, looking at Umehina (梅ひな) of Umeno (梅乃) in Kamishichiken, we can see that she’s dancing in a room with a traditional folding screen. She was asked to dress semi-formally in what appears to be a tsukesage (It’s quite hard to tell from the angles given) for what seems to be a casual photo shoot. This is becoming quite common among photographers as maiko are allowed to be more relaxed and, well, themselves. Here Umehina was likely allowed to perform her favorite dances and the photographer happily took pictures. A tsukesage is just below a houmongi in formality and sits in the middle of the kimono formality scale. It is considered appropriate wear for inside a place of gathering, like an ochaya or house. 

Image courtesy of H.Ishibashi1001 on Instagram.  Thirdly, this image of Toshimomo (とし桃) of Komaya (駒屋) in Miyagawa Cho bucks the trend of the others. This image was taken at the Miyagawa Cho Beer Garden, which is a public event where people can pay to drink beer, mingle with maiko and geiko, and watch them perform. Since this is a casual event maiko and geiko dress in yukata, as this also allows them to stay cool in the summer heat. 

Image courtesy of Hirohito Hara (Hirohito2230) on Instagram. Lastly we have the geigi Ponta (ぽん太) of Kanazawa. Like Toshimomo she is wearing a yukata, which denotes that this image was taken at an informal event, likely for the public as well. Even during the summer maiko and geiko do not wear yukata to ozashiki as this is seen as far too informal.