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Following the translation of the 2018 Miyako Odori deban, we’ll be looking at some facts from the odori itself! Since Gion Kobu has not had their own Joruri singers or shamisen players since the early 1980s, they invite members of the Takemoto Ryu (singers) and Tsurukawa Ryu and Toyokawa Ryu (shamisen) to perform these complex roles. Joruri is a special type of jikata that is trained in specific types of dramatic music.
Once again, it’s kind of a jumble of related facts and I wasn’t sure how else to write to besides “this is going to take more than one line” ^^; The newest okiya in Kyoto is Gion Kobu’s Fukushima (福島), which opened in 2007 and debuted its first girls in 2008. So far they’ve produced: -2 Geiko (Ayano 彩乃, Fumino 章乃) -4 Maiko (Kotono 琴乃, Kiyono 清乃, Shino 柴乃, Yumeno 夢乃) Of those 6, 3 are no longer active (Ayano, Kotono, Yumeno) although Ayano now helps to run Fukushima’s restaurant, Aji Fukushima, which is located a block away from the okiya.
More random tidbits of karyūkai knowledge! This week’s fact is: There are three stores that make all of the maiko kanzashi in Kyoto: Ikuokaya (幾岡屋), Kintakedo (金竹堂), and Kazurasei (かづら清). All are located on Shijo Dori between Gion Kobu and Gion Higashi in front of the Yasaka Shrine. And a bonus: Ikuokaya specializes in sakkō kanzashi, and almost every sakkō piece is made by them.
