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.
