#fumiyuki

Tora Tora with Maiko Umehina and Fumiyuki (Katsufumi okiya)

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):

February 2019: Maiko Fumiyuki (Katsufumi Okiya) of Kamishichiken showing off her special osome hairstyle for Setsubun.

Setsubun is the start of the lunar new year and is celebrated every year from February 2nd to February 4th. A set number of Maiko from each kagai will perform at their local shrine on February 2nd and 3rd and, after the performance, throw packages of lucky beans into the crowd to dispell evil spirits.

Geiko also get to dress up in costumes for Obake, which is similar to Halloween in the West, and perform special skits for their customers. Originally, this was done to confuse evil spirits. Usually, Geiko dress up as people from Japanese history, figures from tales or old professions, but nowadays, they can also wear more “modern” costumes.

Maiko are not allowed to dress up in costumes (except for Miyagawacho, where it is allowed for senior Maiko), but they get to wear a variety of special hairstyles, including osome, oshidori no hina, oshun, kikugasane, osafune, fukiwa, suisha, yuiwata, marumage, yoko-hyogo and tayū ofuku.

It’s a rule that the more junior the Maiko, the closer her hairstyle has to be to the ordinary wareshinobu hairstyle, which is why Fumiyuki, who had her Misedashi in late September of 2017, is wearing osome.

May 2018: first-year maiko Fumiyuki with wisteria kanzashi (and wisteria kimono!) by  katufumi_ on Instagram

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September 26th, 2017: Photos of the Misedashi (formal debut) of maiko, Fumiyuki (ふみ幸) of Katsufumi Okiya (勝ふみ) in Kamishichiken, Kyoto, Japan.

Katsufumi Okiya is a brand new okiya and this is their first misedashi and first maiko! Many prayers for the success of both the okiya and in Fumiyuki's career!