May 17th, 2026: Pontocho's sakkō outfits are always very bright and, this time, it's a woman from Masamiya (雅美家) who is shining brightly as she makes the journey from maiko to geiko. Hidesaki (秀咲季) is now in her final hairstyle and outfit as a maiko, and the look is stunning! Each okiya in Pontocho has a special iromontsuki for sakkō, and Masamiya's is purple with the Onoe school's chrysanthemum kamon and leaves. It's paired beautifully with a golden shōchikubai obi and topped off with a silver wire crane over pine kanzashi; simple yet elegant. Pontocho tends to have a longer sakkō period than the other kagai, especially during odori season, and Hidesaki has been no exception. Her erikae will take place next month on June 15th ^^ Image courtesy of Tantsuru Ochaya/Katsumi Okiya.

June 15th, 2026: Kyoto's newest geiko is born! Hidesaki (秀咲季) of Masamiya (雅美家) in Pontocho is celebrating her erikae! She is the third woman from the relatively new Masamiya okiya to have her erikae and spent just shy of 5 years as a maiko, making her very experienced! She is also Pontocho's first erikae in two years, which is a welcome sight for the small district. Her outfit features pine, stream, and a peacock with a golden wave and plover obi ^^ おめでとうさんどす秀咲季さん ^o^! Image is courtesy of Geiko Ayano.

NHK World has recently released a new documentary called “A Maiko’s Coiffure: Beautiful Ties In Kyoto” that follows 92 year old Emiko Yamanaka as she styles the hair of Fukuya (ふく弥) of Kawayoshi (河よ志) in Miyagawa Cho and Hidemai (秀眞衣) and Hidesaki (秀咲季) of Masamiya (雅美家) in Pontocho. It was filmed this year so it’s quite recent. It covers Hidemai’s first ofuku, Fukuya’s retirement, and Hidesaki’s first wareshinobu. You can watch it free here. It’s available until October 23rd, 2022 ^^

June 24th, 2021: A new maiko has emerged in Kyoto! Hidesaki (秀咲季) has debuted from the Masamiya (雅美家) okiya in Pontocho! She was all smiles today on this fantastically sunny day and her silver crane and pine kanzashi just seemed to shimmer in the sunlight! She is the third maiko to debut from Pontocho in the past month, showing that her district is ready to get back on its feet again during the corona virus pandemic. おめでとうさんどす秀咲季ちゃん ^o^! Image is courtesy of Jp_kanrikan.

Just a few days ago we were surprised by the misedashi of Momihiro, and now it appears as though Pontocho will soon have another misedashi! Hidesaki (秀咲季) will be debuting from the Masamiya okiya on June 24th! This will be Pontocho’s second misedashi of the year and the third overall for the gokagai in 2021 ^^