Hope you have a restful time during your vacation🩷

Hello Anon

Thank you for your kind message!

In risk of being indiscreet about 10 year old internet gossip - here's the rundown: Some lady on the internet, we'll call her "Berry", started posting pictures of the Wachigaiya Tayuu with really weird and vague/ not so vague comments about the new Tayuu around town.

Berry was not officially associated with the Wachigaiya, but she was a customer and really big fan, and a really big fan of the Karyukai in general. If my memory serves, she was often interviewed for TV and radio about the Kagai in Kyoto as an "expert". Apparently, she had some connections to the Kyoto tourism bureau and served as a media spokesperson of sorts. She loved the role of being an insider, being in the know and later on, being the judge of authenticity for Tayuu.

In her posts, she would often compare elegant photos of Kisaragi with unflattering pictures of Tsukasa, like candid photos of her mid laugh for example, nothing indecent, like when we pause in a video and we catch the face all wonky? That's what she would post and comment at how Tsukasa was improper and embarrassing and not a "real Tayuu".

At the time, Aoi was preparing to debut as a new Tayuu and she did so with great fanfare. She posted on her Instagram, on Facebook etc. She was mentioned in articles and the idea was to create a real buzz for the occasion. This must have rubbed Berry the wrong way, and she took to the socials to vent. Clearly with the Wachigaiya's consent, as Berry openly used their Tayuu in pictures and comparison. The Wachigaiya never publicly took a stand to any of this. But Berry was really ALL CAPS about her viewpoint, so the establishment knew. Oh they knew!

After the debut, Aoi found some success and started investing into her wardrobe with new uchikake and kimono, and this too would cause a ruckus. Berry would write how the Wachigaiya would dress their real Tayuu in antique and precious attire and not modern interpretations and new fabrics, these looked gaudy and it was shameful how new Tayuu would be interpreted and this was not the real deal. Berry had become a gatekeeper.

From what i know, Aoi stayed silent and kept keeping on. But you can imagine how this rippled through the scene. Usually things like this never get aired out in the open, so this was clearly an attack.

Source: Aoi on Instagram

The thing that is still unknown is the part that came beforehand: Aoi had grown up in the culture and had been the ideal candidate to debut from the Wachigaiya, she had over a decade of experience as a Kamuro and then as Furisode. For undisclosed reasons, the Wachigaiya simply refused to let her debut, instead often padding the parades with unknown Furisode Tayuu "Henshin". Aoi and Tsukasa had already invested so much time and energy and decided to simply move on with the plan, Aoi was getting up there in age and couldn't stay a Furisode forever. It was a huge leap that cost an immense amount of money. It must have been quite weird for many patrons of the Wachigaiya, to have to pick a side when asked to invest. Aoi started over, and needing to create a new customer pool, took on tourist events and engagements we sometimes see Maiko do: Advertisements, public appearances in malls and hotels etc. This of course also added to the outcry about authenticity. You might pick up on the hypocrisy of it all.

All the while Takasago and her mentee Kikugawa were out there catching strays too! They had started their own endeavors around the same time and the insults hurled at Kikugawa centered around her wearing a wig instead of setting her own hair etc. But it all goes to show at how expensive this operation was, going to the Kamiyui is expensive! The outcries didn't die down when she had enough resources to take herself to the hairstylist and get the Nihongami, the rumors of Kikugawa having too fine hair then quickly shut down. It's all so petty. And misogynistic.

Ultimately Berry is politely considered a bit weird. And through ignoring her rants, she has disappeared from the public discourse. But sadly, so has Kikugawa. I wish her well and am kinda saddened about the "what ifs". What if the Shimabara establishment could have been more courteous and cooperative with people clearly adjacent to their base, Takasago, Tsukasa and Aoi were not some outsiders opening up shop out of the blue! Very sad indeed.

After aaalll that! My favorite myoseki must be Wakayanagi (若柳) as i like both parts of the name and even though Waka- is also popular for many geimei, "Yanagi" is very Tayuu-coded or at least very of the Shimabara.

Maiko Kikuwaka of Nara city performing the "Kyo no Shiki" dance