#maezashi

June 2019: Maiko Umehina (Umeno Okiya) of Kamishichiken in the gardens of the Konkaikōmyō-ji Temple in Kyoto.

Lively Jūsanmairi shrine visit outfits (seen on and on). I really like how they styled those kanzashi in pair (usually, hairpins of those type are worn alone on left side)

Oirangeisha’s high hopes for the 2018 girls.

I told you my opinion and my hopes on my new favorite girls who have had their misedashi this year. It’s not very objective because I don’t speak about some of them. Also this is just a quick opinion nothing too serious I don’t claim to know those girls.

1/Mizuno from Fukushima okiya (GK) and debuted march 4th 2018. I really enjoyed seeing Mizuno blossom this year and with such a good onesan as Fumino I think this girl is well set for a sucessful career! She does have a lovely look which make me wait for her pictures always! (Source)

2/Mameyo of Arai okiya (GK) debuted march 7th 2018. I’m reeeally into her ! Her okiya is know to recruit talented dancer and she surely is one of them! And with Mameroku as onesan (which im glad she have the opportunity to have that role) Mameyo can only progress! (Source)

3/Kanochiyo (l) and Kanohisa (r) from Kanoya okiya (GH) debuted october 4th 2018. Im always hyped for new Gion Higashi’s girls and those two look adorable! I wish them the best of luck and im sure they will shine! (Source)

4/Ichigiku from the Ichi okiya (K) debuted october 24th 2018. I love to see new face at Ichi okiya ! And having such a prestigious onesan as Umegiku could only serve this lovely young lady! And what a lovely face im looking forward to see her progress! (Source)

Also known as, You TOO Can Wear What Maiko Do! This was suggested by a reader not too long ago, and I really liked the idea as being a jewellery dealer has allowed me to be able to search for items that most people don’t know where to look for. Not only will I be showing you the pieces in detail, but I’ll also show where you can purchase them for yourselves! To begin with, the majority of maezashi worn by maiko are actually brooches that are worn as hair ornaments with the aid of a tool called a “Kanzashi Converter.” It looks like this:

The image, along with said item, can be found on Rakuten from seller Shugale at the low price of 174 yen (approximately $1.54 USD)! You can also buy it from the same seller in silver for the same price here. If you’d rather use an English based website then Chirimen Bunny on Etsy sells them for $3.50 USD. This may seem a bit confusing that maiko are using brooches instead of actual kanzashi, but the trend is due to two major factors: taste and price. There are far more brooches available than kanzashi, so customizing one’s look is easier with a piece that can be used in multiple ways rather than one with a single usage. However, price is easily the biggest factor though, as these brooches can be purchased for relatively little money. So, even a maiko with minimal spending money can pick up a cute new brooch to use as a maezashi at any time! With that said, let’s take a look at a few stand out pieces ^^

The Lion

Worn By: Yuriha (ゆり葉) of Tama (多麻) in Gion Kobu Motif: Lion Jumping Through a Flaming Hoop Brand: Palnart Poc Material: Brass and Enamel Price: ¥ 3,240 / $28.72 USD Buy It Here  Image of Yuriha courtesy of Ktellusastory. Image of the lion brooch courtesy of Own P. This one is among the most expensive as it’s made by a Japanese designer in Japan, which is very rare nowadays! The vast majority of brooches have been made in China for almost two decades now, so the price reflects its Japanese origins. I personally don’t know much about Palnart Poc, but they have some very cute and interesting pieces! This piece features a gold colored lion created in brass jumping through fire that’s been colored with enamel. Due to its Japanese origins I could only find it being sold on Rakuten, but all sellers across the platform were selling it for the same price. You can also buy a matching ring and earrings too! Lions are powerful animals, but this brooch makes them seem less deadly as it’s meant to mimic a circus lion jumping through a ringmaster’s hoop at a playful circus. In most countries animals are slowly being banned from circuses, especially large and exotic ones, but lions are still legal to be owned by them in Japan, albeit not without some controversy. However, I don’t think that the designer had this in mind when creating this set and instead opted for a beloved past time of Japanese children everywhere of going to see a circus with their family.        

The Peacock

Worn By: Ichiyū (市結) of Katsumi (勝見) in Pontocho Motif: Peacock Brand: Unknown/None Material: Silver Metal, Abalone Shell, and Rhinestones Price: $4.29 USD Buy It Here Image of Ichiyū courtesy of Kuumill. Image of the peacock brooch courtesy of Ali Market. Remember how I spoke above about mass produced pieces from China? Well, this is definitely one of them. I had to go on Ebay to find the exact one as trends from China change so quickly and this piece is already a few years old. With that said, it’s just a cute little brooch in the shape of a stylized peacock. The feathers are abalone shell pieces that give the piece both color and shine. You may have noticed that Ichiyū’s is slightly different, and it is, but it doesn’t seem to be for negative reasons. On Ichiyū’s one of the abalone shell pieces has been swapped out with a mother of pearl piece, and this was either due to a manufacturing defect or a fix not long after she got it. Peafowl are the beloved animals of the goddess Kannon, who is the Bodhisattva of mercy and compassion, as their unique skill of being able to attack and eat snakes makes them valuable stewards. Their plumage is also unrivaled and glamorous, just like the maiko themselves.  

The Owl

Worn By: Fukune (ふく音) of Kawayoshi (河よ志) in Miyagawa Cho Motif: Owl Brand: Unknown/None Material: Gold Plated Metal and Rhinestones Price: $1.59 USD Buy It Here Image of Fukune courtesy of Yasukosora. Image of owl brooch courtesy of Rhao. This is another mass produced Chinese piece and is still actively being made, hence why the price is so extremely low! This one features two owls, likely a parent and child, on a branch with flowers. Rhinestones are added both to the owls and the flowers to make the piece really pop. The centers of the owls use a special coated stone called “moon glow” that makes it very reflective, almost like a star sapphire. Oddly enough this piece is a knock off of a piece made by the famous designer Napier. Most Chinese produced brooches are actually made with the moulds used for the original brooches that are purchased from the original companies, sometimes with small details changed so as not to be exact replicas. So, while technically this isn’t trying to duplicate the original exactly it’s still close enough to be considered a knockoff as it is not an original design. In this case, the small cluster of rhinestones on the left side that form a flower were just originally a couple of rhinestones that had no distinct shape, which is a very minor change. For those of you who are interested in seeing the original product that it was based on you can check it out here. Owls are symbols of wisdom, so it only makes sense for a maiko to want to gain a bit of that wisdom for themselves ^^ 

The Flower

Worn By: Fukutama (ふく珠) of Shigemori (しげ森) in Miyagawa Cho Motif: Flower Brand: Unknown/None Material: Rhodium Plated Metal and Rhinestones Price: $4.00 USD Buy It Here Image of Fukutama courtesy of My Kyoto Photo (Patosan) Image of Flower Brooch courtesy of LorrieChristine I admit, I had a hard time describing what shape this piece was, but my best guess is a flower with six petals. It probably took me the longest out of all of these examples to find for sale as it’s so abstract and can be described in so many ways. But, besides that, it’s very striking and it’s super shiny, so I can see why a maiko would love it! That it features only a single colored rhinestone lends well to Fukutama’s seniority, so it really is a perfect fit for a senior maiko who’s close to the end of her apprenticeship. 

Bonus: The Swan

May 2019: Maiko Kanohisa (Kanoya Okiya) of Gion Higashi celebrated her 17th birthday recently! Happy belated birthday Kanohisa!

May 2019: Maiko Mamesumi (Ninben Okiya) of Gion Kobu performing Kurokami, “black hair”. It’s a special dance that is almost exclusively performed during a Maiko’s sakkou period.

A “sakkou period” are the two to three weeks before a Maiko has her Erikae and becomes a Geiko. She wear the special, elaborate sakkou hairstyle (very well visible in the picture above), and wears a special, self-designed kanzashi consisting of lucky motifs. They also wear special outfits, but those depend on the customs of the kagai. In Gion Kobu, Maiko wear a formal black kimono, a golden obi and a mostly white collar.

At the end of their sakkou period, the end of the girl’s bun is symbolically cut off to signify her transition from Maiko to Geiko, from girl to woman.

Mamesumi's Erikae will take place on the 30th of May! It's the first Erikae from Ninben/Shibata since Mamesome's in February of 2013.

May 2019: Maiko Kikusana (Hanafusa Okiya) of Miyagawacho was finally promoted to a senior Maiko this month! She had her Misedashi on the 9th of May of 2016, so she has been around for almost 3 years, but she also debuted at the age of 15, so it makes sense that she was a junior for so long.