#umetae

Maiko Ichiaya (Ichi okiya), Umehina and Umetae during the Bon Odori ceremony

Former Maiko Umetae (Umeno Okiya) of Kamishichiken.

April 2019: Maiko Umehina in a stunning blue, and Maiko Umetae in a gorgeous purple! 

March 2019: Maiko Umetae (Umeno Okiya) of Kamishichiken performing a dance at a wedding, while Geiko Umechika plays the shamisen and sings.

กุมภาพันธ์ 2562: เกโกะ Umeshizu (โอกิยะ Ichi), และไมโกะ Umetae (โอกิยะ Umeno) จากเขต Kamishichiken กำลังร่ายรำที่ศาลเจ้า Kitano Tenmanguu ระหว่างเทศกาล Setsubun

เขต Kamishichiken อยู่ใกล้กับศาลเจ้า Kitano Tenmanguu มากกว่าศาลเจ้า Yasaka จึงมีเทศกาลสำคัญๆ ของเขตที่จัดขึ้นที่ศาลเจ้า Kitano Tenmanguu และเขต Kamishichiken นี้ยังเป็นเขตเดียวที่อนุญาตให้เกโกะขึ้นแสดงได้ในเทศกาล Setsubun ในขณะที่เขตอื่นจะส่งเฉพาะตัวแทนไมโกะให้ทำการแสดงการร่ายรำ

It’s been a while since we did this feature as I was waiting on some good questions to come in, and they have! I’ve since been hoarding them so that I have a nice stack, so like the knowledge dragon that I am I’ll be sharing my wealth with all of you again ^^! 29goingon90 asked: “Hello! I have a few questions about Umeno’s green shibori hiki. A) The color shows quite a bit of variation in places across the garment, and I wondered if this is a regular characteristic of shibori? I’ve seen others with the color “running” like on Umeno’s, indeed, I have a shibori furisode in orange and green that displays it, but I had always thought it was a result of dye migration, discoloration or fading defect. It must be wrong for an okiya to showcase the piece so frequently? B) Why do we see so much of this hiki? Maybe since I know this one, I spot it right away? Or does it just get used that much relative to other hiki that that makes it recognizable to me?”    Since it’s a two parter let’s tackle this in two parts! First, here’s the kimono in question:

Image courtesy of KWC Photo. Shibori like this is a bit complicated to make due to multiple colors involved. Most shibori relies on one main color that produces a gradation to look like multiple colors, but is simple(ish) in its execution. In the majority of cases when there are multiple colors involved they tend to be “spot” colors that are applied in small patches; this is most commonly seen with pieces like shibori yukata. When it comes to this piece, it requires a bit of a different approach in that color here has been applied in layers. The overall piece was first dyed in a light yellow color, which is why we see yellow seemingly coming out of everywhere. From there, the overall green sections were done with a simple geometric design of three/four lines that look a bit like folding fans. If this were a single color shibori piece then the light green areas would be white underneath, but since this was done in two stages they’re actually that sunny yellow. From there, the bold yellow sections were done to finish off the piece. Because there’s so much dye and so much physical exertion on the silk when shibori is made it can often look “roughed up,” so this is why we see a bit of a blotchy effect on the overall piece. This tends to become more obvious over time as the piece ages and is worn as dye can indeed migrate. Since yellow and green are close colors whose dyes can even be derived from each other it won’t seem as pronounced as if you had almost opposite colors like the OP has. However, we do know that many of Umeno’s better kimono, like this piece in particular, are upwards of 30 years old, so they’ve seen a great deal of wear! 30 years may seem like a long time, but shibori kimono are among the most expensive type of kimono that an okiya can own, so they are treated with respect and preserved for use for as long as possible.  As for the second question, let’s look at some more visual aids to help us answer this:

November 2017: maiko Umetae and Umechie of the Umeno okiya by  exclusivekyoto on Instagram

New blog is up! Visit HERE  🌟 🌟 🌟