#umewaka

February 2019: Geiko Umewaka (Ichi Okiya) of Kamishichiken serving tea to guests at Baikasai.

Baikasai in Kamishichiken with Geiko Umeha, Naokazu (Nakasato okiya), Umeka (Ichi okiya), Umewaka (Ichi okiya) and Naohiro (Nakasato okiya) and Maiko Katsuki (Daimonji okiya), Ichigiku (Ichi okiya), Umetae, Umesana and Fumiyuki (Katsufumi okiya)

กุมภาพันธ์ 2562: เกโกะ Umewaka (โอกิยะ Ichi) จากเขต Kamishichiken ในเทศกาล Baikasai

April maiko kanzashi

April is a busy time for the karyukai. Gion Kobu, Miyagawacho, and Kamishichiken have their annual spring odori in addition to their regular evening appointments. Kamishichiken’s Kitano Odori runs from March 25th through April 7th; Gion Kobu’s Miyako Odori runs the entire month of April (though this year it runs from April 1st through 23rd due to a venue change); and Miyagawacho’s Kyo Odori runs from April 1st through 16th. 

Cherry blossoms are the main motif for April, as cherry trees bloom during this time. The Miyako Odori is sometimes called the “Cherry Blossom Dance” or “Cherry Dance” in English because it’s held in April and is frequently associated with blooming cherry trees. Hanami, cherry blossom viewing, was and is a popular seasonal pastime for Japanese and tourists alike. Like the Japanese plum tree, many cherry trees are cultivated for their blossoms rather than their fruit, and some trees may not produce fruit at all. 

Junior and senior maiko wear pink cherry blossom kanzashi with butterflies - a reminder of the upcoming summer - and red and white bonbori lanterns. Senior maiko tend to wear silver or gold butterfly kanzashi rather than cherry blossom kanzashi. Cherry blossom kanzashi come in many sizes and colors, and may be clustered in groups or hanging in strands. Some kanzashi have globular chōchin lanterns intern of bonbori lanterns, or miniature hina dolls for the Hina Matsuri held in March. 

In Kyoto, generally speaking, no. Once one is retired, one is considered as retired for life and can’t come back as a Maiko/Geiko. That doesn’t mean that retired Maiko or Geiko aren’t welcome in their old district anymore, they are usually very welcome to visit their old okiya or even hold their own ozashiki, or that they can’t work as something else in the kagai, but not as a Maiko/Geiko.

There are, however, some cases of retired Maiko and Geiko coming back, four more recent cases that I know of:

The first one is Geiko Umewaka (Ichi Okiya) of Kamishichiken. She had her Misedashi in 1998 and retired in 2004. She went on to become a Geisha in Tokyo and came back as a Geiko in February 2014 and her seniority was reset. Kamishichiken is small and can always use new members, Maiko or Geiko alike, and Umewaka is talented, never ceased taking lessons or actively performing and was on good terms with the Ichi okaasan, so she was taken back in.

Then there’s Geiko Toshiteru (Komaya Okiya) of Miyagawacho, who had her Misedashi on the 6th of October 2007 and retired in 2012. She went on to work at an ochaya in Miyagawacho and continued her lessons. It was then decided that her talents could be put to better use as a Geiko and she returned to the Komaya Okiya in mid-2015 without an Erikae. Her seniority was also reset. If Toshiteru hadn’t still been working in Miyagawacho and hadn’t still been taking lessons, this would likely have not been allowed to happen.

Then there’s Geiko Yoshika of Miyagawacho. She used to be known as Geiko Yasuha and was affiliated with the Kaden Okiya and debuted under now retired Geiko Yayoi. She was written as Yasuha in the Kyo Odori programmes until 2014, and started being written as Yoshika starting in 2015. It seems like she retired for a short time and then came back as Yoshika, and came back with a Misedashi as a Geiko. On the announcement, her old geimei was even written next to her new one (Source). It’s still unclear why this happened, and no one in the karyukai seems to want to talk it, either. She might had to retire for some reason for a while, talked it through with the most senior people in her district and was allowed to come back, but not allowed to use her old name, or wanted to cut ties with the Kaden Okiya and her old onee-san specifically, but that would make it even more confusing, as Geiko Yayoi already retired in 2009 and this whole thing happened in 2015 and the only Geiko from the Ya-line that is left is Geiko Yachiho.

The most recent case is Geiko Kanowaka (Kanoya Okiya) of Gion Higashi, who used to be known as Maiko Fukuharu and used to work for the Okatome Okiya. She retired as a Maiko in April of this year and came back as a Geiko in late June, without an Erikae, under a new name and working for a different okiya. This is a slightly different case though, as she came back under a new name and for a different okiya, and this whole thing was planned. Her wigmaker said that he received the order for her wig in the geiko shimada hairstyle months before she came back, so there must be a reason for this whole thing that we don’t know of (yet).