#yoshicho

According to Liza Dalby (Geisha, p. 166), there were 20 kagai in Tokyo by the time she wrote the book. I know of 17, of which 10 are still home to Geisha in 2019. - Yanagibashi: most prestigious hanamachi from ~1830-1880 (no longer a hanamachi) - Shinbashi: most prestigious hanamachi since the 1880′s.  - Akasaka: rose from mediocre in 1882 to most modern and most expensive in 1975 - Yoshi-chô: an old and not well-known hanamachi - Mukôjima: considered the oldest hanamachi in Tokyo and probably the largest. The Geisha from Yoshi-chô look down on Mukôjima Geisha (p. 195) and it is close to Yoshiwara (p. 323), so it’s clearly lower in rank. - The hanamachi in Shinagawa (Ôi and Ômori) are considered lower on the scale. So low that they don’t even appear on lists when you look for “Tokyo hanamachi”. (i. e. here and here, they do appear on Wikipedia though)

Yoshicho Hiro

Asakusa Taikomochi Hachikou posed with Jikata Hiro-san of Yoshicho. A great beauty and legendary talent, Hiro-san has been a staple of Tokyo’s little Hanamachi for many years. While her senior Chosaku-san usually takes on singing duties at ozashiki, Hiro is the Shamisen specialist of the troupe. She herself is senior to only one other Jikata Yumi-san. With around 5 other Geisha taking on Tachikata roles, Yoshicho has the exclusive and intimate flair of a circle of cherished friends. Hachikou has a good idea to celebrate Hiro-san in any way possible. Even though they work and live in different communities, their strong passion for the living artforms of entertainment and hospitality unite them in a strong way. Hiro-san herself can look back to a lifetime of achievements, at 85 years of age, she has mentored many Geisha and kept her unique style alive. One of the singular traits for Yoshicho Jikata is the tradition for them to sit on chairs instead of kneeling in the traditional way during ozashiki. Since all Jikata of this Hanamachi look back on a lifetime of experience and dedication, this little luxury is only one sign of their dignified prestige. We don’t know how fast time passes in a lifetime specially so in a world like the floating one, where success is measured in experience. But as long as we commemorate the achievements of such hard working individuals like Hiro-san, their time in this fleeting world is prolonged, their lifetime made eternal, their work carved in stone. 

Tokyo: Yoshicho

Historical Context

Saddayako must still be the most prominent Geisha from Yoshicho. She was born in 1872, she lived through the golden age of the Geisha and when she died in 1946, she had seen it all. She had been Japans first international superstar actress. But what happened to Yoshicho, her Geisha district since then? Well, if you ask anyone, even those who are knowledgeable of the karyukai, they will tell you that Yoshicho is not a much discussed hanamachi. As one of the six kagai of Tokyo, it takes a back seat to high prestige quarters like Shinbashi and Akasaka even though the history of Yoshicho is so very much synonymous with Geisha tradition and embodies the cultural refinement and laid back chic nature of the Geisha.

Yoshicho is situated in Nihonbashi, the birthplace of Edo Kabuki, where the streets used to be lined with Kabuki theaters and ochaya and for 250 years was the ultimate entertainment district, catering to wealthy merchants and the general public. These quarters, built on marsh lands, changed their identity many times going from Ningyo-cho to Yoshiwara and lastly renaming itself Yoshicho “Town of reeds”, a throwback to it’s humble nature.

Researching for Yoshicho’s Geisha was a little frustrating. The term Yoshicho is not as widely known as Nihonbashi and even in conjunction with Geisha, the term Nihonbashi will go a bit further. Yoshicho is an unknown territory and it seems as if even their Geisha prefer to be associated with the more prominent Nihonbashi.

As for their style, it radiates the pure and distinct Tokyo elegance but the small size of the kagai also offers a more relaxed atmosphere to its Geisha. As all Geisha are mature women, most of them past their 30ies, the sense of refinement and polished entertainment is a dominant factor to their charms. There may not be the childlike innocence of the Hangyoku to their entertainment but they are masters of omotenashi and this is felt in every gesture, every sound of the shamisen and every wave of the fan.

The look of Yoshicho Geisha

Source: Tokyozappa on Exblogs

Term Used For Professional: Geisha

Hairstyle: Geiko Shimada Katsura or Yohatsu for the veterans. No Nemaki on the wigs. Hanemottoi can vary in style and material.

Make-up: Oshiroi for younger Geisha

Kimono: Tomesode hikizuri, plain red or pastel colored nagajuban for younger Geisha, sometimes houmongi. Houmongi for Jikata and more experienced Geisha

Obi: Taiko musubi. Yanagi musubi paired with kuromontsuki. Sometimes Tsunodashi musubi. Sometimes Hakata obi.

Footwear: Zori

Source: Gqjapan.jp

Source: Cliffclf on Instagram

Source: Rbbtoday.com

Local Noteworthiness

 - There are currently no apprentices in this district and this has been so in the last 20 years or more. To the public eye, it seems as if the number of Geisha in this district is no higher than 10 and only 4 or 5 of the Geisha are young enough to still wear the full regalia. The last documented number of Geisha in this district was recorded in 2010, at the time there where 16 active Geisha making Yoshicho smaller in numbers than Gion Higashi.

- They have opened up to first timers in their “Time to Geisha” function, where they offer a lunch ozashiki every Saturday. This seems to be extremely popular so it might only be a question of time until they can recruit a Hangyoku to make the event more appealing to tourists. Almost all photos i found are from this function.