"Yasunari Kawabata, the first Japanese to win the nobel prize (1968) once wrote "If for no other reason than to preserve traditional hairstyles, the geisha's existance is vital. I wonder how and when these hairstyles developed."
"Japanese men, as a rule, feel about a woman's neck and throat about the same way as men in the west feel about a woman's legs. This is why geisha wear the collars of their kimono so low in the back...I suppose that its like a woman in Paris wearing a short skirt." Sayuri, in 'Memoirs of a Geisha' by Aurthur Golden.
Umeshizu has only recently become a full-fledged geisha in the Kamishichiken district of Kyoto. As a geiko, she no longer styles her own hair, but has the privledge of wearing a special wig called a katsura. The large, flashy hair ornaments have been replaced by small, subtle hairpins and combs. Her collar is pure white. As a geiko advances in skill and experience, she relies less on her clothing, accessories and make-up to make her appear beautiful. Her beauty is in her skills as an artist."
Saturday, September 15, 2007
U M E S H I Z U
Thursday, September 13, 2007
U M E S H I Z U: ohikae
"Delivering tea to the guests among the plum blossoms of Kitano Tenmangu shrine, Kyoto.
Umeshizu has only recently become a full-fledged geisha in the Kamishichiken district of Kyoto. As a geiko, she no longer styles her own hair, but has the privledge of wearing a special wig called a katsura. The large, flashy hair ornaments have been replaced by small, subtle hairpins and combs. Her collar is pure white. As a geiko advances in skill and experience, she relies less on her clothing, accessories and make-up to make her appear beautiful. Her beauty is in her skills as an artist."
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
U M E S H I Z U: Tea
"Even amongst the Japanese, geisha are mysterious and exotic. Here, Umeshizu is admired by an older Japanese woman as she begins to prepare matcha, powdered green tea, in a tea ceremony.
Umeshizu has only recently become a full-fledged geisha in the Kamishichiken district of Kyoto. As a geiko, she no longer styles her own hair, but has the privledge of wearing a special wig called a katsura. The large, flashy hair ornaments have been replaced by small, subtle hairpins and combs. Her collar is pure white. As a geiko advances in skill and experience, she relies less on her clothing, accessories and make-up to make her appear beautiful. Her beauty is in her skills as an artist."
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
S M I L E : Katsuya
"Katsuya is another young geiko who only recently "turned her collar" to become a full-fledged geisha. "Turning the Collar" refers to the ceremony in which a maiko, or apprentice geisha, is able to entertain guests on her own, without her big sister. She becomes a true geisha, trading her elaboratey embroidered collar for one of plain white silk, and finally being able to stop her painful weekly hair appointments and wear a special wig called a katsura."