Kyoto: Pontocho

Across the Kamo river lies Pontocho, Kyoto’s pearl. It’s a discreet and secluded alley but hosts phenomenal restaurants and ochaya that overlook the riverbanks where Geiko entertain on wooden terraces called noryo yuka or kawayuka during the summer months. This iconic alley has given one of the most important Geisha quarters of Japan its name and the whole production is held up by only around 50 Geimaiko. Their style is of timeless elegance even compared to their peers in Kyoto. Some very archaic traditions are still held up here, the most prominent one is when a Maiko sports the various pre-sakkou hairstyles as her apprenticeship draws to an end. When it comes to the style of Pontocho i also think of the tiny community of people who devote their lives to helping the Geimaiko look and do their best. They have their own hairdresser who styles the Maiko’s hair in a particular way, many times the nihongami look like something from a vintage photograph. The women dress themselves or get dressed by a member of the okiya so while their kitsuke is flawless, sometimes some abnormalities creep up: The obi gets tied in a straight manner instead of crossing the butterfly wings or when the obiage gets raised almost to the upper chest for very junior Maiko. These little details don’t take away from the magnificent quality of the Geimaiko’s look but add to their districts flavour. Here are my favorites examples:

Chizu on the Day of her Erikae

When Yamaguchi’s Chizu turned her collar, she wore this splendid kuromontsuki and i had to chose between a picture that showed the beautiful seigaiha pattern made with the shibori technique in the dark hallway of her okiya or a picture that highlighted the gorgeous rinzu-pattern on the silk but cut off the bottom part of the hiki. I went with the photo that showed the lush gold and silver and shibori just because seigaiha is my favorite geometrical pattern. Chizu’s choice for a geometric pattern as a wise one as it’s not bound by seasonality and can be worn for many events albeit the water motif is more suitable for warmer months. Compared to more wild depictions of splashing water, seigaiha represents calm water and is meant to wish Chizu a stable and rich career full of peace and longevity. As Chizu has been active since 2009, it seems to be working out for her.

Photo by お茶屋 先斗町 吉冨久 on Facebook





Hisamomo, the Kanzashi Queen

Hisamomo had built up a reputation as the ultimate kanzashi queen during her apprenticeship, she ranked up there with Katsutomo and Kotoha of Gion Kobu. Nobody in Pontocho and beyond had the same kanzashi, they usually were playful and cute but this one also has a very poetic connotation: Following the rules of Feng Shui, these zig-zag bridges are usually built in japanese water gardens to enhance the experience of crossing the pond whilst focusing on mindfulness and the being here, now. Hisamomo’s hair ornament features the bridge with no hand railings, where an unfocused bridge crosser might fall off if not in the present state of mind according to Zen. But she also chose to feature a symbol of the Kamogawa odori, the iris. To emphasize her Pontocho roots, lanterns with the adorable plover adorn the kanzashi for May so the viewer understands how important Pontocho’s aesthetics are for their Geimaiko’s style.

Photo by Sakutyan7 on Livedoor blog





Yamaguchi’s grey Hikizuri

Taka got to wear this stunning hikizuri, it has been a staple for senior Maiko of Yamaguchi for years. It looked beautiful on every one of them but this picture captures the delicate flower pattern on grey so well. It’s so rare to see hikis for colorful Maiko-san in this slate grey color but i find it to be a very unique way to highlight her seniority as well as her colorfulness with her accessories.

Photo by miorin122 on Instagram





Ayano’s beautiful kuromontsuki

Ayano of Yamaguchi has many striking hikis in her wardrobe and i really wanted to feature her purple summer hiki with the fine waves on the bottom but i couldn’t find a good picture anywhere. It says a lot that the alternative is this gorgeous kuromontsuki, right? It’s flawless and so bold, rather masculine in character but still soft and very bright. Here she is dressed to host a tea ceremony and she looks so on point for it! She is a stunning Geiko and would have been a fixture in any kagai but in Pontocho she is a real star!

Photo by hikocd on Instagram





Ichiraku’s erikae ensemble

On March 11th 2011, Ichiraku made her first steps as a fresh Geiko-san. She was dressed in a very subtly colored but luxurious kuromontsuki with pale golden waves and foaming sea foam. There’s a lot going on, i can make out a pine tree motif in light green, rust red bamboo and anthracite cliffs where the waves crash and form intricate curls and loops, there will probably be some plum blossoms in there somewhere too. We can deduct from the coastal theme that the pines are called Kuromatsu, as pines are evergreens and live for a very long time, they are considered auspicious, specially in combination with Bamboo and Ume (shochikubai). Ichiraku happens to be one of my favorite Geiko of Pontocho, she has a very unique look and style but on this day, she looked just so happy.

Photo by Kyoto images

This district is known for its high prestige and luxurious display of high art and craftsmanship through the classic kimono and accessories. Most of the articles of clothing are very demure and low key whilst being extremely costly and of the highest grade. Pontocho is a very small kagai so for them to generate such a high standard is an unique feat. As their artists are representatives of the classic kagai style, flashy patterns are not typical but i rather enjoyed these little bursts of creativity and one of a kind details.