Fukue’s sacrifices

She was one of my favorite Geimaiko until she retired. Oftentimes i find myself remembering her whenever i see pictures of her charming imouto Fukune, Fukuya, Fukukana and Fukuna who are also absolute stars in my opinion. Much of her grace, elegance and whimsical allure was passed down to her successors.

There are so many great photos of Fukue, she was so photogenic and a classic beauty. First i thought it a great idea to make a timeline and was overwhelmed with an absolutely insane choice of lovely snapshots to feature.

In the end only one image was deemed really noteworthy: One of her in her Sakkou attire.

As you might know, the red okobo were featured once before on this blog. When i wrote about my favorite outfit pieces in Miyagawacho, her unique footwear stood out and needed to be adressed. I was almost certain that her little sister Fukune didn’t wear these glorious okobo during her Sakkou stage and in the end i never found any evidence of this. Sad actually as i really wanted to see them on another favorite during her graduation. Fukune would absolutely have deserved to sport these awesome okobo!

I do understand why Fukue had to be the only Maiko to wear them though: She is the atotori of Kawayoshi in the end has an important role and title. With this come many duties and responsibilities as she was observed more intently and subject to intense training while also meant to be a standard bearer for her okiya as evident in her Sakkou outfit: The paulownia crest of Kawayoshi was not only prominently featured in her stunning kanzashi but also a notable motif on her obi.

Fukue was born and raised in Miyagawacho, she is the fourth generation Kawayoshi Geiko so a heavy burden was placed on her back from the start. I find it very admirable whenever people live up to their expectations and go beyond that, i think Fukue is the embodiment of talent and loyalty. Her misedashi was celebrated on May 25th 2007 and she was active until her official retirement from performances in 2018. She wasn’t called upon ozashiki anymore and wasn’t going to dance in public but her signature was still evident in the mentoring of her very busy Maiko sisters and running an okiya is not learned overnight so her destiny was pretty much set. Sometimes i wonder how she is doing… But whenever i see her Maiko sisters, i get reminded of their success and how confident and comfortable these young girls look. I think they are doing fine.

Well, what happened to the red okobo?

I was really hoping to see them on Fukune but was disappointed. I cannot imagine that any other girls will get to wear them when their time for Sakkou comes because Fukune was Fukue’s first imouto and set a precedent. In this sense these red okobo were an unmistakable symbol of wealth and prosperity as Fukue only wore them a couple of times and keeps them cherished in private to date. But maybe one day we will see these amazing red lacquered okobo on a stunning Maiko again. One who will represent Fukue’s sacrifices and achievements as one of Miyagawacho’s heiresses.

Source: Kawayoshi on Facebook