Book’s cover courtesy of Amazon Japan.

祇園 市寿々 - Gion Ichisuzu by Hiroshi Mizobuchi 溝縁ひろし (ISBN 4-09-681322-2)

Date of Publication: 2000

Language: Japanese

Format: Softcover

Availability: Has been in print for a long time and is easily found online

Price: About $10

Errors: 0



Looking back I should have done this book before I did Komomo’s, but I think that it may be better afterwards to see how things have progressed. This book reads like the template to Komomo’s book: it follows Ichisuzu from her first day as a maiko all the way to a jimae geiko. But, where Komomo’s reads more like a diary, Ichisuzu’s celebrates a woman through many milestones, both as a member of the karyūkai and as a Japanese teenager who grew up in a world that most say is trapped in time. But, this book isn’t simply about Ichisuzu, it also acts a book to give background information on the world of maiko and geiko.



The book begins with Ichisuzu’s misedashi on May 7th, 1993. It shows her make-up being applied, getting dressed, appearing outside of her okiya, Nakagishi (中支志), for the first time as a maiko, and the san-san kudo ceremony with her onesan Ichigiku (市季久). From there it goes into the first part of information into the karyukai: the maiko make-up and dressing procedures.



It then goes back to Ichisuzu and chronicles her first and second year through events such as Onshūkai, Shigyōshiki, and right after the Miyako Odori in 1994.



From there we skip ahead to Hassaku of 1995. Ichisuzu is now a senior and wears yakko shimada and Nakagishi has a new minarai who will be debuting the following year. The shikomi is shown again on the next page with Ichisuzu during Kotohajime. Then it highlights April 1996, when Ichisuzu performed in the dedication dances at the Heian Shrine, and giving thanks to their teachers after the Miyako Odori on May 1st known as Oremairi (お礼参り).



While only two pages long, the next insider part is very interesting to see. It shows the mokuroku painters, fan makers, wig stylists, kanzashi makers, and okobo craftsmen in action as they are vital to the success of the karyūkai.



Back with Ichisuzu we see her and her fellow maiko and geiko attending Miyabi Kai (みやび会), a gathering of all maiko in geiko in Gion Kobu, along with their dance teachers, to pray for continued success on July 7th. A picture is taken each year of all of the women together in special yukata whose designs are changed each year. It also highlights the Gion Festival and Ichisuzu wearing the Katsuyama hair style. For the accompanying info part we’re shown the kanzashi calendar and a brief description of all 12 months.



On October 14th, 1996 Nakagishi’s shikomi debuted as maiko Ichiyū (市侑), and her first steps as a maiko and Ichisuzu helping to get her ready for her misedashi walk are shown.



While a slight gap, the next part of Ichisuzu’s journey is one that is often overlooked for many maiko: participation in Seijin no Hi (成人の日) or Coming of Age Day, when all men and women who turned 20 during the last year get together and celebrate their newfound adulthood (the age of majority is 20 in Japan). Ichisuzu got to dress up like all other women do in a bright furisode, with a fur shawl and her hair done up in a Western style. The opposite page shows her in regular Western clothing. It’s here that we’re reminded that she’s still a woman of modern Japan.



Looking ahead now to April 1997 we see Ichisuzu dancing in the Miyako Odori and performing as the assistant for the tea ceremony. We also see her dressed up in mofuku, or mourning wear, as she attends the funeral of an ochaya owner. Her ofuku tegara is replaced with a simple white cloth and she wears all black with a white obijime and obiage. It’s very rare to see maiko dressed in mofuku, so this is a great example of how one should dress to a funeral.



Skipping ahead to happier times, we see Ichisuzu taking part in Kanikakunisai, receiving an award during Shigyōshiki in 1998, and travelling to a performance in Tokyo. In May 1998 the Inoue school of dance put on a special exhibition at the Nation Theatre in Tokyo.



And now, the part that everyone looks forward to: sakkō and erikae! Or, you’d think so, but this is where the author shows the step by step process to which Ichisuzu got her hair done in the ofuku style, the different accessories that maiko carry in their kago, and the various hair styles that maiko wear during their apprenticeships. Then, we finally go onto full kuromontsuki and Ichisuzu dancing “Kurokami”. Ichisuzu’s sakkō kanzashi design was very unique as it had a silver tortoise, a golden crane, and the “寿” kanji (which is also in her name) as it means “celebration” or “congratulations”. On June 19th, 1998 Ichisuzu turned her collar and became a full geiko. Just like for her misedashi, it shows her applying make-up, getting dressed, and then the final picture before she begins her first walk as a geiko. There’s even a lovely picture of her with her onesan Ichigiku. Since it was raining that day there’s only one small picture of her outside doing her erikae rounds, so the majority of her erikae images were taken inside.



Time goes by as the camera lens focuses on Ichisuzu. There’s her first Hassaku as a geiko, her first performance in Onshūkai as a geiko, her first Kotohajime as a geiko, her first time hosting the tea ceremony for the Miyako Odori, and some behind the scenes shots of Ichisuzu helping the new Nakagishi shikomi. The final picture of her is at the front of the Nakagishi line for greetings, with three junior maiko behind her.



Ichisuzu retired as a geiko in December 2008. Her legacy lives on though as one of her imōto, Ichiyuri (市有里), is now the main Ichi onesan at Nakagishi.



The rest of the book contains wonderful explanations of the Inoue School, different celebrations, and even has a part where the author discusses his images throughout the book. Unfortunately, this section is all in Japanese.



What I love about this book is its simplicity - it doesn’t try to follow Ichisuzu on a day to day basis, but rather stands as a testament to the milestones of women in the karyūkai. It’s as much about informing the public about maiko than it is about Ichisuzu personally. It’s teaching with real examples and we can follow Ichisuzu along as she gets to experience so many diverse and interesting rituals that are present in Gion Kobu. The paper that the book’s cover is printed in is a lovely textured bell flower design, with the dust cover featuring designs of pine, plum, and bamboo in circles.



For the price it’s an excellent book, but it lacks a bit more of the duality that we’ve come to see in more recent books. Being in Japanese only is a bit of a setback for most people, but, as with Hiroshi Mizobuchi’s other works, the quality is spectacular.



Rating: ✪✪✪✪ (out of 5)

