A very bright star

Ichina-san’s misedashi launched the small Geisha-district of Kagurazaka into the spotlight again and that is such good news! I must say, she is an instant favorite for sure as she has the perfect oval face shape, bright eyes and a lovely look all together… So much has been written about the “Maiko-look” of Kyoto and now we can witness the classic “Hangyoku -look” in comparison!

Kagurazaka has been a very prestigious Geisha district since the Edo period, it’s se between Shinjuku, Chiyoda nd Bunkyo city. The privileged location has always attracted the most renowned Geisha so their artisans are considered some of the best in Tokyo. The hanamachi of Tokyo generally tend to attract mainly highly educated university graduates, some in pursuit of big money in the karyukai. Only few of them actually survive in this very demanding environment. Most of them are in fact too old to debut as Hangyoku so Ichina is indeed a rare pearl. The Tokyo karyukai has little room for the childlike charms of a trainee Geisha as it is the stronghold of the refined sophistication of adult women, accomplished Geisha.



So in a way Ichina has already left a deep impression, especially considering her social media presence in these short weeks since her debut, a rarity for Kagurazaka. It seems she’s on the right path. And in the end an apprentice like herself only adds to the prestige of her district as it takes a lot of hard work, dedication and certainly a lot of funds to train an apprentice Geisha. I hope to see many, many new pictures of her and maybe even a performance onstage during the next Kagurazaka odori so i’m hoping she will stick around.

Source: fu_rin_kagurazaka on Instagram

