Toshiemi

and the Treasure Ship

With the new year we get to delight in images of gorgeous kuromontsuki worn by Geisha from all around Japan. Last year i featured some of my favorites from a few different hanamachi but this year i came across one i found particularly breathtaking. And to top it all off it is worn by a particularly beautiful Geiko as well: Toshiemi.

First off lets look at the stunning hikizuri: We see the famous treasure ship Takarabune used by the seven gods of fortune to sail across the heavens during the first three days of the new year. The lucky seven, the Shichifukujin are:

Ebisu, god of prosperty and wealth who overcame many hardships and is known as “the laughing one”

god of prosperty and wealth who overcame many hardships and is known as “the laughing one” Daikokuten, god of commerce and certified demon hunter

god of commerce and certified demon hunter Bishamonten, god of good fortune often depicted with a hoop of fire. He is the patron of all who act according to rules and authority

god of good fortune often depicted with a hoop of fire. He is the patron of all who act according to rules and authority Benzaiten, patron of arts and Geisha in particular

patron of arts and Geisha in particular Jurojin, accompanied by a crane and a tortoise, he is the god of longevity

accompanied by a crane and a tortoise, he is the god of longevity Hotei, god of popularity and guardian of children

god of popularity and guardian of children Fukurokuju, god of wisdom, health and happiness

While the lucky seven do carry five material treasures they also host the more important virtues prudence, knowledge, experience, scholarship, bravery, prosperity and long life, happiness and contentment. Because they represent so many desirable qualities, many people in Japan visit shrines dedicated to these gods during the new years celebrations to ensure a prosperous and lucky subsequent year.

While the motif of Toshiemi’s kuromontsuki, owned by Komaya, is a popular one throughout the karyukai, the marvelous execution on the hiki is exceptionally vivid and detailed. A spectacular piece to celebrate the new year, one that promises to be very successful for the model of the garment. Let’s explore further but let’s focus more on the wearer:

Debuting on February 26th of 2015, Toshiemi was a cute and smiley girl from the start. After just a few weeks of her misedashi, she was already painting both lips and omitting the dangling shidare on her kanzashi, a nod to her advanced experience as she had danced since middle school. Since her okiya boasts a 100 year old legacy, it was a great honor for the 16 year old to experience this kind of approval by her mentor the great Geiko Toshiyu, who sadly passed during Toshiemi’s apprenticeship.

Young Toshiemi, bright and motivated, was a fan of Disney and rock band UVERworld as a teen. And even though she had the formal introduction and a week long internship before she started her Shikomi stage, she too experienced home sickness and difficulty to adjust to the rigid rules of traditionalist Komaya. During her first year she saw some girls fail because of these hurdles but giving up never seemed an option for her. Her onesan helped her cope with the wish of returning home to Ota, Tokyo. Toshiemi remembers being able to run to Toshikana, Toshiyu and others whenever she was thinking about retiring, gestures she will never forget and maybe pass on to imouto in the future.

It seems to me that Toshiemi was destined to become a great Maiko as she displayed strong determination and respect for the members of this world. When she started dancing as a child she experienced important emotional rewards with every stage performance she absolved, specially during her time in junior high school. So her dream of dancing before an audience was already established once she made her first steps in Miyagawacho. She also had the benefits of a supporting family and motivated teachers, willing to help her pursue her wishes of becoming a pretty Maiko in Kyoto. But her perseverance and talent are her own achievements and it was clear to see during her apprenticeship while she grew into a her role as a seriously competent Maiko. When her training came to an end, it seemed as if the whole world was happy to see her graduate and take the next steps into a fruitful career.

Toshiemi celebrated her erikae on November 7th of 2019. Even though her spotlight was shared with Kikuyae, who turned the collar on the same day, all eyes have always been on Toshiemi. She is a very bright star in this fleeting world.

Since we also explored Toshiemi’s first steps in the karyukai in this post, i also wanted to share a photo of her in her first kuromonstuki during her misedashi to compare how far she has come:

Toshiemi already has many of the treasures needed to be a great Geiko, seeing her come this far and overcoming so many barriers to achieve her goals, i have no doubt that she will have a very successful year 2020, her first year as a Geiko. In the end we can all agree that Toshiemi is a treasure herself and represents the virtues of Miyagawacho’s elite Geimaiko perfectly.

Sources: kaz_pfm on Instagram / Gottuans’s room