December 1, 2015

December Kitsuke

December... first month of winter but last month of the year. It has both sweet and bitter taste. Cold winds with snowflakes fly around the Miyagawacho hanamachi, making everyone hide in their houses or gather at ochaya. December... a finishing touch of year 2015...

Geiko Kikuyu

Geiko Kikuyu is wearing black susohiki with painted auspicious motif, that is worn mostly in the end of Autumn and the beginning of winter. We can also see cranes, that are symbols of long life and prosperity. Also cranes are symbolizing future Winter Celebrations.
Kikuyu-okaasan has decided that golden obi shall suit her magnificent hikizuri, and she was right! The obi decorated with multi-seasonal motifs. It is tied in taiko musubi knot("drum knot" as musubi means knot or tie).
Her katsura(wig) is decorates with small but very stylish hairpin, that is also the mon of Hanafusa okiya


Sr Maiko Kikutsuru

Maiko Kikutsuru, the atatori of Hanafusa okiya, this December is wearing rare and very beautiful hikizuri - it has maple leafs hand-painted on soft blue background. supposedly, it symbolizes that Autumn is now over and cold Winter has begun. 
Her obi is woven, with maioughi pattern. If we look closer, we can see that maioughi are decorated with pine trees(winter tree).
Kikutsuru onesan hairstyle is decorated with special December kanzashi, that feature bamboo leaves and special two maneki(tiny blank tags).

Jr Maiko Kikumaru

Kikumaru san, the second maiko in Hanafusa okiya, is wearing strong purple hikizuri with very winter motif - pine trees covered with snow. Pine tree can also be auspicious motif, due to fact that pine tree is an evergreen and lives for many years. Also this hikizuri is used mostly my Sr Maiko, meaning that Kikumaru san is soon to have her mizuage.
Her eri has auspicious crane motif.
Her obi is woven, decorated with golden threads. Stunning!
As she is still Jr Maiko, her hairstyle is called Wareshinobu and is decorated with special seasonal kanzashi. 

Jr Maiko Kikuyumi

For first month of winter, Maiko Kikuyumi has chosen soft blue hikizuri, that is embroided with many many white snowflakes. 
Her obi is woven and has crane origami pattern. Over time, cranes have also evolved as a favorite subject of the tradition of paper folding – origami. It is said that a thousand folded cranes, one for each year of its life, makes a wish come true.
Maiko Kikuyumi is Jr Maiko, just like her neesan Maiko Kikumaru, her hairstyle is Wareshinobu. Her hair is decorated with special December kazashi, that feature colorful assortment of lucky charms and two two maneki(tiny blank tags), which will be autographed by her 2 favorite Kabuki actors during Kaomise Soken.
* Kaomise soken - During the first week of December maiko visit the Minamiza theater and have the tags of the maneki kanzashi signed by their favourite kabuki actors.

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