Kamaishi’s last remaining geisha came to Hachioji: Part1

As I have written in previous articles *, my geisha mother keeps  in contact with Kamaishi’s last remaining geisha, Tsuyako.

* My geisha family went to Kamaishi in order to help that city’s last remaining geisha.
* My trip to Kamaishi

From June 26th to 28th, Tsuyako stayed in Hachioji in order to record her singing, shamisen and dance performance.

It was a special project which my geisha mother’s customer, who is the owner of a sound production company, had suggested.

On the afternoon of the 26th, she arrived in Hachioji.
My geisha mother and some of my geisha sisters went to the hotel, where she would stay, to said hello to her.
To my surprise, she came to Hachioji alone by train, in spite of her age. She brought some big bags of souvenirs.

Unfortunately that hotel doesn’t have room service, so we took some dinner for her.
That day we all had ozashiki parties, so we left the hotel soon after.

On the 27th, my geisha mother went to the hotel early in the morning to pick up Tsuyako and take her to the hair salon.
After that, we were to have a joint practice session with Tsuyako at our okiya before her recording.

Tsuyako came to our okiya and the joint practice session started.
Tsuyako and my geisha mother didn’t decide the details of the songs before the joint practice session so they improvised and decided how we would play each song and the order of the songs on the spot.
I realised how professional they were.

Tsuyako decided to combine two songs. One of those songs she had already chosen for the recording and the other was a song which hadn’t originally been chosen.
However my geisha mother couldn’t find a musical score for that song, so I called my shamisen teacher and asked him to fax the score to the okiya.
My geisha mother asked me to play that song. I became nervous. However I was glad, because I felt that my geisha mother trusted me.

After the joint practice session, we enjoyed lunch together at the okiya.
While we were eating, one geisha sister, who is the geisha mother of another okiya, wrote a  score for the Japanese flute as she dined alone.
Indeed at the joint practice session, we decided to use the Japanese flute as an accompaniment to some songs.
However we didn’t have enough time before recording.
I also realized her level of professionalism as a  geisha.

In the afternoon we moved to the recording studio and met the owner of the sound production company and his assistant.
We had reserved the recording studio until 5pm however my geisha sister, who was also playing the shamisen, had to leave before 3pm. So, we didn’t have enough time to record the whole session.

I felt my geisha mother become nervous, because if she made a mistake, we would have to start the recording again from the beginning.
Tsuyako was doing vocals, so we thought that it would be hard for her to sing again and again.
I also became nervous.

Unfortunately the sound engineer assistant was not so professional so he made some mistakes.
However he didn’t apologize.
I felt my geisha mother get angry. I thought some of the other members also felt frustration.
It was very tough for us to play the same song again and again with intense concentration.

Soon 3pm came, so my geisha sister left the recording studio.
My geisha mother said to me that the remaining shamisen players were just she and I, so I had to play the shamisen perfectly.
However I made one mistake.

After we had recorded all songs, we all were very tired.
Nevertheless I think I could experience a rare occasion to record with Kamaishi’s last geisha.

My problem

Recently I have a problem.

When I became a geisha in Hachioji about 2 and a half years ago, I just wanted to play the shamisen at ozashiki parties.

In my first year my geisha mother didn’t permit me to play the shamisen solo because my shamisen skill was not up to her level of expectation.
So my goal in my first year was just to play the shamisen as a solo shamisen player.

Happily in my second year my geisha mother finally permitted me to play the shamisen solo at the ozashiki parties.
So I asked her to check my shamisen performance after I learnt each new song.

However this year, now my third year, I have a problem.

There are various types of shamisen songs; for example, Nagauta, Minyo, Hauta and Kouta.
In the geisha world, these shamisen songs are played at ozashiki parties.
However, my shamisen teacher only teaches Hauta and Minyo songs, so I have been learning the Nagauta and Kouta songs by myself.

My geisha mother and other geisha sisters are learning Nagauta, Hauta and Kouta songs from different teachers.
Each type of shamisen song has a different way of playing the shamisen and a different way of singing.

When I asked my geisha mother to check my shamisen playing skill of Nagauta songs, she said to me that there was no problem, however my way of singing was not good, because I had not learned the basic singing skill of Nagauta songs.

The way of singing Nagauta songs is different for each Nagauta singer, however she pointed out my lack of basic singing skill.

I realized my problem.

My geisha mother said to me that I should learn Nagauta songs from a teacher, however if I start to receive such lessons, naturally I have to pay for the lessons.
So, she didn’t force me to take lessons.

As for the Kouta songs, I have the same problem.

Now I’m learning Nagauta and Kouta songs from CDs or cassette tapes on which my geisha mother is singing.

The Azuma-odori

In Kyoto, there are some geisha districts, and each geisha district holds a big annual geisha performance at a public theater in Kyoto, such as the Gion-odori,  Kitano-odori and Kyo-odori.
These performances have a long history and holding such a performance is very important for the geisha culture.

In Tokyo, there are also some geisha districts; for example, in Shimbahi, Akasaka, Asakusa, Kagurazaka and so on.
Shimbashi’s geisha district holds the Azuma-odori.

On May 29th, I went to see the Azuma-odori at Shimbashi Embuzyo (新橋演舞場), which is a theater for traditional performances, with my geisha mother and some geisha sisters.

I had seen other geisha performances, such as the Akasaka-odori, Asakusa-odori and Kagurazaka-odori, however it was my first time to see the Azuma-odori.

The Shimbashi geisha district has a long history dating back to the Meiji Period and the Azuma-odori started in 1925 and is said to be one of the more refined geisha performances, so I was exited.

The Azuma-odori is held over 4 days and each day has 3 performance times.
We were to see the second performance on the 29th.

Currently Kabuki is being performed at the Shimbashi Embuzyo, because Kabuki-za,  the symbolic theater of Kabuki, is under reconstruction.
So I felt the atmosphere of the Shimbashi Embuzyo was very special.

When we arrived at the venue, there were many people, including some men, who were wearing kimono.
Some of them seemed to be geisha or maiko.
Some women talked to my geisha mother, and I realized that my geisha mother is quite well-known.

The performance started soon after we arrived and I was fascinated by the high quality performance.
The dance quality was excellent and the atmosphere was perfect due to the elaborate costumes and the first-class stage direction.
Not only the Tachikata (立方), the geisha dancers, but also the Zikata (地方), the geisha who play the shamisen and sing, were wonderful.

During the interval, we enjoyed a tea-ceremony, where some Shimbashi geisha were entertaining the customers on the second floor.
After we drunk tea, we enjoyed shopping in the souvenir shop.

I was really able to enjoy the Azuma-Odori.
I want to be able to dance as well as the Shimbashi geisha someday.

The excursion to Ome with my geisha family

On May 1st I went to Ome (青梅), which is located about 1 hour by train from Hachioji, with my geisha family.

We had planned to go to Ome last March, however due to the Tohoku earthquake, it was cancelled.

Ome is a popular town where we can enjoy the nature, go hiking, camping, fishing and so on. Aside from Autumn, May is the next best season for an excursion to Ome.

On the actual day we met at Hachioji station early in the morning and moved to Ome by train.

In Ome, we met our tour guide, who is my geisha mother’s regular customer, and is also the owner of a local sake company.
He kindly took us around all day to some places by his car.

At first we went to an interesting shrine which combines Shinto and Buddhism.
That was not a famous sightseeing spot, however the air was very fresh there and we could relax.

After we visited that shrine, we moved to the Kushi Kanzashi museum, which is operated by our tour guide’s sake company.

I had heard about that museum from my shamisen teacher. He suggested I visit there at least once, so I was glad.

* “Kushi = 櫛” and Kanzashi = かんざし” are both hair ornaments used in traditional Japanese hairstyles, especially when wearing kimono.”

Actually the day when we visited was the museum’s regular closing day, but our tour guide arranged for the the museum to be open especially for us, so we could take plenty of time to enjoy the museum.

There were many types of Kushi and Kanzashi dating back to the edo period, which were classified according to period and style, so I could learn about them in a systematic way.
Our tour guide said that it was not their complete collection. They change the display seasonally.
When I heard about that, I was surprised. I wondered how many Kushi and Kanzashi they have!

After we visited the Kushi Kanzashi museum, our tour guide took us to his sake brewery.
He explained how to make sake, and the difference between some types of sake.
I really enjoyed the sake brewery tour. His explanation was very informative and easy to understand.


After we visited the sake brewery, he took us to a local farm-house restaurant.
When we arrived at the restaurant, we all were surprised.
The exterior of the restaurant had an old-style thatched roof, however the interior of the restaurant was very beautiful, clean and stylish.
Especially the Irori (囲炉裏) was very rare and eating lunch around the Irori was like a dream.

The dishes were also very rare and delicious.
Our tour guide brought 2 types of his company’s sake, so we enjoyed lunch while drinking sake.
The atmosphere of the restaurant was the wonderful.
The manager of the restaurant said that only 2 groups of customers can make a reservation in a day.
The restaurant doesn’t have a website, so it isn’t known to many people. I was really lucky.

After we enjoyed lunch, we then enjoyed walking along the promenade next to a beautiful river. When we were having lunch, it had rained, however when we were walking, it stopped raining. The green looked more beautiful than usual after the rain. I reminded myself again how lucky we were to have such a good experience.

Around 5pm we expressed our gratitude to our kind tour guide and said good-bye at a station in Ome and went back to Hachioji.

After we returned to Hachioji, we went bowling and ate dinner together.
To tell the truth, I was very tired when we arrived in Hachioji.
However I really enjoyed that day.
By the way, I think my geisha mother and my geisha sisters are really full of energy!

The Wakaba matsuri (若葉まつり) in Takao

On April 29th, the Wakaba matsuri, an annual Spring event in Takao, was held near the cable car station. It was my first time to attend that event, because last year I was called to an ozashiki party on the day of the event.

At this event, Hachioji’s geisha perform outside and the mountain climbers can enjoy seeing our performance free of charge.

We were to perform several songs, so we had a joint practice session before the event.
Although I have started to get used to playing the shamisen at such events, I felt excited.

On the actual day, we left the okiya at noon.
My geisha mother and the geisha mother of another okiya took us to the venue in Takao in their cars.

During Golden Week, the weather was not good, however on the day of the Wakaba matsuri it was fine.

When we arrived at the parking lot near the venue, there were already many mountain climbers, so we were very surprised.

At first we set up the microphones and played some parts of the songs in order to check the sound volume. While we were checking the sound, the mountain climbers watched us curiously.

We were scheduled to perform 2 times; at 2pm and 3pm.
My regular customer, who had paid for my geisha wig, was coming to watch the 2pm performance.
Beforehand, when he told me he was coming, I felt very glad.

After we checked the sound, we took a rest in the waiting room of the cable car company.

While we were waiting near the stage, it became very hot. Especially since some Zikata players, such as the shamisen players and percussionists, were wearing black kimonos. Sweat was pouring!

Unfortunately we were short 1 microphone for the 3 shamisen players and the percussionist, so I couldn’t use a microphone.
To tell the truth I wanted to use a microphone.
Since we played outside, if I didn’t use a microphone, the audience wouldn’t be able to hear my shamisen. However there was nothing I could do, so I decided to play the shamisen with all my heart.

I felt the time went quickly but I was satisfied because I could play the shamisen without making any big mistakes.

After the second performance we left Takao, and prepared for our ozashiki parties at our respective okiyas.
I really enjoyed the Wakaba matsuri.

My stage debut wearing a geisha wig: Part 3

I stayed at the okiya the day before my stage debut, because I had to put  on Shironuri make-up from 6am.
On that day I had a narimono lesson at 9am, and after the lesson, I had to leave the okiya in order to attend the ozashiki party in Tachikawa. It was a very busy day.

I woke up at 5:30am and prepared to put on my Shironuri make-up.
My geisha sister, who was also going to join the narimono lesson and attend the ozashiki party in Tachikawa, came to the okiya in order to help me put on the Shironuri make-up.

It was difficult for me to put on the Shironuri make-up, however I think I could do it better than the first time.

Finally I could wear my geisha wig for the first time.
My geisha sister said to me that I looked cuter than usually.
My geisha sister and I helped each other put on our kimonos.

I felt pain on both sides of my head. I told my geisha sister about it and she said that it was difficult to wear the geisha wig and that I might be wearing my hairnet too tight.

When we arrived at the lesson place, my other geisha sisters said to me that there was nothing strange about my geisha wig.

I had my geisha sister take a photo of me which I emailed to my shamisen teacher and some of my friends. They also replied that the wig looked ok.

After the narimono lesson, one geisha sister, Sakura san, and another geisha sister, who is also the geisha mother of another okiya, Ume san, left Hachioji to go to Tachikawa in Ume san’s car.

The ozashiki party in Tachikawa was very big and the stage was also bigger than usual however the place where I entered the stage was different to what I had practiced so I became tense.
Sakura san taught me how to enter the stage from the opposite side during the ozashiki party.

Finally our performance started. I was to dance the last song with Sakura san and Ume san.
I danced feverishly.
I couldn’t remember clearly how I danced. However I think I didn’t make a big mistake even though I couldn’t dance well.

After the ozashiki party in Tachikawa, we had to move to Machida but we didn’t have enough time to travel.

Unfortunately we got into a traffic jam several times. When we hit a traffic jam, Ume san checked the car navigation system to find an alternative route as we were in a hurry.

When we arrived at the venue in Machida and made our way to the stage, it was just 30 seconds before our turn.
I think we were very lucky.

After the performance in Machida, I met with my regular customer, who had paid for my geisha wig, at a small Japanese restaurant.
I was very tired, however I was very glad when I met him.

For my stage debut wearing my geisha wig many people helped me.
I will never forget that day.

My stage debut wearing a geisha wig: Part 2

On March 26th, I visited the geisha wig shop again to  pick up my geisha wig.
It cost 350,000 yen and I gave a tip to the owner of the geisha wig shop a second time.

When I decided to have my own geisha wig made, I didn’t expect that my regular customer would pay the cost of my geisha wig for me, however he said he wanted to pay for it.
When I heard that I was very surprised and glad.
He added that he would call me on the day I would wear the geisha wig for the first time.
My heart was overwhelmed with emotion.

April 8th was the day which I would wear my own geisha wig for the first time.
On that day, my schedule was very tight.

At 9am, I had a narimono lesson, and after the lesson 2 of my geisha sisters and I were called to a big ozashiki party at a hotel in Tachikawa, and after that ozashiki party, we were to attend an event with a singer in Machida.

At the ozashiki party in Tachikawa, I was to perform traditional Japanese dance with 2 of my geisha sisters on the stage.
At the performance in Machida, some of my geisha sisters and I were to act as geisha in an  imaginary ozashiki party on the stage.

After the 2 big events, my regular customer then planned to call me to celebrate at the small Japanese restaurant which we use sometimes.
He also said he was going to see me perform at the show in Machida.
When I heard about his plan, I was really glad.

My geisha mother and 2 of my geisha sisters spent a lot of their time to teach me a new song which I would dance in Tachikawa. I couldn’t dance that song very well, however my geisha mother and geisha sisters didn’t give up teaching me until I could dance well.
When I heard one of my geisha sisters say that she believed that everyone was able to dance well if they practiced enough, I was inspired.
Another of my geisha sisters also spent her time to teach me how to put on Shironuri make-up.
Many people helped me prepare for my stage debut wearing my geisha wig, so I really appreciate them.