Kyo Odori: Maiko of Miyagawa

Fukunao

Satoai, Fukuya, and Fukuhina

Fukuya

Fukuya and Kimika

Yasuha

Miehina
Satoai and Yasuha

Fukunao and Fukuyuu

Kimika's Beautiful Kimono

君香の美しい着物

Kimika strikes a pose during a peice entitled "Colorful Scenes of Kyoto," showing off the breath-taking yuzen design on the long, flowing sleeves of her kimono. Kimika is a young maiko, or apprentice geiko, in Miyagawa-cho, one of Kyoto's Gohanamachi (literally 5 Flower Towns), or geiko entertainment districts. (57th Annual Kyo Odori).

Tea Time! 宮川町の茶道

I just realized that I never posted any of my pictures from Kyo Odori ( 京をど), Miyagawa-cho`s spring dance. Miyagawa is one of Kyoto`s five geisha districts, or flower towns, as the Japanese say (gohanamachi 語花町 : 'go' meaning five, 'hana' meaning flower, and 'machi', meaning town).

Before the dance we watched as a high rank maiko and a young apprentice preformed sado （ 茶道 ）, or Tea Ceremony. 'The Way of Tea', sado is a highly ritualized method of meditation and reflection that was seen as a means of achieving enlightenment. Every movement is deliberate and meaningful, anchoring the mind in the present to keep it from wandering away from the task at hand.

The young girl performing tea ceremony, Fumiko, was the most beautiful maiko I have ever seen, in Gion or elsewhere. Young Kimika, draped in a breathtaking virgin blue kimono, was stunning as well . I couldn't take my eyes off them.

As a maiko in her first year of service, Kimika does not yet paint her upper lip.