Mylokoville

Random fun from a person who knows more than their fair share about kimono, geisha, and gaming. All images and text on here belong to me (unless otherwise stated or if they're items that I've commented on - I do not own other people's shares) and may not be copied or used without my permission. If you are submitting a question please state if you are a mobile user so that I can better assist you. If you are a Porn/NSFW/Explicit/Nazi blog please do NOT follow me.

[missmyloko]

June 30th, 2026: Another woman is celebrating her erikae in Kyoto! Kozakura (小桜) of Hiroshimaya (廣島屋) in Gion Kobu is now a geiko! She is the first imōto of natori geiko Kosen (小扇), also of Hiroshimaya, to have her erikae and the fourth erikae for Gion Kobu so far this year! Since her erikae took place in June, she is wearing a kuromontsuki made from ro (絽), a special type of summer silk meant to keep the wearer cool. Her outfit features assorted summer flowers, such as: bush clover, carnations, chrysanthemums, and irises and a matching golden obi with the same flowers ^^ おめでとうさんどす小桜さん ^o^! Image is courtesy of 1020Kiddo.

[missmyloko]

Hello! I know that maiko and tachikata geiko coordinate their kimonos accordingly as not to clash but compliment, but do you know if it includes the jikata geiko too?

Jikata geiko attend more ozashiki than tachikata geiko and maiko, so they don't have a chance to coordinate with everyone around them. However, they do coordinate with the seasons, so their outfits are never out of style ^^

[missmyloko]

Hi Ms. Justine! Hope that you've been well. I saw a clip of a video that @ lovelovekyoto posted, and though I'm not positively sure who the maiko is, I'm thinking that it might have been Haruchizu? And if I'm correct, her obi has a kamon of an okiya that I'm not familiar with. I know it's not Tama, so why would she wear it if it is indeed Haruchizu?

For a while Tama borrowed some of Kineya's obi (I'm not too sure why, but they did). So, it very well may be Haruchizu when she was a maiko and she's getting some use out of Kineya's old obi ^^

[missmyloko]

If a girl is in her minarai period during the beginning of January, would she wear the kuromontsuki and gold obi?

Minarai don't wear kuromontsuki and gold obi; only debuting maiko would do that. Minarai don't do the rounds of Shin Aisatsu and Shigyōshiki as they have not debuted yet ^^

[missmyloko]

Hello!

I came across a collaboration between Ippuya and Converse and of course I had to order a pair because they are gorgeous and they are connected to Kyoto and the karyukai a bit.

I'd like to know who the maiko in the ad is. Can you please identify her? Thank you very much 😊

That is Fumiyui (富美唯) of Toshikimi (利きみ) in Miyagawa Cho ^^

[missmyloko]

During the Misedashi and Erikae walks, do the Geimaiko only visit ochaya they and their okiya are associated with or just any they can fit time wise?

Nope, they visit almost every establishment within their kagai as time permits ^^

[missmyloko]

Hi Missmyloko! I've been feeling a bit...lazy...to search through my reference list and I came here to ask you 😅. I would like to ask the number of geiko, maiko, ochaya, and okiya from the 90's to 2000's please 🙏. I also remembered you posted the odoris of 4 hanamachi before with their geiko and maiko count, have you found the program for Gion Higashi?

I honestly couldn't tell you that as I don't have access to that kind of data, sorry ^^;

[missmyloko]

Hey myloko! With hanafusa I was wondering if they'd keep using tane as a prefix as per they used kiku as a suffix in tanekikus name, it seems to be intentional they still want kiku in their girls names. I was just wondering as I am curious due to how iconic the hanafusa kiku is!

It depends on who they keep as an onesan in the future. For example, when the next Hanafusa shikomi comes around, Kikushizu may be a geiko and be able to take on the role of onesan. If not, then it's all dependent on what geiko is chosen as the onesan ^^

[missmyloko]

When a dance is presented for the ozashiki guests, is it the tachikata that synchronises with the jikata or the opposite, what is more widely accepted. Although I think the norm is that they both have to be in sync with eachother.

Normally they will both be in sync with each other, but if something is off then the tachikata will synchronize with the jikata ^^

[missmyloko]

Hi Justine, I hope you are well. I saw an old video of Mameroku somewhere, and in that video she no longer used maezashi in her shimada but her nemaki wings are still uncut. What is that means?

It just means that she's jimae, but her nemaki weren't cut yet. Nemaki are more of a symbol of maturity than just a symbol of independence ^^

[missmyloko]

Hi Justine! Hope that all is well with you. Do all districts within hanamachi have what is their equivalent to Gion Kobu's Natori level? If so, do you know what it is?

Also, and not a related topic, but, are independent geikos allowed to move to a different district? Like a lateral move but in a different district? Has this ever happened before?

Thank you for your time!

Yes, all districts have natori geiko; the level of natori is not limited to the Inoue school nor is it limited to dance. Independent geiko are not allowed to move to different districts as they learn the art forms of one district and would be lost in another. This has not happened before ^^

[missmyloko]

I recently saw a picture of Yukizono in full costume and the photo dated 2009 which was quite some years after she debuted, so she must be requested by someone to wear all that right? If it happens does a jikata borrow a hikizuri from other geiko or they have their own hikizuri just in case?

Yes, she would have been requested to wear oshiroi for a special occasion if it was a few years after her debut. Since jikata aren't expected to own their own hikizuri she would have most likely borrowed it from her okiya ^^

[missmyloko]

Both Sides Of The Border - Rejoice!

Just popping in to say that the e-book version of my book is on sale again on Amazon.com. However, it's also ON SALE IN CANADA AS WELL! I don't recall seeing it on sale there before, so head on over to Amazon.ca or Kobo and grab it for a really great price! It's currently going for $2.99 on both sides of the border! EDIT: Apparently it's on sale across the USA on multiple platforms, like Kobo and Barnes and Noble for the same price! I just added in the Kobo link to Canada above!

[missmyloko]

June 24th, 2026: Say hello to Kyoto's newest maiko! Tanekiku (たねきく) of Hanafusa (花ふさ) in Miyagawa Cho is celebrating her misedashi! She is the first imōto of geiko Tanefumi (田ね文) of Takayoshi (高よし) and represents a new connection between Hanafusa and Takayoshi. Hanafusa currently does not have any active geiko, so instead of having Tanekiku debut without an onesan, they reached out to Takayoshi and Tanefumi graciously agreed to take on the task! Tanekiku's name also reflects this partnership with Tane- coming from Tanefumi's name and -Kiku from the names that all Hanafusa geimaiko share! Her outfit features flower baskets and all season flowers over golden waves and a golden pine feather obi ^^ おめでとうさんどすたねきくちゃん ^o^! Image is courtesy of Hanafusa Okiya.

[missmyloko]

When is a geiko considered to be "senior"? Is it as soon as she becomes independent? And at that point, does she no longer need to wear the long trailing kimono to ozashiki?

A geiko is usually considered senior around age 28-30 depending on how long she's been in the karyukai. However, they'll usually stop wearing full oshiroi and hikizuri earlier than that as customers will request them to wear yōhatsu and houmongi for a more informal look to let their gei shine ^^

[missmyloko]

Hi Justine! I wanted to ask how the hair is styled for geimaiko in each kagai for tea ceremonies, and what they wear for the occasion?

All geiko in each kagai will wear kyōfū shimada for the tea ceremony. You can check out some images of it here. If a maiko were to perform it, then it's always a senior maiko and they always wear yakko shimada (unless they're about to have their erikae and are already wearing sakkō, then they would continue to wear sakkō) ^^

[missmyloko]

Hello Myloko, while researching, I noticed there is a good amount of data availability for the 50's and 60's, but it already becomes less in the mid-60's and from the 70's to mid 2000's, you hardly find anything, not even printed sources like odori programs. Any idea why? Was it a time of low interest for the karyukai nationwide?

The long and short answer is that they just haven't really surfaced for sale so, until they do, then we just have to try and fill in the gaps as best as we can :(