What’s That Thing? Part 17
Looking back I noticed that I don’t have a specific visual aid for this topic posted anywhere, so it’s a good time to post one! Anonymous asked: “Can you tell us more about the makeup patterns that Maiko/Geiko have on their neck? Thanks in advance and apologies if this is already covered elsewhere on the blog.” To make this a bit easier I’ll be using images that a friend took (whose permission I have to share these images, although they choose to remain anonymous). First, let’s look at the common pattern:
For everyday wear (and some semi-formal occasions) the pattern is called Eriashi (襟足), which simply means “Neck Lines/Stripes.” The key thing to note here are how many lines or points are showing which, in this case, are two. They’re painted on by hand by the maiko and geiko who apply them. For formal occasions, the pattern changes up slightly:
Now we have three very noticeable lines! These are called Sanbonashi (三本足), which means “Three Pointed Stripes.” Unlike regular eriashi, sanbonashi are painted with the aid of a special tool that allows for the clean lines to be made without error as it’s much harder to paint the back of your neck than you think! The extra lines are meant to show more of the neck, which is considered sexy and alluring in traditional Japanese culture. Sadly, I don’t have an image of what the tool itself looks like (they’re not exactly shown to the public), but you can see one in John Paul Foster’s book NOW A GEISHA 舞妓から芸妓へ ^^
