Somebody asked you about Kanoyumi: did she retire after "completing" her apprenticeship or before? Because if she completed, she simply retired because Kanoya doesn't seem to allow their Maiko to become a Geiko and this has been for 10 years at least (maybe Masayo was sponsored by the Man okiya and therefore was an exception?). I still hope Kanoya changes their ways!
She had her Misedashi in October 2008 and retired in March 2014, so she was active for 5 years and 5 months, which is a completed apprenticeship, it’s actually even longer than the usual apprenticehsip is.
She might have retired because she wanted to, but she might also have retired because she had, that’s a valid option because of the way Kanoya has been operating.
To be fair, I completely understand why they are operating in this way though. Gion Higashi is a tiny district and Misedashi and especially Erikae are very expensive, Kanoya might simply not be able to afford to pay for Erikae.
Maiko can still make the okiya a lot of money though, and most of their earning goes directly to the okiya for living expenses and training. Maiko can often make more money quicker, because Maiko are one of Kyoto’s symbols and everyone goes there to see them. A Maiko doesn’t have to be fully-fledged artist yet, or be an incredible beauty, they can still make a decent amount of money by simply doing their best and using their charming personalities as well as possible.
Women debuting directly as Geiko (or Geisha, in other cities) are usually seen as a safer investment, because they are older and more mature and thus, will probably be less homesick, now what they are getting themselves into and often also have artistic training of some sort already and wanted to become Geiko or traditional Japanese artists for a while. They are much less likely to opt out, stay around for longer and usually do still make good money, but they usually don’t become as Geiko who also had a successful Maiko-period.
For the Maiko, a “Maiko-only-contract” also has its perks: First of all, a completed apprenticeship in Kyoto makes great on a resume. She will probably also have made connections via her guests or with her guests (most of them are businesspeople) that will open many doors for her in the future. It also allows the girl to get a good look at what life as a Maiko/Geiko is like, while still being able to do something else, and save money for later. It’s a great option for girls who know that they don’t only want to be a Maiko/Geiko in their lifes, but also do something different.
But it can be sad sometimes, if the Maiko does happen to love the job so much that she wants to stay. If the okaasan thinks that the girl will succeed as a Geiko and is financially able to do so, she may still let them have their Erikae though, if the girl really wants it (it’s rumored that this happened with Geiko Satoharu (Kawahisa Okiya) of Miyagawacho).
In Gion Higashi, Geiko can also be dependent for up to three years before becoming indepedent, which requires the okiya to also have a broad collection of kimono, obi and hair ornaments for their Geiko until become independent. A Geiko will gradually order her own kimono and obi while still being dependent to form her own collection, but during that time, she still has to rely on the okiya’s collection.
An everday Geiko-hikizuri still costs between 5,000 and 10,000 USD and formal ones can cost up to 20,000 UDS, and that’s not counting obi and undergarments. You need a big amount of money to outfit a Geiko, and since they wear different kimono, obi, hair ornaments and even undergarments, you can’t use almost anything from the collection of Maiko-kimono.The kimono-collection of an okiya is usually worth several million dollars alone, not counting anything else in the house.
And even after becoming independent, the young Geiko might still borrow some kimono from their okiya until she has a broader collection herself, especially kuromontsuki.
However, “Maiko-only-contracts” are only a thing in Kamishichiken (which is small and always in need for new members, and which went through a very rough period in the 80s and 90s), Miyagawacho (which is very relaxed and modern in general) and one okiya in Gion Higashi, and even in Kamishichiken and Miyagawacho, it doesn’t happen in every okiya.
It looked like Kanoya only had one Geiko-ensemble for Kanowaka, a light blue kimono and an orange obi, at the beginning, but at an ozashiki she attented a two or three days ago, I saw her in a dark blue kimono and a white obi, so I think that they did order more and that they are slowly being completed. Maybe she also borrowed it from a more senior Geiko in Gion Higashi, or it was one of her first own purchases.
It makes me wonder if this was part of the reason while Kanowaka switched to the Kanoya Okiya without an Erikae. Maybe the Kanoya Okiya needed or wanted a new Geiko, but were not able to pay for an Erikae and kimono, so this was privately agreed on?
Okatome was the okiya with the most members until Kanowaka switched from them to Kanoya, now they have an equal number, so I think that they should have been able to pay for her Erikae. I mean, I think that none of the okiya in Gion Higashi can compare to the wealth of the big okiya of Gion Kobu and Pontocho (like Tama, Nishimura, Odamoto, Tanmika, Yamaguchi etc.) and even the big ones in Miyagawacho (mostly Komaya and Shigemori, and Kawayoshi is also pretty big) but out of all of the okiya in Gion Higashi, you’d think that Okatome would be one of the best-situated.
So I can’t imagine that the whole thing was only about money. And if Kanowaka really didn’t get along with someone at Okatome, I doubt that she would have returned to Gion Higashi at all, because it’s so small that she could have hardly avoided them. This whole situation is such a mystery, I really hope that we get some clarity about it some day.
I really hope that Kanowaka now working for Kanoya is a sign that they will allow their girls to become Geiko in the future. They do have two Maiko now, too, and Kanohiro has really been blossoming since she became senior in May, so I really hope that we get to see her as a Geiko in a few years.
