#kurotomesode

[tanuki-kimono]

Shades of black for this nice photoshoot (pic 1 / 2), pairing black kimono items (kurotomesode, mofuku, hakama, haori, tabi, zori, obijime, etc) with Western black clothing (shoes, skirts, shirts, etc).

[bebetaian]

Private Collection: Antique 1930s Lion Kurotomesode

Lions are a favourite pattern and are not common to find. I also really, really love dragons, even more difficult to find in women's kimono. But then I tend to like "masculine" motifs or clothing in any culture. Dressing effeminately is something I can do, like a costume to put on. After a bit it needs to come off.

Modern internet culture is connected enough that now, there's a kind of queer community where we can talk about this outside of compulsory binaries in the LGB comm (because IF those people include the 'T', it's also only on a binary according to Euro-descent ideals.) That's a whole different conversation though, so.

The point is to recognise that sometimes, a motif may not be seen as 'primarily female' or 'primarily male' but will appear on kimono of either sex. Traditional gender expressions and social roles is a wildly different thing in context of Japanese culture and does not align to America ideas. Lions can be among them.

Since this is a kurotomesode, it is the most formal kimono that isn't an ofurisode. I was looking to examine it for Hatsumode and might as well dress the mannequin and take measurements, right?

Wrist to wrist: 50.5in / 128cm Sleeve length: 22.75in / 57.7cm Body width: 24.5in / 62cm Neck to hem: 60.5in / 153.5cm (before hem padding)

A shame the nakagi wasn't long enough for the kurotomesode. I suppose one of the things I could cut it for (eventually) is to install a false susoyoke layer that detaches from the kurotomesode I have. The antique kurotomesode does not have the false layer of white collars that modern kurotomesode have. This kimono has a bo eri, sewn completely in half already.

The juban is the phoenix juban I've posted about. I use it most often, I think, since I don't have to sew a collar to it.

The obi was difficult to decide. Since I rarely wear kurotomesode, maybe once every few years, I have kept very few obi that might fit the antique look for this formality. I only have three that might work; two have colouring or motifs that are completely wrong for it. This one is too new, but generally the correct colour, at least. It has some of the most gorgeous embroidery I've seen. The knots on the tassel ends are raised like French knots. The himo are textures as if they are himo, flattened. A mixture of woven motifs and embroidered silks.

Tare: 6.25in / 15.5cm wide x 90.55in / 230cm long Taiko: 12.25in / 31cm wide x 44.25in /112.5cm long

Since it's quite short, especially on my current measurements, I used a strong binder clip to assist in creating the taiko. There isn't nearly enough length for the preferred niijudaiko, but it doesn't look bad.

I'm not sure most people would have obi at the level required for this kimono, which can be tied as niijudaiko. There probably were, but that must have taken some good money to own something with so much brocade. Collecting antique kimono feels luxurious. Did the original wearers feel like this?

Aren't they beautiful? hnn I wonder if there's a specific reason they are portrayed this way.

[maigeiko]

The look of... VI: Morioka

Welcome to the 17th installment of this series (my 6th). This time, we’re having a look at the Geigi that work in Morioka.

Historical context It's not known when Geigi in Morioka started to exist, but they trained with Tokiwazu Rinchu 常磐津林中 who lived in Morioka from 1892-93. At this time, Morioka had two Hanamachi: Hatamachi 幡街 and Honmachi 本街. Hatamachi was frequented by customers of the merchant class, whereas Honmachi was the government office district, so the Ryotei there were mostly frequented by government workers and politicians. From 1898 onwards, they were training dance with Wakayagi Rikiyo I 初代若柳力代, originally a Kabuki actor who turned to teaching in his later carreer. In 1911, 54 Geigi worked in Hatamachi and 41 in Honmachi. 30 Ryotei operated in the entire city. In 1913, the Morioka theatre was opened and the Joruri piece "Hanabutai chiyo kaomise" 花舞台千代顔見 was composed by Matsumoto Koshiro VII 七代目松本幸四郎, who invited the Morioka Geigi along him. The lyrics were passed down orally along with the choreography. This joruri piece is performed by the Geigi up to this day. Coming to the present day, the segregation of "Hatamachi" and "Honmachi" no longer exists. They are all "Morioka Geigi", no matter where in the city they live. The Kenban no longer exists and there are no Okiya, all Geigi are independent. After a span of 19 years with no fresh blood, two young Geigi debuted in Morioka in 2012, followed by two Hyoko (Maiko) in 2016.

The look of Morioka Maiko Local Term: Hyoko ひよ妓 - used to be called Hangyoku 半玉 ※ Hairstyle: Momoware Katsura ※ Kanzashi: Manjugiku 萬寿菊 all year (2 sets: white/pink/green, white/red/green). Katsuyama and Daikan. First year with Shidare. Rice husk in the new year period. 1 Birabira, 1 Hirauchi, red Kanoko ※ Makeup: Oshiroi, both lips painted ※ Haneri: red with white embroidery, seldomly white ※ Kimono: Furisode without tucks ※ Obiage: flat, tied in the back. red/silver, red/white shibori, July-September: single colour pink and light yellow, white ※ Obi: Koken musubi ※ Obijime: round, flat, single knot ※ Footwear: Zori

The look of Morioka Geiko Local Term: Geigi 芸妓 ※ Hairstyle: Geiko shimada ※ Kanzashi: Kushi, Maezashi, rice husk in the new year period ※ Makeup: Oshiroi, both lips painted ※ Kimono: Homongi, Kurotomesode ※ Haneri: white ※ Obi: Taiko musubi ※ Obiage: red, pink, white with red Shibori (with Kurotomesode always white/red), white ※ Footwear: Zori

Casual look Young and old Geigi alike often opt for a simpler look, both when dancing and when playing Shamisen… ※ Hairstyle: Yohatsu ※ Kanzashi: none ※ Makeup: no Oshiroi ※ Kimono: Homongi, Kurotomesode ※ Eri: white ※ Obi: Taiko musubi ※ Obiage: white ※ Footwear: Zori

Dances In comparison to other small Hanamachi, more than just two or three dances of their repertoire have been documented:  ※ Aki no yo 秋の夜 ※ Enkaina 縁かいな ※ Furyufunazoroi 風流船揃 ※ Hanabutai Chiyo Kaomise 花舞台千代顔見 ※ Haru kasumi 春霞 ※ Harukoma 春駒 ※ Kimigayo Shochikubai 君が代松竹梅 ※ Kishi no Yanagi 岸の柳 ※ Kanayama odori karame bushi 金山踊からめ節 ※ Mori no nagame 杜の眺め ※ Nanbu ondo 南部音頭 ※ Natsu to kabocha 茄子とかぼちゃ ※ Sekizoro せきぞろ ※ Yama wa iro nasu 山は色なす ※ Yûgure 夕暮れ Check out the video linked below, the channel has more videos of this kind.

Notes ※ The joruri piece "Hanabutai Chiyo kaomise" received updated lyrics in 2013, reflecting the passage of 100 years after its creation. It's now called "Hanabutai Chiyo kaomise - Heisei version" 平成版　花舞台千代顔見. ※ The local term for the registry office was chosen to be "函番". Mostly pronounced Kenban like the Geigi registry offices all over Japan, but also "Kanban". The "函" character was also used for the Shamisen case - Geigi's Shamisen were stored in the Kenban and from there, brought to the Ryotei if needed. ※ Geigi Yôko よろ子 is  Wakayagi Rikiyo IV. ※ Apprentice Geigi start dance training first, beginner dances being Kanayama Odori and Nanbu Ondo. Second the start training Shamisen and third Nagauta. ※ The b/w photo of the hangyoku is literally the only photo of Morioka Gei-/Maiko from before 2012 I was able to find. You can see the girls are wearing their own hair, Hikizuri and Darari Obi. The style has changed drastically! ※ This particular feature on Morioka was requested by @geimaiko. Thanks for the impulse! ※ If anyone reads this far... I’m happy to explore more Hanamachi. If you have a request, feel free to drop it in my inbox. An overview of what has received in-depth research before, you can find here. Sources ※ text: past Hanamachi, 1911 numbers, beginner training, school of dance Wakayagi-ryu, kenban/okiya system defunct, 1993 debut (only mentioned, no picture of it, sadly!), everything else ※ dances: hanabutai, harukoma, nanbu+karame+haru kasumi (video), aki+natsu, kishi, yama+enkaina+sekirozo, furyu, mori+yugure, kimigayo (followers-only account) ※ pictures: collage 1: beige flower furisode, Kikumaru/Marika debut, dark blue furisode, collage 2: all from Kikumaru’s instagram, Tomochiyo/Tomiyu debut, Kikumaru erikae, jikata in sepia tones, new year’s photo (Facebook), veteran geigi dancing (Facebook), 3 geigi dancing. Hangyoku. [Facebook has been restricting browsing for people who are not logged in recently, so I can’t look up the exact sources. Kikumaru’s instagram is private] ※ Original layout: @geimaiko ♥

[missmyloko]

What’s In a Kimono? Part 9

On The Second Day Of Fun I present... a new kimono! The last time I presented a kimono it was karyūkai related in that it was a geiko’s hikizuri. This one is also karyūkai related, but in a slightly different way.

Name: Karyūkai (花柳界) - The Flower and Willow World Type: Kurotomesode (黒留袖) Time Period: Heisei Period (1989 - 2019) Condition: Excellent - Like New Material: Silk Motifs: Kyoto Scene With Maiko Execution and Techniques: Yuzen Value: $100 USD When I saw this for sale I knew I had to have it as it’s just so fitting to my interests and so unique to boot! I can honestly say in all my years of buying, selling, and researching kimono I had never come across one with maiko on it! You can occasionally find some obi, but kimono with maiko are extremely rare. Whoever designed or commissioned this kimono has specific knowledge of the karyūkai, with Gion Kobu in particular, as you can make out the noren of the Ichiriki down at the bottom. Overall it depicts the karyūkai at the height of its beauty in the spring when the cherry blossoms are in full bloom and the maiko are busy travelling from one ochaya to the next (or, in this case, possibly slowing down to take in the blossoms themselves). All of it is delicately rendered in the Kyō Yuzen style of painting. This piece is truly meant to be appreciated up close not only for its subject matter, but for the addition of copious amounts of gold paint that outline nearly everything on the kimono! 

Even though it’s rare, it’s not very valuable as kurotomesode are among the least valuable types of kimono due to their overall plainness and the very limited times that you can wear them. This is why kurotomesode are often remade into other garments, such as dresses or skirts. I plan on keeping this one as is though ^^

[kimonotsuki]

Life, the Universe and Everything

This is one of those coordinations I've wanted to do from the very moment I got this kimono, and have just been putting off for one reason or another for years. It was high time I fixed that! This past Thursday was my 42nd birthday, and this coordinate has auspicious motifs of hayama and kagami (arrows and mirrors) and my favourite colour (teal) so I decided it was finally time to do it. This kimono is definitely interesting - it's brighter and more bold than most kurotomesode of the era, and it's definitely very long for its age. The hem has a slight roll to it, so it's a bit heavier than the rest of the fabric. This, along with the length, lead me to suspect it was a hikizuri, meant to be worn trailing. I'd like to think it may have been a geisha's piece, worn at the new year, but this is just a suspicion of mine and I have no way to verify it. Whatever it is, I absolutely love it and should coordinate it more often. The cool afternoon lighting in my living room makes the teal look bluer in these photos, but it definitely sits right between green and blue in person. I decided to use reds and blues in the accessories to emphasize how bold and punchy this piece is, and to sort of reinforce the geisha-adjacent feel of it. I also decided to let it drape, hikizuri style, to show off the beautiful flow of it, and tied the obi wider than normal to match. The collars are a bit wonky, but sometimes I just cannot get them to cooperate due to the shape of the mannequin. Alas. This birthday has been a good one and I have very upbeat feelings about this coming loop around the sun. I hope I can share lots of new content and great news with you all soon! Read the full article

[asian-folk-wardrobe]

[thestuffofbucket]

A very old drawing I did of Nadia wearing a formal kimono for married women.

[koikishu]

Koikishu’s Fantasy Kimono Tansu: Tomesode/ Kurotomesode

Motifs: Waves, Folding Fans, Clouds, Flower carts, Flying Cranes

Seasonality: Season-less

Sleeve Length: 51 cm

Background Color: Black

Source: https://www.ichiroya.com/item/list2/474603/