#trailing kimono

[tanuki-kimono]

Breathtaking geisha’s hikizuri/susohiki (trailing kimono), with shirasagi (white heron) flying over a stream, over a tasteful hail storm base

The pattern and overall mood truly bring to mind the Kabuki dance “Sagi Musume” (the Heron Girl). You can watch it with commentary on youtube (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3), the finale -from 2:08 below- is very famous:

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Kioto Dancing Girl by Kusakabe Kimbei 1880s por Blue Ruin 1 Por Flickr: Photograph number “55” in the catalogue of over 2,000 images by the Kusakabe Kimbei Studio of Yokohama, entitled “Kioto Dancing Girl”. This hand-coloured albumen photograph shows maiko (apprentice geisha) O-Hisa of Kyoto dressed in an elaborate dove motif kimono.

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Maiko Manryō with a Gifu Lantern 1910s por Blue Ruin 1 Por Flickr: Maiko (apprentice geisha) Manryō of Kyoto, described by contemporaries as “a peony flower in full-bloom”.

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Two Maiko Girls from Ponto-cho 1961 por Blue Ruin 1 Por Flickr: A photograph by Burt Glinn, in the Japan issue of “Holiday” magazine, October 1961.

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Maiko Girl 1937 por Blue Ruin 1 Por Flickr: This small tourist photograph is from the estate of an Italian Naval landing troop soldier, purchased during a voyage to the Far East with the Italian Royal Navy between 1937 and 1939.

[osakadreaming-blog]

Geiko Koraku 1920s by Blue Ruin1 on Flickr.

[floating-flowers]

Geiko Koraku 1920s by Blue Ruin1 on Flickr.

Merry Christmas!