Topic: Geisha / Style: Vignettes
Historical Context
Anjo is not a big cultural hub. It’s not well known for historic sites. Anjo isn’t the hot spot for nightlife and it’s not a luxurious resort town. Anjo is seldom on the bucket list of tourists visiting Japan. And yet, after Kyoto, it boasted an internationally very well known hanamachi.
Even before Tokyo’s Geisha opened up a bit to the outside world via television in documentaries, Anjo, sleepy little Anjo was already broadcast to the masses, all because of a film by NHK.
Following the life of three women persuing the Geiko lifestyle, this doc focused on Kasumi, veteran Geiko and okasan of Ichikomaya, Komako, her established protegee and Miho, an awkward teenager taking her first steps in the karyukai. It was a touching piece, scored with sentimental music and it portrayed the Geiko of Anjo as very sympathetic, down to earth, hard working, sometimes jovial women living in the countryside far, far removed from the luxury of the big city kagai.
2013: Miho with the shaggy bangs in the back, next to Kasumi. Komako is seen second row, far left.
Source: Anjo Geiko Facebook
Later on, Anjo again was noticed for having an honest to god blonde Geiko from Ukraine. Geiko Ibu’s tenure didn’t last but she was the other incident that put Anjo on the hanamachi map, to outsiders at least. So needless to say Anjo was, in some way, a larger than life hanamachi, maybe too big for its own good.
Many years after these ripples in the floating world, Anjo has seemingly settled down somewhat. The Geiko Union has professionalized its internet presence and we can see that the overall look has gone from incredibly makeshift and individual to a more sophisticated, timeless and classic style even going so far as to source the Katsura from Kyoto’s Imanishi. Let’s explore their exciting blend of cosmopolitan and provincial aesthetic some more!
The Look Of Anjo Geiko
Source: Anjo Geiko Facebook
Source: Yoshinoya-anjou.com
Source: Anjo Geiko Facebook
Term Used For Professional: Geiko
Source: Anjo Rotaray Club
Source: Anjo Geiko Facebook
Regional Noteworthiness
Source: Anjo Geiko Official
Anjo Geiko were the first outside of Kyoto that I knew of. Sadly Komako retired around 2013 and her Okiya "Ichikoma" no...
Aichi: Anjo...Historical Context...Anjo is not a big...