This event is, for the maiko and geiko is an advertisement for customers, and as a result, pay to be in the event, not the other way around. Every maiko and geiko in Gion is taught under the tutelage of one teacher and one style of dance, which allows them to dance in the same event, despite being from different houses. The patrons are also greatly varied. With tiered pricing, we poor college students were in the back, where ten patrons squish into small cushioned platforms. The section before that is reserved seating on the second floor. Then there are the orchestra seats and balcony seating. Though it may at times be difficult to see from the very top, it was a great experience to not only view those dancing, but also those watching. Some patrons brought geiko and maiko as their guests. One man even brought three maiko and one geiko with him. Lizzy suggested that this practice is simply to show off wealth, and I’m quite inclined to agree. Once in a while I would glance over at the women to see if they acted any differently when they thought no one was looking, and once in a while I thought I’d caught them, but to no avail! It was adorable, though, to see them drinking little juice boxes when the lights were out!
The first act was all maiko and I’m pretty sure served the purpose of simply showing off the dancers’ beauty and skill in simple graceful movements. They all wore the most formal of maiko dress, black kimono (furisode to be exact—long sleeves) with varying golden patterns at the hem of the garments as well as beautiful flowing gold patterned obi. I managed to snag two pictures of this act before the man next to me started yelling at me to stop in Japanese, haha!
The second act was (I think) made up of geiko. They were dressed as fisher women in blue kimono with red kimono underneath. This was a very aggressive dance and probably was my favorite. Never before have I seen color, motion, sound, and music match up in quite this fashion in Japanese theater. The women stomped their geta (wooden sandals) in time with the music and waved long white cloth strips. All the music in this production was played or sung by geiko, by the by.
The third act used a similar set, but suggested a different season by the addition of sakura trees. What surprised me the most was that one of the geiko was dressed as a man! Her motions were incredible, mirroring those of a man in a Kabuki setting, but also including the grace of a woman, suggesting the actual gender of the dancer. The plot was something along the lines of a fisherwoman with her boat sees a couple coming along. They talk and pray to Buddha (Pure Land Buddhism) and the sky begins to rumble and darken, a demon is coming. Eventually a kitsune (fox) comes along and impersonates the female of the couple, confusing the fisherwoman, the man, and of course the young woman. The couple is overcome with grief as the man cannot figure out who the real woman is. He finally figures it out and as they try to leave, the fox keeps them apart. At this point the fisherwoman brings out a scroll with…a picture of a fish on it. I have no clue why there was a fish on it, but I’m guessing she invoked Amida, which repelled the fox. In an amazingly quick costume change on stage, the woman’s hair goes wild, and her red kimono underneath is revealed. After she is quelled the first time, the fox returns in yet another amazing costume change, this time off stage and incredibly speedy. She returns and is again quelled by the power of Amida.
The fourth act took quite a different turn. Whereas the second and third acts were reminiscent of Kabuki, this act was decidedly Noh. The set mirrored that of a Noh stage, a beautiful multicolored silk curtain billowing up and down with every entrance and exit; two smaller pine trees leading up to a large, beautifully painted pine tree on the wall suggesting the spirit world. This time there were two geiko playing men. I thought at first that it was a play called Izutsu, but now I’m sure it’s not…I’ll have to do some quick research on that. I know I’ve read the play they did before, I just can’t remember what it’s called! Anyway the costumes were very reminiscent of Noh and the womens’ costumes were almost identical to those of the actual Noh play. The props were minimal, a stool for the priest character and a large frame to represent a well, which was brought out and then taken away by a single geiko. The most interesting part for me was to see the difference between a Noh master performing the proper way to walk and someone attempting to do it without the necessary years of training. I finally got to see and also appreciate the subtlety of motion in Noh. The faces were also a wonderful part. Every maiko had her face painted like a Noh mask and they kept their faces so still that I forgot they weren’t wearing masks a few times!
The fifth act was most definitely not my favorite. This could’ve been because my knees had begun to hurt or sitting through Noh, even if they play is sped up by about three hours, is tough. Anyway it was a solo, and the maiko was so nervous her hand was shaking! She did very well despite the nervousness, though. She was in a very simple set, rice paper doors behind her and a spotlight on her suggesting the moon. She read from a scroll and her motions all indicated her sadness, most likely at losing her lover.
The sixth and final act was entirely of women in men’s costumes. If you can’t tell, I had a serious field day with that. In all my (fairly limited) experience with Japanese theater, the closest I’d found was Takarazuka, all female cast revues. This dance took place towards the end of the Edo period and concerned the Shinsengumi. Though the costumes were more feminine interpretations of the classic blue coat of a Shinsengumi member, the dye color and red lanterns they held upon entering immediately brought the image to mind. The dance was very detailed, involving an impressive number of props including the red lanterns, dragons, cloths, and fans.
With the exception of the solo and Noh segments, I noticed a lot of opposing motion. Alternately in a row, some women would stand while others crouched and they would quickly switch off. When utilizing their more flowing cloth props, they would wave them in opposite directions.
Loving your Blog, Kate. Keep up the good work!
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