Satsuki
FORMER GEIKO
PROFILE
PROFILE
Satsuki
Born July 25, 1994 (Leo)
Motto: “Always smile.” It’s an expression my okiya mother taught me. I always remember to keep smiling, even when I’m relaxed and my guard is down.
How work affects my daily life: I’m always using Kyoto’s dialect. “Ohayo gozaimasu” (good morning) becomes “ohayo san dosu,” and I’ll find myself saying things like “osaki dosu” instead of “osaki ni” (see you), and so on.
It is said that maiko* originated approximately 350 years ago as girls and women who served tea and dango dumplings to worshipping visitors at the towns that developed outside Kitano Tenmangu Shrine and Yasaka Shrine. They gradually began to entertain people through song and dance, as well as wear charming kimonos. This evolved into a system where girls became apprentices at okiya** (boarding houses also managed their careers). They would undergo rigorous training - including learning how to speak Kyoto’s dialect - in order to become maiko, after which they would generally debut as a geiko after 5 to 6 years or retire.
Kyoto is home to five kagai, or geiko districts: Gion Kobu, Pontocho, Miyagawacho, Kamishichiken, and Gion Higashi. Satsuki is none other than the legendary geiko who achieved first place at the Baika Encouragement Awards, held at the five kagai’s commencement ceremony, recognizing the geiko and maiko who have earned the most. She continued to hone her craft until retiring from her geiko career in 2021, going on to marry and have a child. However, she remains a person of culture, making use of her profound knowledge of Kyoto, the kagai, and kimono.
*Apprentice geisha in training to become fully fledged geiko (the word for “geisha” in Kyoto).
*An okiya is similar to a boarding house where maiko live before becoming geiko. Every okiya has a “mother” who oversees their daily lives and progress in their training.
My Time in the Kagai Made Me Who I Am
Since I was little, I loved kimono so much that I said that I didn’t want to take off my shichi-go-san kimono. So, I became interested in maiko, who wear kimono every day. Then, during junior high school I went to study in Rishiri Island for a year. Having gained the confidence to be away from home, I dived into the world of the kagai.
When I was a geiko/maiko, my life was spent practicing dancing during the day and dancing at ozashiki (traditional parties) starting from the evening. At 21, I became a fully fledged geiko and began to earn my own living. Until then, my okiya’s mother had prepared all of my kimono and such, but once you become independent of the okiya, everything falls upon you. It was difficult. But still, I tried to catch up and follow in the footsteps of the geiko who had come before me, who I admired so much.
I have had many different experiences; I was awarded first place in the Baika Encouragement Awards (awarded during year’s commencement ceremony for Kyoto’s five kagai to geiko and maiko who have earned the most) seven years in a row, was featured on TV, had meet and greets, ran a marathon in Phuket, became a model for posters made by the Tourism Authority of Thailand to promote their country, and more. When I look back, I realize that all of this was possible because of the people I’ve met. I think I’m very fortunate.
Relationships Built Upon Meeting Face-to-Face
I was born in Osaka and came to Kyoto at the age of 15. Nowadays, I feel more relaxed in Kyoto rather than Osaka. I believe that in Kyoto, relationships between people and the townscape have a depth to them. You see, during the two years I lived in Tokyo after retiring from my geiko career, I thought to myself that everything was simple; you’re just yourself. This was a comfortable environment to be in after retiring, but it was also a little lonely. Everyone’s sense of distance from others, as well as their warmth, felt different from Osaka as well.
One reason may be because people say Kyoto has high standards, but it’s a city that isn’t too big and you can get anywhere quickly. That’s exactly why it’s important to meet people face-to-face. When someone says, “Oh, you’re annoying me,” it means they think you’re cute, or they’re glad to see you (laughs). This kind of depth found in relationships with others has elements that are uniquely Kyoto. Maiko and geiko are also occupations that are possible because of many other people.
Kagai: An Intricate World Created Through the Efforts of Many
Being a geiko or maiko is impossible to achieve by yourself. Okiyas, mistresses of the ochaya*, senior geiko, chefs, taxi drivers… everyone’s combined efforts are what create this world. It’s like another dimension, where even a celebrity that everyone recognizes would think, “They probably don’t know me.” Gion’s kagai are a place where you carry home memories of a special evening. Keeping customers’ information top secret is a custom that has always been strictly maintained; that’s one of the great things about Gion. If I were to be reborn, I would go back to the kagai and become a maiko and geiko again. That’s why I want to tell more people and make them aware about not the hard or strict parts, but how fun and amazing it was. You can’t become a geiko or maiko if you’re forced into it; you have to want it yourself.
*Establishments where geiko and maiko entertain.
Spreading Awareness About Geiko and Maiko, Inheritors of Culture
The number of people becoming geiko and maiko are steady, but there are fewer and fewer okiyas. The number of artisans who can make what they use, like kimono, okobo (maiko shoes), combs, and oshiroi (white makeup), is also declining. When geishas in Tokyo break something, they come all the way to Kyoto to have it fixed; they say that “nothing else can outdo Kyoto.” Such is the quality of Kyoto. However, it is also the case that there is little demand, so some things must be used with great care, as they are the last ones remaining. Once, people even decided that they wouldn’t make the lipstick we used any more. But Ichikawa Danjuro, the kabuki actor, spoke up and they continued to make it. That lipstick is used for kabuki too, after all. There are also things that only maiko use, like chinkan (hard pillows that allow them to maintain their hairstyle), so I feel that geiko and maiko are also inheritors of culture. Traditional culture can only begin to circulate when people are present. I hope to keep protecting it.
MOVIE
INTERVIEW
- What is your happiest memory from your time as a maiko and geiko?
- My greatest memories are of being able to meet so many different people all the time. Even people I’d never meet if I had gone to university instead, like CEOs and presidents of huge companies who’d travel the world, interacted with me as a maiko and later geiko, not a teenage girl. No matter how much I was scolded at dance practice, I managed to mentally reset myself by thinking to myself, “Keep going, you have ozashiki to go to!” I was also very happy when people at would tell me, “You looked beautiful today” during ozashiki after performing in the Miyako Odori (a major show held annually by the geiko and maiko of Gion).
- Did you perform on stage while you were a maiko?
- I was in the Miyako Odori too many times to count. There were four performances a day for 30 days, meaning 120 performances in total. That’s why we practiced for the entire month in March. Depending on the day, you would dance, play the fue (flute), make tea, or play percussion instruments. If you were a customer’s favorite geiko or maiko, they would have to come to watch you at least four times each year (laughs).
- Now that you’ve retired, how do you want to educate people about geiko and maiko culture?
- I think it’s tricky, because it’s not proper for someone who isn’t a geiko anymore to interfere. What I actually want to do is share information by posting on YouTube and other sites, but it’s important to avoid diminishing the status of geiko and maiko, so I feel it would be better to tell people directly about my experiences. Incidentally, the Miyako Odori has also been put on YouTube since COVID-19 restrictions ended. You can even watch events like the Gion Festival and the Kaomise Production (a special kabuki performance) nowadays.
ABOUT THIS DIALOGUE
| Price | 350,000 yen |
|---|---|
| Number of participants per group | 1-4 people |
| Available times | 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm |
| Cancellation policy | 100% cancellation fee 7 days or more before the event date. |
| Payment method | Credit card only |
| Application Requirements | Participants must be at least 18 years old (Children 12-18 years old may participate if accompanied by a parent or guardian) |
| Reservation deadline | Until 7 days prior to the date of the dialogue |
| What will happen on the day | 1. Pick up at hotel 2. Arrive at location of dialogue 3. Chat and explanation about dialogue 4. Dialogue with your chosen Kyotoite 5. Drop off at hotel |