{"id":2387,"date":"2014-02-09T12:55:07","date_gmt":"2014-02-09T03:55:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/2014-02-09\/2387"},"modified":"2014-03-13T20:33:22","modified_gmt":"2014-03-13T11:33:22","slug":"an-apprentice-geisha-photoshoot-quite-unlike-any-other","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/2014-02-09\/2387","title":{"rendered":"An Apprentice-Geisha Photoshoot Quite Unlike Any Other"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Nikkor 85mm f\/1.4 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>800 sec, f<\/span>\/1.4, ISO 2500 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nAlluring<\/span>\nand a bit mysterious\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Nikkor 85mm f\/1.4 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>800 sec, f<\/span>\/1.4, ISO 1600 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nLaughing<\/span>\nbecause I said something funny\n
Vertical Desktop-Background Versions<\/b>\n\n\n1050×<\/span>1680<\/a>  ·  1200×<\/span>1920<\/a>  ·  1600×<\/span>2560<\/a><\/small><\/span><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Nikkor 85mm f\/1.4 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>800 sec, f<\/span>\/1.4, ISO 1600 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nSerious<\/span>\nprobably because I said something nonsensical, as I'm apt to do\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Nikkor 85mm f\/1.4 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>800 sec, f<\/span>\/1.4, ISO 3200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nContemplative<\/span>\n(not really; I'd actually instructed her to look at my shoes)<\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Nikkor 85mm f\/1.4 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>800 sec, f<\/span>\/1.4, ISO 4500 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n( I just can't get enough of that red umbrella )\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Nikkor 85mm f\/1.4 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>800 sec, f<\/span>\/1.4, ISO 1400 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nDrawing a Crowd<\/span> Wherever She Goes<\/span>\nin this case it was a walk through the Gion entertainment district of Kyoto\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Nikkor 200mm f\/2 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>800 sec, f<\/span>\/2.8, ISO 5600 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nQuite Tall<\/span>\nespecially with those shoes\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Nikkor 85mm f\/1.4 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>800 sec, f<\/span>\/1.4, ISO 3200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n(though still not quite as tall as me)<\/span>\nphoto by Zak Braverman<\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Nikkor 200mm f\/2 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>800 sec, f<\/span>\/2, ISO 3600 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nPosing Here...<\/span>\n
Vertical Desktop-Background Versions<\/b>\n\n\n1050×<\/span>1680<\/a>  ·  1200×<\/span>1920<\/a>  ·  1600×<\/span>2560<\/a><\/small><\/span><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Nikkor 200mm f\/2 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>400 sec, f<\/span>\/2, ISO 6400 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nPosing There...<\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Nikkor 85mm f\/1.4 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>800 sec, f<\/span>\/1.4, ISO 2000 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nPosing With Tourists<\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Nikkor 200mm f\/2 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>640 sec, f<\/span>\/2.8, ISO 6400 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nPosing With Shy Japanese Schoolkids<\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Nikkor 200mm f\/2 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>800 sec, f<\/span>\/2, ISO 5600 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nPosing for Zak<\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Nikkor 200mm f\/2 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>800 sec, f<\/span>\/2, ISO 2000 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nPeace<\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

And that last picture provides the first real clue that this girl is not\nthe maiko<\/i><\/a>\n(apprentice geisha) that she otherwise appears to be, because I don't<\/span> think that a real<\/span>\nmaiko<\/i> would flash the peace sign for a passer's<\/span>-by photo like\nthis.<\/p>\n\n

February 3rd is the cultural holiday setsubun<\/i><\/a>,\nknown for bean throwing<\/a>, the\nwarding off of evil spirits<\/a>, and some Shinto\nrites that involve intense bonfires<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

There's also an old tradition, fallen out of popularity in recent decades and now\nmostly unknown to the younger generations, of transforming your appearance\nfor the day into something you're not... if you do this, so the tradition\ngoes, you'll be free of evil spirits for the next year.<\/p>\n\n

And that brings us to today's photos. Ikuko, the 20-year-old girl in\nthese photos, is a normal<\/span> collage student who transformed into a\nmaiko<\/i> for the Setsubun holiday.<\/p>\n\n

For most girls wanting to do something like this (for the Setsubun\nholiday, or just for fun), Kyoto has plenty of places where one can pay\nsome small fee to play dress-up as a maiko<\/i> and go for an\nattention-grabbing photo-op stroll. I see it<\/span> all the time, and these “<\/span>fake\nmaiko<\/i>”<\/span> are easy to spot (such as seen here<\/a>) by their\nmannerisms and the cheap quality of their clothes and accessories, in the\nsame way you can easily tell that the kid showing up at your doorstep on\nHalloween is not really Spider Man.<\/p>\n\n

Ikuko, for her transformation, did something very different.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Nikkor 85mm f\/1.4 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>800 sec, f<\/span>\/1.4, ISO 3200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nNot so Fake<\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

I showed these photos to an older lady who really knew the subject, and\neven when she saw the “<\/span>Peace”<\/span> photo she wasn't quite sure that Ikuko wasn't\na real<\/span> maiko<\/i>, because everything else about her seemed spot-on\ncorrect.... because it was. The clothes<\/span> and accessories are all real, as\nwas the preparation: she had spent three and a half<\/span> hours being prepared by\na bevy<\/span> of professionals that normally exclusively serve the real\nmaiko<\/i> and geiko<\/i> (Kyoto geisha) population. People to do the\nhair (which, like a real<\/span> maiko<\/i>, is Ikuko's real hair), her makeup,\nand even a specialist<\/span> to help her get into the kimono. Not many women<\/span>,\nmaiko<\/i> and geiko<\/i> included, can actually dress themselves in\nthese kimono.<\/p>\n\n

Having natural grace and class, as Ikuko does, helps to complete the package.<\/p>\n\n

This kind of experience is just not something one can normally have, but\nIkuko comes from an artist's family with connections in the wider cultural community\n(her dad is the potter mentioned here<\/a>), so I suppose<\/span> that's how this unique opportunity came\nabout. Her family<\/span> is friends with Zak's, and I met<\/span> Ikuko a few<\/span> years ago when she came to his house\nto babysit Zak's kids.<\/p>\n\n

Zak was asked to take photos for Ikuko's “<\/span>transformation”<\/span>, and Zak was kind enough to invite me along as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Nikkor 85mm f\/1.4 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>800 sec, f<\/span>\/1.4, ISO 1800 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nStrolling in Old Kyoto<\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Nikkor 85mm f\/1.4 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>800 sec, f<\/span>\/1.4, ISO 2000 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nFamily Fun<\/span>\nwith Zak, her folks, and a brother\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Nikkor 200mm f\/2 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>800 sec, f<\/span>\/2.8, ISO 5600 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nTypical Scene<\/span>\nshe's in the background to the left\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

The narrow streets made for a picturesque setting at times, and for mild\ncrowded chaos at others. Japanese and foreign tourists alike would crowd in\nfor photos of Ikuko, and with Ikuko.<\/p>\n\n

I chose to include the picture above because I like<\/span> the daring bold of\nthe couple in the foreground, who had just had their photo taken with\nIkuko. The fuzzy<\/span> guy in the near foreground is a mailman<\/span> who had just\nridden his scooter through the scrum around Ikuko with a certain<\/span>\nindifference that I'm sure comes from the frequency with which he\nencounters this kind of scene during the course of his day in Gion.<\/p>\n\n

Ikuko was much more accommodating to stopping for others than a\nreal<\/span> maiko<\/i> would be, so someone familiar with Kyoto would pretty\nquickly realize that she wasn't a maiko<\/i>. Real maiko<\/i>, when\nencountered out on the street like this, can not generally be accommodating to\npassers by because they are either working (and it would be rude to divert\nconcentration from their customer for your photo), or they're busy on their\nway somewhere.<\/p>\n\n

The evening after I took these photos, on the way back from dinner at Uroko<\/a> with Damien, I came across<\/span> two maiko<\/i>, a geiko<\/i>, and their customers piling into\ntaxis near the Shijo Ohashi bridge. A crowd<\/span> had gathered, but the\nmaiko<\/i> and geiko<\/i> completely ignored everyone but their\ncustomers to the point that a maiko<\/i> was almost plowed over because\nwithout looking she stepped right into the path of the flow of foot traffic on the sidewalk. The person<\/span> who almost crashed into her happened to be the person right in front of me,\nand I'm glad there wasn't an “<\/span>event”<\/span> because I might<\/span> have then tripped over both of them,\nand even if not, I didn't<\/span> have my camera with me so what's the point?\ud83d\ude09<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

Anyway, I don't really care for the whole “<\/span>geisha”<\/span> thing and generally\nmake a specific<\/span> point not to pay attention when I come<\/span> across them like\nthis, but I really<\/span> enjoyed the photoshoot with Ikuko. Perhaps it's because\nit was a normal<\/span> Japanese girl dipping, just for a moment,<\/span> into part of her\ncultural history in a culturally<\/span>-authentic way.<\/p>\n\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Nikkor 85mm f\/1.4 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>800 sec, f<\/span>\/1.4, ISO 1600 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Also, it helps that Ikuko was accommodating for photos and was just\ngenerally a nice<\/span> person, and of course it helps a lot<\/span> that, unlike the\nmajority of maiko<\/i> and geiko<\/i> that I come<\/span> across, she is\nactually attractive. I hope to<\/span> do a “<\/span>normal”<\/span> photoshoot with her\nwhen the weather warms up, perhaps at the Haradanien Garden<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D4 + Nikkor 200mm f\/2 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>800 sec, f<\/span>\/2, ISO 2000 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nLike Culture, Like Kimono<\/span>\nlayers deep\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

And that last picture provides the first real clue that this girl is not the maiko (apprentice geisha) that she otherwise appears to be, because I don't think that a real maiko would flash the peace sign for a passer's-by photo like this.<\/p>

February 3rd is the cultural holiday setsubun, known for bean throwing, the warding off of evil spirits, and some Shinto rites that involve intense bonfires.<\/p>

There's also an old tradition, fallen out of popularity in recent decades and now mostly unknown to the younger generations, of transforming your appearance for the day into something you're not... if [...]","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,28,6,25],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2387"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2387"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2387\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2387"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2387"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2387"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}