Spring Kateigaho International Edition

Mainichi Daily in English

KIE gives an insider's view of rarely seen Kyoto

Kyoto's esoteric world of intricate conventions and traditions can sometimes be intimidating, especially in the hanamachi, the world of the geisha. But the spring 2007 issue of Kateigaho International Edition (KIE) (on sale March 1) provides a glimpse through the eyes of insiders that makes more accessible the ancient capital's world of geiko, as geisha are called in Kyoto.

KIE explores often unknown nooks and crannies of Kyoto -- with a strong emphasis on the city's geisha districts of Ponto-cho, Miyagawa-cho and Gion -- and finds insightful clues into what has made Miyako tick over the past 1,200 or so years.

"We have taken representatives of Kyoto's geisha world and got them to give a 'Best Picks of Kyoto,' " KIE'S Editor-in-Chief Takeshi Kudo says.

KIE's "guides" are an exotic cross-section of the 21st century version of the city. They include a Canadian who gave up the hurly burly world of professional soccer to become a Kyoto connoisseur and multi-faceted entertainer together with his Japanese wife, who is herself a former tayu, historically the most artistically adept inhabitants of Japan's floating world.

Kudo points out that the spring 2007 issue contains a bonus pictorial guide on how to dance like a Miyagawa-cho geiko, with dozens of the outstanding photos Kateigaho is known for accompanying an explanation of the seasonal elements involved in the dance.

"By covering a story to this extent, we can show readers the correct manner and customs involved in Japanese dance, even if the meaning isn't always fully passed on," Kudo says. "It's a page for a little bit of added fun."

KIE's Sales Division Manager Takeharu Suzuki agrees, adding that "this is a special containing information even the average Japanese wouldn't know of."

Also providing a slice of Kyoto life are the remarkable four generations of geiko from the Hatsunoya, a Ponto-cho geisha house whose founder has provided a direct line of performers that now includes her great-granddaughter.

Kyoto's traditions would be nothing without the long lines of artisans who have provided the talents that have kept the conventions alive, even when it would seem other choices would mean less strain.

Learn from KIE about the fascinating stories involved in the decade-long creation process of the exquisite, decorative boxwood combs the geisha use in their hair, folding fans, and the wagasa paper umbrellas still now a favorite in the ancient capital.

Adventurous types can also get an extremely close to home look at centuries-old living through KIE's introduction of a supplier to the geiko who also dresses up tourists like the geiko and maiko (apprentice geisha), using completely authentic cosmetics and costumes.

KIE's spring 2007 edition also contains an extensive -- and removable -- map and guide of some of the best wares available in Kyoto with geiko and maiko providing recommendations for 60 businesses that may be of interest to foreign visitors.

"These are places maiko and chaya recommend for eating. It's not just high class establishments, it's a bit of everything from Western food to Japanese food to cakes," Kudo says. "You can find places where geisha shop and geisha hang out."

From Kyoto to kabuki, where KIE tracks the Opera National de Paris performance of Ichikawa Danjuro and Ichikawa Ebizo. KIE goes behind the scenes at the Palais Garnier as the father-and-son superstars bring the common theater of the Edo-era (1603-1868) to the traditional home of entertainment for the French nobility.

Other features in the spring 2007 issue include KIE showcasing how the new head of one of Shikoku's best known Shinto shrines is taking a so far unseen approach to preserving cultural artifacts.

KIE also gets a bite of the action in the seasonal delicacy scene in Western Japan, giving readers a year-round calendar to get the tastiest treats on offer throughout the country.

Combined with the eye-grabbing galleries, whose charms this issue also feature a show of uniform-inspired fashions, KIE's spring 2007 is a feast for the senses, with its hands-on approach to tackling Kyoto and the literally mouth-watering look at some of Japan's incredible edibles. (Text by Ryann Connell, Photos courtesy of Kateigaho International Edition)

Kateigaho International Edition http://int.kateigaho.com/
March 1, 2007

The link at the bottom of the article features more photos: Special Photo Preview

Miyako Odori Costume Fitting in Gion Kaburenjo

The dance, which commences on April 1st, now in its 135th season, will feature 114 musicians, geiko, maiko. Twenty three people were present for photographs to be published in the Odori program.

This year's theme is Elegant Picture Scroll "to furyuu meisho emaki," with the fifth act Tale of the Princess "mukashi monogatari kagu ya hime" and others: ?????? First visit to the Duck Shrine of the New Year ????? Saga field-tinted autumn leaves.
4300-1900 yen.

Photo: Ichiyuri, Kotoha, Koyuki, Mameshino, unidentifiable geiko

Sources:
Asahi Shimbun
Kyoto Shimbun

Oh, I thought it was strange that they're all wearing August kanzashii when it's Feburary, but might be due to the section of the dance (if set in late summer). These photos were all taken 22 Feb 2007.

Gion Corner in New Languages

Gion Corner will now feature an audio guide in 5 languages to introduce the traditional arts of Kyoto - English, Spanish, French, Chinese, and Korean, says the Kyoto traditional arts promotion foundation. Gion Corner, as you know, features seven traditional performances like koto and Bunraku in 45 minutes for 2800 Yen.

While in the past Japanese tourists formed a large portion of visitors, the number of foreign travelers - who used to account for almost half - have rapidly increased.

Photo: Mameyuri and Mamesaho

Source: Kyoto Shimbun 京都新聞 2007年3月1日

藤花 ~Fujika

Fujika is a former gei-maiko from the illustrious Gion Kobu. Her autobiography based on her blog has been published in Taiwain.

Fujika is actually a renegade geisha. In the mid-1990s a maiko openly sued her geisha-mother and went independent. Fujika is a geiko who followed her into a maiko-for-hire gig. There was no follow-up on the story, but their business partnership seems to have lasted a few years until the maiko got too old to play the part.

It explains why Fujika's book isn't published in Japanese, but only in Taiwan.

Life at Night blog

Tasseography

Reading my tea leaves today I saw a child playing near a silhouette of a dog's head. A child means a new idea, and a dog represents a good friend. I wish now I had taken a photo, so someone else could interpret it.

But I know reading tea leaves is a little like reading the contents of a toilet bowl.

Looking for omens in all the wrong places...

キモノバッグ ~kimonobaggu

I shall not rest until I make this bag mine.



Like nodate chanoyu perfected, it's a traveling kimono tansu!

It has clear pockets for finding kitsuke items and storing essentials like zori and jime. There's also an interior hanger to keep obi and kimono from creasing while inside. 6 different patterns to choose from. Original by tsuki to kame.

Here: Rakuten

口紅 (くちべに) ~kuchibeni

[Lit. "crimson mouth", or lipstick.]

Lip Service: Photog Sues Hip L.A. Restaurant for Copyright Infringement

Usually when a photographer sues someone over copyright infringement, you end up reading about it in photo industry trade newspapers and Websites. But when National Geographic staffer Jodi Cobb sued the Geisha House restaurant in Los Angeles for using her photographs without permission, word of the legal action appeared on the Website of The Hollywood Reporter, a mainstay of the entertainment industry.
That might be because the restaurant is one of the town’s hottest nightspots. Or because one of its owners was the winner of the CBS reality TV show Big Brother. Or maybe it was because one of the investors in the restaurant is actor Ashton Kutcher.
Whatever the reason, the case should also be of interest to photographers around the country, simply because it illustrates how cavalierly the notion of copyright is treated by many people today.

Continue reading "Lip Service: Photog Sues Hip L.A. Restaurant for Copyright Infringement" from PopPhoto.com

Article from Hollywood reporter esq
Article from the Defamer
Article from reality blurred

I'm a bit disturbed by the idea that red lips on a white background could be "owned" exclusively by Jodi Cobb. The lips on the restaurant are slightly different, but Cobb calls it "virtually identical". Her proof? She had it analyzed by a National Geographic expert - the same organization she once worked for. How different are red lips on white painted skin supposed to look?

Clearly the book cover and the photo on the door are NOT the same. They are similar, but as mentioned way down in the article, the restaurant intentionally copied the theme and reproduced a similar photo (variations on a theme). The cover of A Year in Search of Wa features red lips on white skin, but with the kimono collars showing.

I can see why Cobb would be pissed (I might be a little mad too). But the restaurant didn't quite steal her photo - they recreated a similar photo. Is recreating a similar photo the same as copyright violation? That's a question of access. Well, I'm not an attorney, but it seems like the case could go either way. I mean, is an idea copyright-able? Cobb is also suing about the t-shirt the guy wore on Big Brother too. The use of her images inside the building is one matter (apparently the original cease and desist complaint is dated from 2005). The restaurant interior from the website doesn't appear to have anything immediately Cobb-esque - unless it's in the ladies room or something - so it seems as though they've complied on that front. But Cobb is asking for $150,000 per image plus damages. I'm tempted to get a copy of the filing.

Now Geiko usually seem flattered by the various artworks that people make of them. I find it odd that Cobb, who was granted a boon by the Miyagawacho geiko, couldn't work something out with a Hollywood restaurant. If I were the restaurant manager, I probably would have done the same. You could either go for the world-class photog for way too much, or go with the unknown photog for a hundred bucks. I've known lots of struggling artists who are thrilled to exhibit their works at cafes and restaurants just for the exposure. And it's pretty clear that geisha haven't officially trademarked their red lips/white skin combo (otherwise the maiko henshin studios would be in serious trouble).

Though I can't see anything immediately from the Geisha House site that obviously resembles Cobb's photos (Aside from the red lips-white face composition - Official Gallery) - maybe a visit is in order.

I'll admit that I'm approaching this situation with a photographer's mindset. I often see really well-crafted images and think "Oh, I could totally do that." I usually end up with something completely different, but sometimes it's the same.

I know Peter MacIntosh once called Cobb's book "a typical 'take what you can get from Japan and run without thinking about all the bridges you burned.'" My biggest fear is that buying these Paparazzi-esque photobooks (including Cobb) I'll only encourage more photographers to book a month-long trip to Japan with the hopes of getting published just by standing along Kyoto curbsides at dusk. It feels too much like encouraging the geisha mystique rather than the geisha livelihood. One of the biggest tests for an ethnographer (or photo journalist in this case) is if he/she can return to the community and find their relationships intact. Dalby still maintains her relationship with her geisha mother, even bringing her husband and kids to visit her old Pontocho haunts. Cobb would probably not be as welcome in Miyagawa-cho.

Some of these recently published maiko/geiko photobooks, particularly Western photographers, are no more than pictures of geisha on the street (which is pretty much legal everywhere, but also ethically questionable). Are these photos released with the approval of the geisha? Does the photog have permission? Does the maiko who pauses politely to pose give consent to have her image published for profit? Cobb says she was granted permission to shoot, otherwise she never would have gotten past the door, but were her photos published with the geisha's concent? Cobb shot back when film cameras were used, so did she ask for permission before or after the images were proccessed? Were any of these factors taken into consideration? It's... a grey area.