Adjacent to Shirakawa Dori Street…..through the old wooden houses, lined back streets & alleyways of Kyoto’s famous geisha districts and you can see geiko or maiko ( Geisha’s and Geisha ‘apprentices’) walking along in full dress, hair and makeup. (Sorry, my battery ran out, so I couldn’t photograph them.)
They look exactly like this!
We went to a show called ‘Gion Corner’….put on by the Kyoto Traditional Musxical Art Foundation.
First they showed a traditional tea ceremony which we were now quite familiar with. We then watched traditional instruments being played. Next came ‘Kyogen’ (ancient comic play) which was historically performed as an ‘interlude’ for Noh plays. After the 16th century, Kyogen was exclusive to the warrior class. Masks are rarely used (unlike in Noh plays) and they are realistic.
A Bunraku (puppet play) was fascinating. Three manipulators of the puppet are dressed completely in black including a head covering. The puppet is life size and they manage to convey so much emotion as they depict a charming story.
This one was ‘Datemusume Koi-no Higanoko’ the famous ‘Oshichi at Fire-Watch Tower’.
www.kyoto-gioncorner.com/global/en.html