Today in Gion Kobu: Misedashi of Geiko Mamewaka from the Shibata Okiya!
What a surprise! I didn’t know of her existence at all, and it seems like no one else really did, either. But anyways, what a great surprise!
Since Gion Kobu doesn’t allow women to debut directly as tachikata Geiko (dancers), Mamewaka will be a jikata Geiko, a musician, like recently-debuted Geiko Danmitsu from he Hiroshimaya Okiya.
This means two new jikata Geiko debuted this year, this is great news for Gion Kobu, which is in great need of new musicians coming in.
Since the Ninben Okiya is a branch-Okiya of the Shibata Okiya, many Maiko and Geiko from Ninben came to visit Mamewaka on her big day, as we can see in the group-shot above:
Front row: Geiko Mamesome (Ninben Okiya, cut-off), Maiko Mametama (Ninben Okiya), Geiko Mamemaru (Shibata Okiya), Geiko Mamewaka (Shibata Okiya), Geiko Yoshimame (Shibata Okiya) Maiko Mamekoma (Shibata Okiya).
Back row: Geiko Mameya (Shibata Okiya), Geiko Mamehiro (Ninben Okiya), an unknown woman and Geiko Mameka (Kineya Okiya).
Congratulations Mamewaka, and all the best wishes for your career!
Source: 祇園 DTEEL ディティール on Instagram
There was no point in making a new post as only one account has posted images of her, but the addition of Mamewaka (豆わか), the jikata geiko imōto of Yoshimame, has come as a welcome surprise to everyone!
おめでとうございます豆わかさん ^o^!