Geisha and Maiko Book Reviews

Nihongami no Sekai : Maiko no kamigata
(The World of Traditional Japanese Hairstyles: Hairstyles of the Maiko)
by Tetsuo Ishihara
English Translation: Peter MacIntosh

After months of anticipation, I was fortunate enough that my lovely friend happened to be in Kyoto the month this book was published. He was kind enough to stop by the hairstyle museum to purchase a copy of the book for me and bring it back to the USA with him. Thank you! It has been quite some time since I received this book (last April) and it is now very well loved, traveled and worn!

Whilst the cost of the book is a touch more expensive than one would think to pay for a geisha book it is worth it's weight in gold with the fantastic instructions and photographs it provides. In addition, it comes with a lovely bonus: fantastic English translation by Peter MacIntosh of www.kyotosightsandnights.com fame. Of course, not to forget the DVD showing hairstyling, make-up and kimono dressing of a maiko is a nice finishing touch.

The author of the book, Tetsuo Ishihara, is one of the few remaining traditional geiko hairstylist (kami yui san) left in the Kyoto districts along with being the only male stylist in Kyoto. In addition to his impeccable work with geiko and maiko styles, he also styles the elaborate coiffures of the shimabara tayuu.

Maiko no Kamigata was born from Tetsuo Ishihara's desire to share his hairstyling techniques, rather than remaining secretive about his trade like many other kami yui san. He felt that it is important to share information to help preserve traditional art form for future generations.

I personally adore this book, and it has been invaluable to me in many ways. In addition to the many large full colour photographs and new information provided in relation to geiko and maiko, I've been able to apply what I have learnt from this book to re-style the mage of a traditional Japanese katsura, along with styling the real hair of the dancer for my local taiko group. This is not to say that styling traditional hairstyles is easy, it isn't. But, with patience and dedication, and lots of practice - you can learn!

I very strongly recommend this book for all geisha enthusiast and those interested in historical fashions of Japan. Highly detailed books demonstrating step by step instructions are difficult to come by and we are very lucky Tetsuo Ishihara created this book.

Book Details:

Maiko no Kamigata is a gorgeous high quality full colour book containing 168 full glossy pages and is in large format (25cm by 24.5cm). Click here to view the detail page of the book at the Hairstyle Museum website.

The chapter structure is as follows:

• Nizaemon Preface

• Maiko Hairstyles
This section shows each of the five common hairstyles of maiko (ofuku, wareshinobu, katsuyama, yakko shimada and sakko) being styled with step by step photographs and written instructions. It also has a photo showing the different tools and various hair pieces needed to create the styles. The end of each hairstyle shows full photographs of the completed style without kanzashi, and full photographs with kanzashi.

• Maiko Make-up Procedure for Shinahide
This section, it shows step by step photographs with Japanese and English text detailing maiko make-up application with maiko-san Shinahide, as the model.

• Kimono Dressing
This section shows step by step detailed photography of Shinahide being dressed in maiko attire.

• Other Hairstyles
This section shows the various other hairstyles a maiko may wear. These hairstyles vary based on the event, and district the maiko comes from.
- Oshidori(mesu)
- Kiku Kasane
- Edo sakko
- Suisya
- Osafune
- Erikae

• Erikae
This section shows behind the scene photographs of Shinahide's erikae.

• Kisetsubana - Seasonal Hair Ornaments
This section displays the various different seasonal hair ornaments that maiko-san wear. These ornaments change out month to month and for special events.

• Kanokodome - Hair Ornament
This section displaces a large variety of various kanokodome, which is the hair ornament worn in the back of the mage of the wareshinobu hairstyle.

• Obidome - Decorative Obi Ornament
This section shows a large variety of gorgeous obi-dome, which is work on the obi-jime of maiko.

• Gokagai
This section contains many gorgeous photographs of the five geiko districts in kyoto. Be sure to take a look at page 150, Peter MacIntosh makes a cameo appearance!
- Gion Kobu (Cobu)
- Gion Higashi
- Kamishichiken
- Ponto-cho
- Miyagawa-cho

• DVD Attachment
The DVD shows Tetsuo Ishihara styling the ofuku hairstyle along with showing maiko make-up application and dressing.

How to Purchase?

1. www.kyotosightsandnights.com has Maiko no Kamigata listed in their KSN Shop.
2. Hannari-ya.com has Maiko no Kamigata listed in their online store.
2. You can use a shopping service like www.crescent-shop.com, or another service similar.

Important Note: although the cost of the book is listed on the Hairstyle Museum website, depending on who you purchase from you will also need to take into consideration a higher price for the final total of the book to take into account any service fees, the shopping service used, bank transfer fees and shipping (both within Japan and overseas).

Related Links:
Tetsuo Ishihara Hairstyle Museum