Sakkou Kanzashi, redux.

I'm not going to post a picture of it again 'cause I don't want to bore you to death, but I have a request.

For those of you who may be familiar, this is my sakkou kanzashi. I got it back at the end of 2009 during one of my last trips to Kyoto. At the time, two maiko (that I am aware of) had worn it/were wearing it during their sakkou period. After that this kanzashi seemed to disappear and I figured it the design had just run its natural course and had been replaced by new designs, never to be seen again.

And then...out of the blue...it popped up again this month!

I would love it if you folks could help me compile a list of the maiko who have worn this kanzashi design for sakkou. So far, the ones I know of are:

Mamechiho (November 2009)
Tsuruha (January 2012)
Kikuyu (December 2009)  (click the picture to get a bigger, clearer view)
Fukusuzu (May 2012)

Maiko who may have worn it (I'm looking for good confirmation photos):
Toshihana (when was her erikae? I found a picture posted in 2007 but it may be older)
Ayakazu (May 2010)
Takasuzu

There must have been more. The day I went to the shop and bought mine there was at least one other one on display, plus the one or two I knew of in use at the time, and obviously Tsuruha was able to get one three years later.

Any help is appreciated!

Friday Photo (a bit early!): Kanzashi Comparison

I made this photo nice and bit in the hopes that you could read the rule easily.

Since I'm going to be away this weekend for Thanksgiving I thought I would post the Friday Photo early.

On the left in this picture you see my largest formal non-maiko kanzashi, and on the right you see my sakkou kanzashi. For the record, I have other formal non-maiko kanzashi that are smaller than this one, and my other full-sized maiko kanzashi (my firework kanzashi) is about the same size as the sakkou one. The size difference is HUGE -- the maiko kanzashi is almost a solid three inches larger in diameter than the non-maiko kanzashi. To me they never really look that huge on maiko when I see pictures of real maiko wearing them...I think it's the hair, really. Maiko hair is just so huge the kanzashi doesn't look that big in comparison.

Anyway, I just thought that was kind of a fun picture. So if you're thinking of dressing as a maiko for Halloween or cosplay or just for fun, remember: The bigger the kanzashi the better, especially if you're wearing an authentic maiko hairstyle.

Friday Photo (a bit late): Sakkou Kanzashi

Folks who follow the maiko world got a couple of eyefuls of this kanzashi back in late 2009-early 2010, since this was the kanzashi worn by several of the maiko who debuted as geiko during that time -- including the famous Kikuyu and my personal favorite, Mamechiho.

For folks who don't follow the maiko and geiko world, sakkou is a special hairstyle worn by young maiko in the weeks leading up to their change from maiko to full geiko (geisha). Maiko typically wear kanzashi that vary according to season, with a new kanzashi set each month. But with sakkou they typically wear special kanzashi that aren't in a particularly seasonal design. Many sakkou kanzashi feature one or more cranes.

This particular kanzashi was on sale at Kazurasei when I went to Kyoto with my parents in December 2009. I had seen pictures of Kikuyu and Mamechiho wearing it and really wanted to get a look at one up close, maybe even buy one...and I did! The lady in the shop that day was pretty surprised that I recognized the kanzashi and knew the names of some of the people who had worn that style. Sadly, this particular kanzashi never got worn by a maiko, but it is still one of the style in use that year. I don't suppose anyone knows the name of any other maiko who wore this style?