Uploads from Okinawa Soba, tagged 明治時代

THREE GEISHA PRACTICE A "FAN DANCE" in OLD JAPAN

nobody@flickr.com (Okinawa Soba) — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 23:50:18 -0800

Photo circa 1892-95 by T. ENAMI. Original Catalog number and title unknown to me.

All of these photos were originally pasted down on larger album pages. I have framed some of them out with a wide margin to re-create the feel of the old mounted photo.

LARGER SIZES : www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/8378868345/sizes/l/in/

MAIN CAPTION HERE : www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/8378868235/in/photostream

*

*

*

RANDOM SOBA : www.flickriver.com/photos/24443965@N08/random/

GEISHA SNEAKS OUT on NEW YEARS DAY to MEET UP WITH HER SAMURAI BOYFRIEND in OLD JAPAN

nobody@flickr.com (Okinawa Soba) — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 07:00:15 -0800

Okinawa Soba posted a photo:

After a year apart --- every day spent pining away for each other --- they sneak into what they thought was a deserted photography studio on New Years day.

Believing they are alone at last, they run toward each other and ~~throw themselves into a passionate embrace~~ suddenly stop short, and --- without touching, hugging or kissing --- bow politely in the correct Japanese manner of greeting, while suppressing all emotion according to the sacred way of their honorable ancestors.

The photographer (who was hiding in the shadows) takes the picture.

The young Samurai --- totally clueless about cameras and photography --- decapitates the photographer with a swift stroke of his sword, believing that will destroy the shameful evidence of their clandestine love.

The two of them, spattered with the blood of the poor photographer, return to face each other in silence.

Like the sleeping Mt. Fuji, their as-yet-unconsummated affections, and over-flowing, unbridled lust remains buried deep below the surface of the dormant volcano, while the white snows of the summit deceive all who look on...... until the moment the sacred mountain is rent from top to bottom by the unstoppable forces of nature.

The negative was later recovered by the photographer's relatives, and the sexually-charged, X-rated photo is now posted above on Flickr, where the whole world may see it ~ !

♥ ~ HAPPY NEW YEAR !!! ~ ♥

*

BOGUS HISTORICAL NOTE PULLED OUT OF THIN AIR : In Old Japan, a fully-clothed man and woman standing closer together than 3 meters (10 feet) was considered immoral, indecent, lewd, lascivious, disgusting, highly-scandalous, shocking, and Triple X-rated with a cherry on top. Definitely not suitable for the eyes of anyone under the age of....12.

*

PS. I apologize to all Samurai of Japan for my fictional insinuation that one of your members would ever have true sexual yearnings for a women. After all, we now understand that you Samurai of Old Japan loved men far more than you did women. On the other hand, while being the "Gay Blades" of Japan's social and political scene (while defending your masters honor) it might also be said that you were BI-SEXUAL --- at least when you were coerced into arranged marriages for the purpose of making more little Samurai to take up the cause. Again, my sincerest apologies for any offense the photographer and I might have caused, and for any gross misunderstandings. We know that the girl in the photo was probably only his sister.

For a summation of the Samurai's SEX LIFE, read THE GAY LIFE in OLD JAPAN portion of the caption HERE :

www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/3349907179/in/set-7215...

* Kadomatsu, 門松, Gate Pines.

*

*

*

RANDOM SOBA : www.flickriver.com/photos/24443965@N08/random/

MEETING AT THE GATE -- Japanese Girls in Kimono at the Entrance to Genkyu-en Gardens in HIKONE (玄宮園)

nobody@flickr.com (Okinawa Soba) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 04:02:50 -0800

Okinawa Soba posted a photo:

The Maiko with the FLYING CRANES OBI (on the right), along with three of her Maiko "Sisters", are the 3-D Stars of a large series of stereoviews featuring young apprentice Geisha from Kyoto.

Ca.1897-1900 T. ENAMI Glass Slide from a Stereoview. View number S 49 from his 3-D Catalog.

Not to overwhelm you, but here are two more versions of the same slide, both in a wider crop, and one slide reversing the blue-to-pink, top-to-bottom color transition of the Maiko's Kimono on the right. www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/3369236910/sizes/l/

Here is the full stereoview version of the above lantern-slide image :

www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/2328678714/

THE FLYING CRANES OBI in CLOSE DETAIL : www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/4288866837/

Keep in mind that the GLASS image above, and the two halves of the PAPER print STEREOVIEW are all the same size --- much smaller than the "clicked on" picture you see on your screen.

In both the SLIDE and the STEROVIEW, the girls are no larger than 1 1/2 inches high, and had to be hand colored under a magnifying lens using fine brushes --- some consisting of only a single hair. On both paper and glass, the colorists had to get the color-changing gradients correct, as well as filling in negative spaces (such as on the red and yellow OBI) without spilling over into other spaces. Mistakes were difficult to correct, and things had to be done right the first time !

I hope all of you who now use digital cameras and PhotoShop can appreciate this "hands on" stage of 'color photography" in the long evolution of image making that brought us to where we are today.

ALL STUDY VERSIONS : www.flickr.com/search/?w=24443965%40N08&q=%22flyingcr...

WHERE DOES THE ROAD BESIDE THIS OLD GATE LEAD ? www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/4402444559/

PHOTO LOCATION : Genkyu-en (Genkyu Gardens 玄宮園) in HIKONE

**********************************************

HAPPY 150TH, T. ENAMI ! FEBRUARY 17, 2009. SESQUICENTENNIAL BIRTHDAY ANNIVERSARY.

In honor of T. Enami’s 150th Birthday, the above is a one of a large SLIDE SHOW of his old images of long-gone JAPAN from the Okinawa_Soba Archives. These Feb 17, 2009 posts are in addition to the many other T. ENAMI slide, print, and stereoviews already uploaded to flickr in 2008. They can all be found in the COLLECTION and SETS dedicated to Enami’s photographic labors in Japan :

www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/collections/7215761388...

Born in 1859, Enami, whose real name was NOBUKUNI ENAMI (or, in Japanese name order, ENAMI NOBUKUNI) was a “photographer's photographer” who since the 1880s plied his trade as an apprentice and assistant photographer in his youthful 20s, until he died at age 70 in 1929.

His own studio, established in Yokohama in 1892 when he was 33 years old, passed to his son who carried on as a commercial photo processor and publisher of his father’s photographs. When the studio was “closed forever” by the fire-bombings of WW2, it had been in continual existence for 53 years—one of the longest running studios to come out of Japan’s old Meiji era.

Recognized by NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC as one of the most artistic contributors to their Magazine during its first 100, a "Lost Archive" of his images is now here on flickr for the enjoyment and appreciation of all who love old images of Japan.

Here’s a look at the outside of his Meiji-era studio : www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/2413137039/

And an unusual view of workers on the inside : www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/2494892753/

A better look at Enami and his photographic accomplishments are found at this Web page on the site dedicated to him (and don’t forget to scroll down for more pictures!) : www.t-enami.org/services

Now, back to this flickr “Birthday Bash” for old Enami…

*

*

*

RANDOM SOBA : www.flickriver.com/photos/24443965@N08/random/

RICHLY EMBROIDERED PRIEST in OLD JAPAN (4) -- I'm Sure GOD is TOTALLY Impressed...

nobody@flickr.com (Okinawa Soba) — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 23:58:30 -0800

Okinawa Soba posted a photo:

Okinawa Soba's FIRST INVERSE RULE OF RELIGION : The more robes and vestments that Priests of any Faith or Religion heap upon themselves, the farther away from God they are, the less spiritual discernment they have, and the less you need to listen to anything they say.

Please note that the above is only the FIRST rule. Okinawa Soba has about TEN OTHER RULES to help you immediately recognize those you need not listen to or fear as you seek your way in life.

I will get to those later.

WARNING : AN OLD RANT FROM DAYS GONE BY.....

I'm sure that God is also highly impressed with all of the pomp and circumstance of the World's faiths and religions. I'm sure that he takes copious notes on all of our rituals. Yeah, there is just NO WAY he cannot be enthralled with how much those of us in OUR CAMP are so sure we are right, while everybody else in all the OTHER CAMPS is so wrong.

I myself put on a polyester suit and tie before writing this caption -- just to make sure I didn't offend the Almighty. I'm sure he is impressed with me as well. (Although I did overhear a couple of Angels whispering that He would have preferred me wearing some old Blue Jeans and a T-shirt woven from GOD-MADE cotton, rather than trying to pull the WOOL over His eyes with some shiny MAN-MADE PLASTIC FIBERS so favored by TV Evangelists).

As for the old guy in the pic -- he vies only with the POPE in Rome, and the Oiran and Tayuu PROSTITUTES in Tokyo and Kyoto for how much silver, gold and fancy embroidery he has going on with his "Robes of Religion".

As I have stated elsewhere, the Japanese originally embraced "Christianity" because they thought Roman Catholicism was just another SECT of BUDDHISM !!!

HUH ??? Why would they think that ???

ANSWER : Because of the similar pomp and circumstance of the Robes, Sacred Relics, Holy Saints, Icons, Smoking Censers, ad infinitum and etc. --- all of it TO THE CASUAL JAPANESE OBSERVER being no different than the trappings of Japanese Buddhism. Come to think of it, even GOD got confused for a minute there !

(If the above comments offend you as a Japanese Buddhist or a Roman Catholic, please don't point your finger at me....point your fingers at each other, thank you. As a last resort, you can also complain to God about my captions, and let Her be the Judge.)

So.....how do we appreciate this photo ? For the ART, that's how.

Religion in all lands brings forth the best artisans, craftsmen, sculptures, painters, metal-workers, weavers, musicians, and all those who have what is called "talent". Usually, where freedom of intellect and ideas are subservient to religion, superstition and national politic, the only way for artistic talent to express itself without fear of reprisal is to dedicate it to the further expression of the religion and culture that controls it.

OKINAWA SOBA MEETS A BUDDHIST PILGRIM

One time in hot, tropical Okinawa, an itinerant Buddhist Pilgrim visiting from a northern part of mainland Japan was going around DRESSED IN LAYERS OF FINE BLACK ROBES with an INNER LINING of WHITE.....and "begging alms". He accosted me with a bow, and I immediately noticed he was "sweating buckets" under the noon-day sun.

Not wanting to support his religion (yet none-the-less feeling for him as a human being), in place of money I instead offered him a little common sense. I suggested that he ditch the many layers of BLACK ROBES for one layer of WHITE LINEN, and some BVD Boxer Shorts -- or at least turn his damn robes inside-out so he could cool off a bit. He told me he could not do that, as his religion required BLACK on the outside, and white on the inside.

I told him if that was the case, to please ditch his religion, and go with a more intelligent one that understood things get HOTTER when you move SOUTH on the globe. He got quiet and said, "I've never had a conversation like this before". I replied, "Neither have I", and wished him good luck as he hopped on a Bus for the next town.

For another religious "Fashion Parade" see : www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/2327829575/

For more about the photographer see : www.t-enami.org/

HENRY A. STROHMEYER -- 3-D PHOTOGRAPHER OF JAPAN AND THE WORLD -- Killing Time While Reading a New 3-D Magazine

nobody@flickr.com (Okinawa Soba) — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 06:58:45 -0700

Okinawa Soba posted a photo:

THIS IMAGE WAS ORIGINALLY POSTED IN 2008. I'VE BROUGHT TO THE HEAD OF THE PHOTOSTREAM AS A LEAD-IN FOR SEVERAL NEW POSTS SHOWING CONTENT FOUND IN THE STEREOSCOPIC PHOTOGRAPH MAGAZINE SEEN IN THE ABOVE PHOTO.

Strohmeyer was the photographer of the 1896 set of JAPAN stereoviews distributed by UNDERWOOD & UNDERWOOD until 1904, when the set was updated and expanded with new images by H.G. PONTING.

By that time, Strohmeyer had become Vice President of the Underwood operation, and made sure that six of his stereoviews remained in the new set. He can also be seen in front of the camera in many views such as above. However, this is Underwood's most famous DEEP 3-D shot, and is a good "photographica" view as well.

★ FULL 3-D VERSION OF THE ABOVE STEREOVIEW (AND MORE INFO) may be seen here :

www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/2433624428/

★ The magazine Stroyhmeyer is reading is the Underwood publication, "THE STEREOSCOPIC PHOTOGRAPH" --- the FIRST EDITION of 1901. The cover from the Vol. 2, No.1 issue may be seen in detail here :

www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/2433622120/

★ For a sampling of PHOTOS and TEXT from these 3-D Magazines see THIS SET :

www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/sets/72157626430951822...

★ COST OF THE MAGAZINE in 1901 = 25 Cents for one sample copy, or 65 Cents for a one-year subscription (Four Copies). In 2011 Dollars, that's $6.50 for one sample copy, or $16.90 for a one-year subscription (Four Copies). A year later, the price was already up to 80 cents --- $20.00 in 2011 Dollars --- for a one-year subscription (Four Copies).

NOTE : With this 20th Century publication, the Underwood brothers are attempting to revive, both in spirit and content, the 19th Century's first serious periodical devoted to the world of 3-D photography --- The Stereoscopic Magazine, published by Lovell Reeve, London, from 1858 to 1865.

SEE : members.optusnet.com.au/jph8524/JHstereoscopic_mag.htm

*

*

*

RANDOM SOBA : www.flickriver.com/photos/24443965@N08/random/

FRONT COVER OF THE UNDERWOOD 3-D MAGAZINE, "THE STEREOSCOPIC PHOTOGRAPH", 1902

nobody@flickr.com (Okinawa Soba) — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 06:46:20 -0700

Okinawa Soba posted a photo:

LARGE and ORIGINAL SIZES found HERE : www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/2433622120/sizes/l/

This magazine was filled with great stories and behind-the-scenes 3-D drama. It ceased publication over 100 years ago. Today, the nearest thing like it is STEREO WORLD magazine, published monthly by the NATIONAL STEREOSCOPIC ASSOCIATION. Check it out on line if you have a chance.

www.stereoview.org/

An earlier 1901 version of the above magazine was most famously held by veteran 3-D photographer HENRY STROHMEYER in this well-know stereoview :

www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/2433624428/in/photostr...

MORE DETAILS : www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/6230270719/

Strohmeyer was the first to produce a stereoview photo-tour of Japan. His 1896 set had 72 views in it, and sold like hot-cakes all over America, Canada, and Europe. Wealthy customers could custom order 100 or more views if they so desired. Strohmeyer took well over 300 images all over Japan. They still remain a great record of the times.

★ COST OF THE MAGAZINE in 1901 = 25 Cents for one sample copy, or 65 Cents for a one-year subscription (Four Copies). In 2011 Dollars, that's $6.50 for one sample copy, or $16.90 for a one-year subscription (Four Copies). A year later, the price was already up to 80 cents --- $20.00 in 2011 Dollars --- for a one-year subscription (Four Copies).

NOTE : With this 20th Century publication, the Underwood brothers are attempting to revive, both in spirit and content, the 19th Century's first serious periodical devoted to the world of 3-D photography --- The Stereoscopic Magazine, published by Lovell Reeve, London, from 1858 to 1865.

SEE : members.optusnet.com.au/jph8524/JHstereoscopic_mag.htm

*

*

*

RANDOM SOBA : www.flickriver.com/photos/24443965@N08/random/

TERUHA -- Looking Cool, Calm, and Collected in Old Japan While Her BANDAGED LITTLE FINGER Tells a Troubled Tale -- or, THE FULL STORY OF HOW SHE BECAME KNOWN AS "THE NINE-FINGERED GEISHA"

nobody@flickr.com (Okinawa Soba) — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 16:10:06 -0700

Okinawa Soba posted a photo:

AFTER 1 1/2 YEARS SINCE POSTING THIS PHOTO, I HAVE FINALLY WRITTEN THE FULL STORY BEHIND THE BANDAGED FINGER OF THIS LITTLE MAIKO. I am moving it to the front of the photostream to provide new context for the "MAIKO as CHILD" photo recently posted.

♥

This is a photo of Teruha at age 14, when she was either (1) still a MAIKO named CHIYOHA in Osaka, or (2) a MAIKO named CHIYOHA in Tokyo, where she had recently moved to escape her scandalous reputation as "The Maiko without a Little Finger". It was only later, after becoming Geisha TERUHA at age 15, that those who were jealous of her changed the mocking nick-name to "The Nine-Fingered Geisha".

See the in-photo note at Teruha's little finger on her left hand. This is one of only a few known images that show her finger bandaged and healing after she whacked off the tip with a razor. THANKS FOR THE NOTE, NAOMI ! (See comment #2 below)

The first thing I ever read about this was....

"......Around the age of 16 [see note just below], she fell in love and had her heart broken, and tried to commit suicide by cutting off her little finger. She recovered from both the suicide attempt, and the broken heart....."

--- From the late Jim Gatlin's old Website. (Now resurrected here at the IMMORTAL GEISHA Wiki : www.immortalgeisha.com/wiki/index.php?title=Teruha_%28Mei... )

NOTE : Teruha's "age of 16" given above by Jim to describe the time of her finger-cutting was derived from a mistranslation of original sources that used the traditional Japanese system of age reckoning (called kazoedoshi 数え年) --- a system wherein a child is ONE on the day they are born, and after that, age increments happen on every New Years Day rather than on a birthday. This results in someones age being given as one or two years older in Asian reckoning than in the Western system. By "Western" age reckoning, Teruha was actually 14 when she infamously took a razor to her finger. I have corrected these translation problems that Jim was not aware of, and give firm "Western" dates in the text below.

ALSO SEE : en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Asian_age_reckoning

Jim's illustrated story was the first I had seen that discussed this Geisha. I had already been collecting her postcards for many years, but knew nothing about her. In later correspondence with Jim, he ended up sending me some of his private notes about her life. Using these notes (listed at the end of this story) I was able to piece together an enlarged and corrected version of Jim's short allusion to the "finger incident" --- including many more details and anecdotes that Jim did not include in his own story. In any case, all thanks to Jim for supplying his original pile of unedited notes.

Before reading about what happened, be aware that "Teruha" lived by four names during her lifetime :

(1) She was born in Nara in 1896, and her real name was TATSUKO TAKAOKA.

(2) From age 13 to 15, in both Osaka and Tokyo, she was known as the Maiko CHIYOHA.

(3) From age 15, she became the Geisha TERUHA

(4) From age 38, she entered the Buddhist Priesthood, and took the name CHISHO.

In spite of the professional and religious names she went by, for all legal matters during her life (marriage, bar ownership, drivers license, passport, etc), she would have used her birth name, TATSUKO TAKAOKA.

Now, on with the story......

FINE TUNING HISTORY --- THE TRUE STORY of TERUHA'S "MISSING FINGER"

As already mentioned, Teruha became known as "The Nine-Fingered Geisha" even in her own time. And before that, she was called "The Maiko Without a Little Finger". It all started when she was still a Maiko working in Osaka, and we will get to that shortly.

In December 1994, shortly after Teruha's funeral, one of her friends wrote a piece in a Kyoto newspaper that contained the following : "....As smoke from the incense sticks rose around me, I was thinking about Teruha's life, and recalled the moment that I touched her little finger that had no tip on it...."

Comments such as this, as well as the vast body of photographs where the little finger on her left hand is still seen, confirms the fact that she never went so far as to completely "cut off her little finger". The bandage in the photo above clearly shows the extent of her self-inflicted wound --- fortunately, just the tip of her finger.

All other "Nine-Fingered Geisha" comments to the contrary that come out of those days were nothing more than the taunting exaggerations of those who were jealous of her popularity, and found it easy to mock her for her scandalous and over-emotional reaction to being spurned in love.

Teruha (then called Chiyoha) was only 14 years old when she cut the end off her little finger. Therefore, in the photo above, she is probably still 14 years old, and on the mend from her desperate act of love and devotion.

It all began in the City of Nara, where she was born an illegitimate child of a philandering father who, seeing a good way to make some money, sold her into the willow world of Osaka at the age of 12. In that world, she had to grow up very fast.

".....When I began my training to become a Maiko, I was only 12, and had absolutely no idea about the world of love affairs. However, I soon found out. When I was 13, and only a month after my debut as a Maiko, I was filled with a sense of shame and fear upon "learning how to make love".

This introduction to the adult world of man-woman relationships was not with a man of my choosing, but decided by others who gained a great price by selling my virginity to the highest bidder. His name was Kameshichi Umehara, the Chairman of the Osaka Stock Exchange.

In such a situation, I just learned to give up without resisting. I couldn't get angry nor feel regret. I was not what I had been any more. Unconsciously, I branded myself with an impurity that could never be washed away......"

THE LOVE AFFAIR THAT DREW BLOOD.

After her shame and fear-inducing back-room "deflowering" by the old geezer from the Osaka Stock Exchange, Chiyoha was soon awakened to her first "Puppy Love" by falling for a heart-throb actor from Kyoto named Ichikawa.

As soon as she met him, it was love at first sight, and her emotions flared. Of course, what adult actor worth his salt could resist the chance of having a sexual encounter with 13-year-old girl --- especially one so ripe for the picking, and throwing herself at him with starry-eyed adoration ?

Almost immediately they entered into an affair, with Chiyoha remembering, "....Erotic air vibrated in the darkness we had created, and a torrent of passion was ruling over me. For the first time, Mr. Ichikawa proved that I was a women...."

There was only one problem. Chiyoha was also engaged to be married to the boss of a big business in Osaka, a Mr. Sobe Otomine. Therefore, she had to carry on her torrid love affair with her actor-lover in great secrecy.

However, the tryst with the actor proved fleeting. He soon headed beck to Kyoto, leaving poor Chiyoha in love-lorn misery. And then it got complicated. You see, another match-making Tea House mama-san had been providing Chiyoha and her lover with secret "bedroom facilities" in exchange for Chiyoha's promise that she would marry a millionaire friend of hers in Nara.

In order to carry on her affair, she actually had promised to marry this second older man, even while she was engaged to Otomine, and sleeping with Ichikawa !

And, she was still only 13 years old !

Otomine saw that Chiyoha was in agony over something, but didn't know what it was. He was famous for being a good-looking guy, and was a rich man as well...and all he wanted was Chiyoha. In fact, he had already divorced his wife (apparently) just to make the move on Teruha, and get engaged with her.

However, while she originally agreed to the marriage out of practical necessity, his sudden comforting spirit, and trusting her with his innermost thoughts to the point of tears touched her heart, and in a re-born fit of passion, her love flared up again --- and she gave it all to Otomine. Although her father was against the marriage (seeing it would bring an end to his income from the Geisha house), she decided to go ahead and marry him the next spring.

The two met often, and, after he suffered a work-related injury, they took a lovers trip to the Mud-Sand Spa of Beppu while he convalesced. And that's when the trouble began.

While in Beppu, for some reason Otomine opened Chiyoha's mirror case, and inside, discovered a photograph of her first lover, Ichikawa. He had a total meltdown, telling her that the only reason he wanted to marry her was because he thought he was her first love, and had always assumed she had never loved another man except him. Further, he could never marry a women who would keep the photo of another man with her.

For Chiyoha's part, she felt neither vexation or sadness for the blame that was being heaped on her. Instead, she felt indignation, and tried to explain to Otomine that she always wanted to value the first love in her life. She could not understand why Otomine would so selfishly want to break off the engagement for what she had done by keeping Ichikawa's photograph.

After a time apart, they met again at a Tea Hose. There, he strongly rebuked her once more. He accused her of being disloyal, while never listening to what she wanted to say. After a heated exchange, he left the room, tearing himself out of her grasp.

It was late in the month during the cold January of 1911. Teruha was 14 years old.

THE RAZOR AND THE FINGER

Back in her dressing room, and feeling distraught, Chiyoha remembered a scene in a play she had gone to a year earlier. Specifically, it was a scene in which a Maiko cut off her finger to prove her innocence to a Samurai that she loved, but who doubted her faithfulness.

Suddenly obsessed, Teruha picked up a razor from the dressing table. Grabbing a Samisen that was within reach, she cut off the middle string. With it, she formed a tourniquet by wrapping it tightly around her little finger. And then....

".....I held the razor the other way around using the four fingers of my left hand, and turned the cutting edge to the little finger. I then covered my left hand with a handkerchief, and brought it down hard on the table --- again, and again, and again...."

Filed with a fire-like emotion, again and again she struck at her little finger. The blade twisted and turned, and finally found its mark. A piece of red flesh suddenly fell off. Grabbing it in her hand, she ran to Otomine's house. As soon as she saw his face, she cried out, "...It's me!...I give this to you!..."

With that, she forcibly pushed the still-bloody tip of her little finger into his hand. Then, turning away with faltering steps, Chiyoha ran back into the darkness of the night.

[Forensic Analysis HERE. You can come back and read it later if you want to : www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/6167832934/in/photostr... ]

THE AFTERMATH

Somehow, word got out, and the dramatic, romantic scandal caused by this still-14-year-old Maiko brought a great deal of attention. Even the gossip-mongers of the Geisha world, which was already filled with a never-ending supply of love affairs, deemed to call Chiyoha "a wicked women". Even after many years had passed, vilifying gossip about her would surface again and again, leaving her in tears.

THE MOVE TO TOKYO

This sudden vilification, explosion of gossip, and cries of "scandal" were too much for young Chiyoha, and she decided to move to the Tokyo. She arrived in that city for the first time in May of 1911, only a month after her 15th Birthday. Realizing she was uneducated, she determined to teach herself to read and write saying, "....if I keep up my studies for one year, I will become the most educated apprentice Geisha in Shimbashi...". On July 2nd, 1911, she made a new Maiko debut, changing her old Osaka Maiko name of Chiyoha to her new name Teruha.

THE DOUBLE SUICIDE PACT

A year later, Mr. Otomine (her old flame, and recipient of her little finger tip) showed up in Tokyo on other business, and sought her out. As Teruha tells it, "....our love flared up again...". Hoping to avoid a renewal of past troubles, they agreed that a DOUBLE-SUICIDE was the best thing.

They snuck off together on a trip across Japan, looking for the best place to commit suicide. However, they saw so many beautiful landscapes, and had such a great time together, they wept over their decision to commit suicide. Little by little they withdrew from the idea of killing themselves, and in the end, totally forgot about it.

INTO THE FOG OF FICKLE HAPPINESS

And for reasons unknown, Otomine and Teruha also forgot about each other --- she started seeing other men, dallying with the rich and famous, and was supported by celebrities. Politicians and Bureaucrats doted on her. She indulged in luxuries, had endless "pocket money", and felt as if she now had all the happiness in the world. At age 16, she finally rose to the rank of full-fledged Geisha, and the world was hers.

However, she could not escape her passions. Before eventually marrying at age 22 (the first of two or three unhappy marriages that failed miserably), Teruha would yet find herself with even more men, and live five lonely years as a "Geisha Mistress" --- not out of love, but out of a sense of duty.

Her love affairs and "flings" seemed endless. One of her husbands got so sick of it, he hired a guard to watch their house to make sure she didn't go anywhere. But Teruha ended up seducing the Guard, and the two ran off together !

As she headed off to many new adventures that awaited her around the world, her search for happiness through endless affairs with men, alcohol, and the floating world of Japanese nightlife would not come to an end until --- in 1934, at age 38, and filled with remorse for her life --- she entered a Buddhist Temple.

She laid great blame on her luxurious head of black hair --- her crowning pride of vanity, and an allure that brought her many men. She shaved it completely off, and kept it in a box at the Temple. She also kept a collection of her own postcard images from her Maiko and Geisha days, as a reminder of how far she had come.

Her shorn hair, the old postcards, and the scar on her foreshortened little finger were the only things she brought with her from "the old life". For her, they would always be a reminder of the passions of her youth, the fickleness of love, and, like the dew on the grass the burns off in the morning sun, the transience of life.

Her beautiful black hair, which had been kept in a box in her room for 60 years, was buried in her gave along with her remains --- the black tresses resting beside white ash and bones.

On her deathbed, she had written her last Haiku poem :

Tsuyo no mi tosuzushiki kotoba mi ni hashimu. " Now, I really feel I am only a dewdrop "

♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

One more story for the road...

TRUTH IS STRANGER THAN FICTION !

At age 33, after living a wild life for almost 20 years, Teruha secretly returned to the Nara, the city where she was born. The year was 1929. While hiding from everyone she ever knew, she began to ponder over the mistakes of her life. She thought to herself, "....I've been a slave of my own passions, and led a dissipated life, all because of my black hair. I might as well shave my head, and purify myself..."

But, she didn't do it...at least not right away.

She had already written one book before coming to Nara, and now she wrote another one to clear her heart and mind. These books were more "confessional" than full-blown autobiographies.

She also loved writing poetry, especially Haiku. Poems that she submitted to various magazines began to get published. It just so happened that a reader who was familiar with Teruha's life saw the poems that were published under her name, took exception, and wrote a letter of complaint to the magazine :

".....it is hardly possible that a women like her, who worked in the world as a Geisha, could compose such haiku poems. Obviously, they must be ghostwritten for her....."

However, the publisher knew better, and printed a defense of Teruha as the true author :

"....A women like Teuha will usually end up being spit on by the crowd, made a fool of in various ways, and finally, beaten to a pulp by people filled with spite --- even when she tries doing something good. I will clearly insist here that the two haiku poems --- written by her --- are poems that this magazine will never be ashamed to have published....."

Growing encouraged and hopeful, her heart was also turning deeply to religion. Her wish to cut her hair and become a Priestess was now stronger than ever. At the age of 35, she applied to become a Priestess at the Kume Buddhist Temple of the Shingon sect.

Her application was accepted with the understanding that it would take time to process. In the meantime, her life would be observed to see how she would survive the hardships of those bad economic times.

She demonstrated to the Temple her seriousness to survive by doing what she knew best : She opened liquor joint over on Dotombori Street in Osaka, and called it BAR TERUHA ! As advertisement, she made her own hand-written flyers that said : WE MIGHT BE IN A LOW-CLASS PART OF TOWN, BUT WE HAVE THE BEST LIQUOR !".

She passed the probation period with flying colors, and, on 30 September 1934, after three years of waiting, she became a priestess at the Kume Temple. At the entrance ceremony to her new life in the world of the Buddhist Priesthood she said...

"....I was lost and suffering, roaming around in a dark abyss of vicissitude, all because of my black hair. Finally, having my black hair shaven from my head is nothing but relief itself....."

For Teruha, it had always been about her hair. Her hair was her curse, and now she was free.

She was 38 years old.

Ahead of her would be 60 more years of life filled with more things than she could ever imagine.

♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

The stories related above by Okinawa Soba are based on un-published English language research notes provided to him by Jim Gatlin back in 2002.

These English-language notes contain many translations drawn from the following WIDELY AND PUBLICLY PUBLISHED primary Japanese-Language Teruha sources, and WIDELY PUBLISHED Japanese-Language eyewitness accounts by Teruha's close friends who loved and cared for her.

None of these sources listed below are what Westerners would call "Tabloid Fodder:" or "Gossip Rags". Again, my caption material is written from brief excerpts translated from the OPENLY PUBLISHED, reminisces GIVEN TO THE BOOK-BUYING PUBLIC by Teruha, herself, with some additions by her close friends.

BIBLIOGRAPHY --- Primary sources in JAPANESE behind the Flickr captions edited and composed by Okinawa Soba :

(1) HANA KUI DORI [A Bird Who Eats Flowers] ~ The Autobiography of the Owner of Gio Temple in Kyoto (2 Vol. 1984)

NOTE : Just prior to her Autobiography hitting the shelves, Teruha said, "The public will say, 'Ha! What a book title! This Priestess Chisho has lived her life eating men, not flowers!"

(2) DEWDROP DIARY ~ The Autobiography of the Owner of Gio Temple in Sagano (1992)

(3) A SHORT STORY OF PRIESTESS CHISHO (By Genjiro Ito. A series of articles that ran in the Kyoto Shimbun [Newspaper] during December 1994)

(4) A REMINICENSE OF PRIESTEST CHISHO ~ The Woman Who Passed Away Like a Dewdrop (By Jakusho Setouchi. Published in the Kyoto Shimbun [Newspaper], 23 October 1995).

♦

For those wanting to jump into another globe-trotting chapter in Teruha's life, start with this caption, and follow the links to the conclusion :

www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/4471650015/in/set-7215...

General caption about TERUHA is found here. Other stories will be added later. Please see the JIM GATLIN Website links down at the bottom. Excellent reading : www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/sets/72157623523290473/

*

*

*

RANDOM SOBA : www.flickriver.com/photos/24443965@N08/random/

TERUHA -- Her First Sexual Experience with a Man, and the Ritual of "Mizuage" in OLD JAPAN

nobody@flickr.com (Okinawa Soba) — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 16:10:02 -0700

Okinawa Soba posted a photo:

AFTER 1 1/2 YEARS SINCE POSTING THIS PHOTO, I HAVE ADDED A COMPILATION OF TERUHA'S THOUGHTS AND COMMENTS CONCERNING HER EXPERIENCE AS BOTH MAIKO AND GEISHA.
I am moving it to the front of the photostream to provide new context for the "MAIKO as CHILD" photo recently posted.

♥

This is a photo of Teruha at age 14, when she was either (1) still a MAIKO named CHIYOHA in Osaka, or (2) a MAIKO named CHIYOHA in Tokyo, where she had recently moved to escape her scandalous reputation as "The Maiko without a Little Finger".

She did not become a Geisha (and take the name TERUHA) until she was 15 years old, and working in the Shinbashi district of Tokyo. At that time (July 1911), Shinbashi was considered "....The best Geisha district in all Japan......" ---- a judgement made by men who felt that the Geisha of Kyoto were too conservative for their wild party tastes.

The image captures, with both delicacy and accuracy, the facial lines and trademark expression that later made TERUHA one of the most sought-after Geisha in Tokyo during the last years of the Meiji-era.

Although there were thousands of Geisha, their mark of popularity was determined by how well their photographs sold to the masses. With that as a gauge, TERUHA was for many years considered either the first or second most beautuful (read: popular) Geisha in all of the SHINBASHI district.

TERUHA also had something else going for her. The scandals and rumors surrounding her young life added to her mysterious reputation, no doubt enlarging her clientele and "fan base" even more.

But her days of popularity and intrigue in TOKYO came only after her training as a young MAIKO in OSAKA CITY.

Although known to everyone today by her geisha-name TERUHA, her real name was Tatsuko Takaoka. The illegitimate child of a philanderer who, for a great sum of money, sold her into the Willow World of OSAKA CITY when she was 12 years old, TERUHA first debuted as a MAIKO at age 13 under the lesser-known name CHIYOHA.

Within days, she was already dancing the Hinaburi before elite males who had their eyes on her, including the future Prime Minister of Japan, Kinmochi Saionji, as well as the various leaders of the Sumitomo Group.

THE DEFLOWERING OF A MAIKO

After only a month as a young and budding Maiko, the house mama --- who had her own ideas about a ritual called ♦ mizuage, and the money that she could realize by this little girl --- allowed the Chairman of the Osaka Stock Exchange to have his way with her in a back room of the Tea House.

Teruha recalled that she felt both fear and shame as she lost her virginity to circumstances far beyond her control, further stating, "....I just learned to give up without resisting. I couldn't get angry nor feel regret. I was not what I had been any more. Unconsciously, I branded myself with an impurity that could never be washed away....."

The practice of Geisha Houses selling off "sex with young virgins" to the highest bidder was nothing new in Japan, the actual age of the Maiko being deflowered --- age 13 in Teruha's case --- depended on the particular Geisha House, or the circumstances of the Maiko. (See the ♦ MIZUAGE comment just below).

Until age 38, when she shaved her head and entered the Buddhist Priesthood, Teruha's life was one long string of love affairs and broken marriages filled with dead-end feelings of passion for men who only wanted her as a conquest trophy, and at least one long affair with an American women.

Another lesser-known fact about her is that she became a single mother while on a trip to Europe. More about that in another caption.

By the time the above photo was taken of her as a teenager, she had already entertained thoughts of suicide, and had cut the tip off her little finger to prove her love to a man --- a patron of the Geisha House who ended up spurning her anyway --- in a series of scandals that made her even more famous than her already-noted unusual expression of beauty.

FURTHER COMMENTS FROM TERUHA, HERSELF

".....When I began my training to become a Maiko, I was only 12, and had absolutely no idea about the world of love affairs. However, I soon found out. When I was 13, only a month after my debut as a Maiko, I was filled with a sense of shame and fear upon "learning how to make love".

This introduction to the adult world of man-woman relationships was not with a man of my choosing, but decided by others who gained a great price by selling my virginity to the highest bidder. His name was Kameshichi Umehara, the Chairman of the Osaka Stock Exchange.

In such a situation, I just learned to give up without resisting. I couldn't get angry nor feel regret. I was not what I had been any more. Unconsciously, I branded myself with an impurity that could never be washed away. I suppose it was natural for a 13-year-old-girl to consider such a thing disgusting.

However, after that my emotions did flare up for the men of my choosing, and many sad and tragic love affairs followed --- some overlapping, and some without love. There were also times when a sense of duty or situation caused me to become the mistress or passing lover of many men.

Though I harbored ill feelings about the world I was sold into, I found myself climbing to the peak of popularity as a Maiko. But, as my popularity grew, my humanity was being corrupted.

Even when I was 14, my conflicted feelings of hatred for the world of the Geisha was stirred in me by the things I saw and experienced. I disliked the very concept of buying and selling of children to become a Maiko, with the excuse that it will benefit her. Maiko and Geisha are, in a way, nothing more than objects to earn money for others.

If only such a Geisha world filled with love affairs did not exist; or rather, if only the buying and selling of poor daughters were to be banned, it would be the best thing. If such a world were to come true, hundreds of thousands of girls who are caught in this business would be made happy......

Every time I look back over my past, I'm seized with a sense of hatred and disgust. There were so many times when I gave myself over to sexual desire, was drunk with liqueur, and led a wild and arrogant life.

I cannot die without meditating over my life in silence......".

----- Tatsuko Takaoka [The Geisha TERUHA] from her Autobiography HANAKUIDORI, published in 1984. English excerpts from scattered passages and other Japanese commentary found in un-published notes complied by Jim Gatlin, sent by him to Okinawa Soba in 2002.

TERUHA died on 22 October 1994, at the age of 98. Found in her diary, next to a picture of a floating balloon with a picture of a family on it, was this very last entry --- ".....I want to fly in the sky with my Dad, even if it is only a dream. Every child has their own dream....".

Thus, the illegitimate child of a philandering father who sold her into the willow world for his own gain, closed her eyes for the last time, while forgiving and dreaming of her Dad, wishing to the end that she could live life over again with a father who, if only in her dreams, would have loved her.

*******************************************

♦ MIZUAGE (水揚げ, literally. "hoisting from water") was a ceremony undergone by a Japanese Maiko (apprentice geisha) to signify her coming of age. When the older geisha training her deemed the Maiko ready to come of age, the topknot of her hair was symbolically cut. Afterward, a party would be held for the Maiko.

During the Edo period, prostitutes undergoing mizuage were sponsored by a patron who had the right of taking their virginity. Mizuage has also historically been connected with loss of virginity of Maiko, but this practice became illegal in 1959.

According to research by anthropologist Liza Dalby, mizuage was an important initiation to womanhood and the geisha world. Mizuage gave way to the next ritual often referred to as ‘turning the collar’ or ‘Erikae’: where a maiko exchanges her red collar (maiko) for a white collar (geisha).

Previously to the mid twentieth century, all Maiko had to go through this ceremony in order to become a full fledged Geisha. Once the mizuage patron's function served (of deflowering the young Maiko) he was to have no further relations with the girl. Mizuage was not considered by geisha to be an act of prostitution. The money acquired for a Maiko’s mizuage was a great sum and it was used to promote her debut as a Geisha.

Since 1959, mizuage has become the equivalent of a sweet sixteen party. Mineko Iwasaki, one of the Geishas that Golden met while writing "Memoirs of a Geisha" described mizuage in her autobiography as being an initiation party. Mizuage was demonstrated on the to-be Geisha by a change in hairstyle. It is a celebration of the passage of girl (Maiko) to woman (Geisha).

(From the Wikipedia)

********************************************

BIBLIOGRAPHY --- Primary sources listed below are in JAPANESE. Flickr captions edited and composed by Okinawa Soba from English translations done by a Japanese translator for Jim Gatlin, who provided the same in their entirety to Okinawa Soba :

(1) HANA KUI DORI [A Bird Who Eats Flowers] ~ The Autobiography of the Owner of Gio Temple in Kyoto (2 Vol. 1984)

NOTE : Just prior to her Autobiography hitting the shelves, Teruha said, "The public will say, 'Ha! What a book title! This Priestess Chisho has lived her life eating men, not flowers!"

(2) DEWDROP DIARY ~ The Autobiography of the Owner of Gio Temple in Sagano (1992)

(3) A SHORT STORY OF PRIESTESS CHISHO (By Genjiro Ito. A series of articles that ran in the Kyoto Shimbun [Newspaper] during December 1994)

(4) A REMINICENSE OF PRIESTEST CHISHO ~ The Woman Who Passed Away Like a Dewdrop (By Jakusho Setouchi. Published in the Kyoto Shimbun [Newspaper], 23 October 1995).

*

*

*

RANDOM SOBA : www.flickriver.com/photos/24443965@N08/random/

THE HIGH CLASS KITSUKE of Some TYPICAL IMMORTAL GEISHA -- Or, Anything Goes in OLD JAPAN !

nobody@flickr.com (Okinawa Soba) — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 20:47:12 -0700

Okinawa Soba posted a photo:

After many years studying the various member threads on the IMMORTAL GEISHA Website, I felt confident enough to advise the above three Geisha on their KITSUKE (See definition below).

Using my impeccable fashion sense (and a skilled eye for color coordination), I was able to put together their various Kimono parts using some old quilts, bathrobes, towels, dish rags, Amish crazy quilts, and....uhhhh...some hefty cargo rope to keep their OBI from falling off..

Further, using my unorthodox yet intuitive grasp of Kimono arrangement, I was able to artistically have them tuck in their sleeves, flaps, and folds into various parts of their Obi. I also advised them to let a lot of stuff hang out all over the place.

My crowing achievement was to attain the Flair de Mode by sliding one side (or the other) of their outer Kimono under their armpits, while letting their inner "underwear liner" flap in the breeze.

Please note the trend-setting statement made by the center Geisha who has totally thrown off the top of her cumbersome outer kimono, letting it slide down to hang over the OBI.

The unsightly OHASHORI has been done away with, as well as the little TABI socks.

Although it may appear that these fine ladies have simply thrown a huge basket of laundry into the air, and then run underneath as it fell all over therm, such is not the case.

As you can tell by the finished ensemble, it really takes a MAN get it done right !

********************************************

★ KITSUKE 着付け --- The manner of dressing, especially the proper wearing of a kimono. It is also used to mean "dressing neatly and nicely". To some degree, your kitsuke also involves the artistic sensibilities you exercise when matching up a given Kimono with a given Obi. And etc etc.

★ OHASHORI おはしょり --- The folded excess of Kimono fabric that "hangs" under the OBI (waist band) after raising the bottom of the kimono to properly graze the floor.

The big question seems to be... WHEN is it OK to hide this fold under the OBI (as in the photo above), and WHEN is it OK to expose below the Obi ?

www.kimonoasobi.com/?p=113

www.immortalgeisha.com/ig_bb/viewtopic.php?t=10273

★ TEN-PIN KITSUKE --- The art and science of correctly matching your Kimono with the right pair of Bowling Shoes ! www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/5669390131/ ;-)

More KITSUKE from the good old days : www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/6095823072/in/photostream

RECOMMENDED WEBSITE

To learn MORE about these ECLECTIC FEMALES (and all things Geisha and Kimono) you can treat yourself to a fine experience by joining up with your fellow fans right HERE :

www.immortalgeisha.com/

*

Circa 1885-90 large albumen print by KIMBEI KUSAKABE. Catalog Image # 74.

日下部金兵衛 (1841 - 1934)

*

*

*

RANDOM SOBA : www.flickriver.com/photos/24443965@N08/random/

AN "IMMORTAL GEISHA" DISCUSSION ABOUT THE PROPER WEARING OF HAIR PINS GOES DOWNHILL AFTER ONLY FIVE MINUTES

nobody@flickr.com (Okinawa Soba) — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 20:47:20 -0700

Okinawa Soba posted a photo:

Members of the IMMORTAL GEISHA Website are known for their calm demeanor, civility, and the deferential respect they show to each other......until they start discussing ANYTHING that has to do with KIMONOS and KIMONO ACCESSORIES !

These extremely knowledgeable women can also be extremely JEALOUS when it comes to their MEN :

www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/2338652442/

www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/2358252286/

The only members of the IMMORTAL GEISHA Website that have never gotten into an argument on the discussion boards can be seen HERE :

www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/4437927581/

Never-the-less, it is obvious that these IMMORTAL GEISHA women are all armed and dangerous, and should be avoided at all costs --- unless you are using an assumed name while discussing the finer points of Kimono kitsuke, and what shoes to wear when you go Bowling :

www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/5669390131/

RECOMMENDED WEBSITE

To learn MORE about these ECLECTIC FEMALES (and all things Geisha and Kimono) you can treat yourself to a fine experience by joining up with your fellow fans right HERE :

www.immortalgeisha.com/

*

The above circa 1880s hand-colored albumen print is image # 80 from the portfolio of an as-yet-unidentified Japanese photographer. If anyone knows who took it, please let us know !

*

*

*

RANDOM SOBA : www.flickriver.com/photos/24443965@N08/random/

★ With the above post, this CC "Flickr Archive" has now attracted over 14,000,000 aggregate views on the Photostream, Sets, and Collections...with endless blogs and Websites utilizing the images to embellish their pages. Glad to be of service ! Thanks for your patronage !

*

*

*

RANDOM SOBA : www.flickriver.com/photos/24443965@N08/random/

GEISHA AND MAIKO RELAX DURING A MEAL in OLD JAPAN

nobody@flickr.com (Okinawa Soba) — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 23:50:18 -0800

Okinawa Soba posted a photo:

Photo circa 1892-95 by T. ENAMI. Catalog No.702, "The Feast".

All of these photos were originally pasted down on larger album pages. I have framed some of them out with a wide margin to re-create the feel of the old mounted photo.

LARGER SIZES : www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/8378868569/sizes/l/

MAIN CAPTION HERE : www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/8378868235/in/photostream

See first comment below for more info about what's in the picture ~ !

*

*

*

RANDOM SOBA : www.flickriver.com/photos/24443965@N08/random/

FOUR GIRLS PREPARING DINNER in OLD JAPAN

nobody@flickr.com (Okinawa Soba) — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 23:50:17 -0800

Okinawa Soba posted a photo:

Photo circa 1892-95 by T. ENAMI. Catalog No.551, "Japanese Kitchen".

♥ LARGER SIZES : www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/8379948170/sizes/l/

All of these photos were originally pasted down on larger album pages. I have framed some of them out with a wide margin to re-create the feel of the old mounted photo.

The above image was scanned from the original 120-year-old albumen paper print, about 8"x10" in size.

♥ Compare the colors and "texture" with this hand-colored gelatin image on GLASS, more tightly cropped and masked by Enami : www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/2347140862/

MAIN CAPTION HERE : www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/8378868235/in/photostream

*

*

*

RANDOM SOBA : www.flickriver.com/photos/24443965@N08/random/

'RICKSHAW DAYS in OLD JAPAN

nobody@flickr.com (Okinawa Soba) — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 23:50:17 -0800

Okinawa Soba posted a photo:

The circa 1892-95 image above (Catalog Number and Title unknown to me) was taken by T. ENAMI during a full day of shooting GEISHA images. I recognize the girl in the first jinrikisha from other Enami photographs.... which I will now have to dig out and post here just to make the point.

Photographers would usually hire several Geisha for a day, and get as many Studio and Scenic shots as possible while the day was still bright enough to work.

Enami eventually offered over 860 studio and scenic views for sale, carefully cataloged, titled, and numbered. His senior competitors like KIMBEI and TAMAMURA each offered well over a thousand similar images to chose from, but Enami actually exceeded them all in the end with his additional offering of over 1000 fine stereoviews.

♥ LARGER SIZES of ABOVE PHOTO : www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/8379947996/sizes/l/

MAIN CAPTION HERE : www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/8378868235/in/photostream

*

*

*

RANDOM SOBA : www.flickriver.com/photos/24443965@N08/random/

TWO GIRLS SHARE ONE UMBRELLA in OLD JAPAN

nobody@flickr.com (Okinawa Soba) — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 23:50:19 -0800

Okinawa Soba posted a photo:

Today is January 14th.... ADULT DAY in Japan. More correctly, COMING OF AGE DAY.

Yesterday (Sunday) and today, young girls all over Japan who are 20-years-old (or who will become 20 this year) headed out to the photo studios to dress up in Kimono, and have their photos taken in all manner of cute, beautiful, and alluring poses.

Nowadays in Japan, wearing a Kimono is something special, and the average Japanese girl will don one only a few times a year.

However, back in the good old days, a Kimono was "everyday wear", and no big deal at all.

So, with Kimonos and Girls and Photo Studios in mind, here's a posting of a few original old "Museum Prints" from the 1890s studio of T. ENAMI.

He was always taking photos of girls in Kimono, and selling his hand-colored albumen prints to Western tourists who visited his studio to purchase "Souvenir Albums" depicting the scenery and people of Japan.

Here's the outside of the Studio where these photos were taken --- and perhaps that is Mr Enami himself standing in the doorway ~ ! www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/8379947908/

♥ Here's what your typical girl goes through TODAY at any given photo studio in OKINAWA, JAPAN --- in this case my own daughter is the subject ~ ! :

www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/sets/72157627224701158...

As the song says, ♫ ♪ Girls just wanna have fun ~ ! ♫ ♪

*

PHOTO NOTE : Posed, studio image circa 1892-95 by T. ENAMI. Catalog number and title unknown to me.

All of these photos were originally pasted down on larger album pages. I have framed some of them out with a wide margin to re-create the feel of the old mounted photo.

♥ ALL IMAGES ARE POSTED AT LARGER SIZES --- Under Flickr CC rules, please feel free to download for your own Blog, Website, or other personal creative uses : www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/8378868235/sizes/l/

*

*

*

RANDOM SOBA : www.flickriver.com/photos/24443965@N08/random/

T. ENAMI'S PHOTO STUDIO on BENTEN STREET in Old YOKOHAMA, JAPAN

nobody@flickr.com (Okinawa Soba) — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 23:50:18 -0800

Okinawa Soba posted a photo:

Student of (and assistant to) the great K. OGAWA, the independent-minded ENAMI opened his own studio at No.9 Benten Street in Yokohama in April 1892. The above photo was taken shortly thereafter. It's quite possible that that is Enami himself standing in the doorway, with an assistant "tripping" the shutter for him.

In any case, this humble little studio was the source of an incredible amount of images in almost all formats for almost 50 years, as his son would continue the business even after Enami passed away at age 70 in 1929.

The number of his cataloged 2-D (print and lantern-slide) and 3-D (stereoview) commercial images eventually exceeded the view lists of both KIMBEI KUSAKABE and KOZABURO TAMAMURA, his honorable elders who competed with him in the same Yokohama neighborhood.

Just scratching the surface of his output in 2-D, 3-D, print, and transparencies would take more time than you probably have, However, you can give it a go RIGHT HERE --- the world's largest on-line repository of T. ENAMI images :

♥ www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/collections/7215761388...

More about T. ENAMI can also be found HERE : www.t-enami.org/

♥ T. ENAMI at about age 40 (circa 1899-1900) in a SELF PORTRAIT STUDIO SHOT : www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/2383039735/

♥ Long ago, I posted a slightly wider crop of the above photo scanned from a different print : www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/3587583649/

*

*

*

RANDOM SOBA : www.flickriver.com/photos/24443965@N08/random/

NEW YEAR GEISHA -- Full Frame

nobody@flickr.com (Okinawa Soba) — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 02:01:36 -0800

Okinawa Soba posted a photo:

You have seen her before.....

(1) Looking at the floor in THIS PHOTO : www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/3592504195/

(2) Looking at Origami in THIS PHOTO : www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/6104504567/

And now, in the above posted photo, she is finally looking at YOU ~ !

;-)

In her left arm she cradles a BATTLEDORE, or Hagoita 羽子板 : www.kabuki21.com/hagoita.php

I have posted a close crop of the above Geisha HERE : www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/8375150579/in/photostr...

The photo was titled DANCING GIRL when it was first published. It's Catalog number was B 1155, which I believe was from the SHINICHI ZUZUKI II Studio of Yokohama, ca.1890-95.

"DANCING GIRL" is the English translation from the Japanese for MAIKO, however, based on her OBI seen at the first link above, I believe that she's already a GEISHA in this series of images. What do you "IMMORTAL GEISHA" think ?

*

*

*

RANDOM SOBA : www.flickriver.com/photos/24443965@N08/random/

NEW YEAR GEISHA -- Close Crop

nobody@flickr.com (Okinawa Soba) — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 02:01:36 -0800

Okinawa Soba posted a photo:

You have seen her before.....

(1) Looking at the floor in THIS PHOTO : www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/3592504195/

(2) Looking at Origami in THIS PHOTO : www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/6104504567/

And now, in the above posted photo, she is finally looking at YOU ~ !

;-)

In her left arm she cradles a BATTLEDORE, or Hagoita 羽子板 : www.kabuki21.com/hagoita.php

The above photo is a "portrait crop" taken from the larger 19th Century albumen print seen HERE : www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/8375150399/

The photo was titled DANCING GIRL when it was first published. It's Catalog number was B 1155, which I believe was from the SHINICHI ZUZUKI II Studio of Yokohama, ca.1890-95.

"DANCING GIRL" is the English translation from the Japanese for MAIKO, however, based on her style of OBI seen in the first linked image above, I believe that she's already a GEISHA in this series of images. What do you "IMMORTAL GEISHA" think ?

♥ As with all of my old photos posted here, please feel free to download for your Blogging, Website, or other creative use : www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/8375150579/sizes/l/

*

*

*

RANDOM SOBA : www.flickriver.com/photos/24443965@N08/random/

FIREMAN'S ACROBATICS DURING NEW YEAR FESTIVITIES IN 19th CENTURY YOKOHAMA -- Plain Salted Paper Prints of Beautiful Old Meiji-era Japan (#23)

nobody@flickr.com (Okinawa Soba) — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 07:00:00 -0800

Okinawa Soba posted a photo:

The acrobatic display is called Dezome Shiki (出初式) in Japanese, and was performed in most Japanese cities and towns large enough to have their own Fire Department. Dezome Shiki is further described at this link provided by Flickr member Noel43 :

www.jnto.go.jp/eng/attractions/event/traditionalevents/a0...

As many may already know, the cities of old Japan were all tinder-box towns ready to go up in flames at any moment --- and most of them did, time after time.

All it took was a good earthquake or a lightning strike to get things going, and before you knew it most of the city could be gone in a day, with inconsolable grief over the loss of life.

In such a situation, Firemen were held in high esteem. They were well trained, and fit as a fiddle --- showing off their ladder-climbing prowess at every chance they got.

Even Today, Japanese fireman are some of the worlds best-trained and fittest men on the job, and antics like this continue to thrill crowds at festivals throughout Japan, even into the 21st Century.

LIGHTS...CAMERA...ACTION !!!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BeEhENV_nE&feature=related

www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-uK4FJ6dMQ&feature=related

*

*

Ca.1890s Plain Paper "Salted Print" by an unknown photographer. The Salt Print was the simplest and softest of the many photographic processes.

Plain paper was dipped in salt water and dried. A coating of sliver nitrate was then brushed on. The picture was clamped together with the negative (in this case, full size glass album-view dimensions) and it was "printed out" directly under the sun. After fixing, drying and hand-tinting, it was placed in souvenir albums for sale to tourists.

Because the tints immediately soaked into the paper fibers, the color is literally "saturated". In the case of these prints, the color has kept very well for over 100 years.

Originally popular in the 1840s and 50s (using a WAXED PAPER NEGATIVE called a CALOTYPE) only a handful of Japanese photographers revived the process in the late Meiji era (using glass negatives in place of the Calotypes) thus making these images somewhat rare.

I have heard salt prints referred to as Calotypes, as well as hearing remarked that salt prints made from glass negatives are not really salt-prints. Both of those statements (made without malice, of course) are technically incorrect based on a lack of understanding of the processes involved. Strictly speaking, the CALOTYPE NEGATIVE and the SALT PRINT POSITIVE were made by two separate chemical processes. For those so inclined to historic details, here is is one of the better links (avoiding the Wikipedia entry for "Calotype" in this case is a good idea)... special.lib.gla.ac.uk/hillandadamson/calo.html

I myself grew up hearing Stereoscopes and Stereoviews both referred to as STEREOPTICONS, and walked around mimicking this error until I knew better. ("Stereopticon" is a type of 2-D Lantern-slide Projector). Anyway, to this day, I never pick fights over mistaken terminology, knowing that the world of photography is filled with generally accepted terms, even if they are technically in error. But, I do point things out when I get the chance. The main thing is to have an appreciation of the image itself as a work of either "ART" or "DOCUMENT", (and sometimes both all in the same picture).

Here's a couple of more FIREMAN views :

www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/2329878438/

and

www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/2453413681/

Here's all the acrobatics on my thread : www.flickr.com/search/?w=24443965@N08&q=acrobats&...

*

*

*

RANDOM SOBA : www.flickriver.com/photos/24443965@N08/random/

SELLING NEW YEARS DECORATIONS in OLD JAPAN

nobody@flickr.com (Okinawa Soba) — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 06:55:00 -0800

Okinawa Soba posted a photo:

Ca.1900-1910 Glass lantern-slide image published by T. TAKAGI of Kobe, Japan. Original image attributed to KOZABURO TAMAMURA who sold his image stock to Takagi.

TAMAMURA was located in Yokohama on Benten Street, just a few doors away from T. ENAMI who was his friendly competitor.

Tamamura and Enami worked on several photo projects together over the years.

The lantern-slides published by ENAMI and TAKAGI during the last decade of the Meiji-era are some of the best images in that format to be found today --- both exceeding the quality of the well-advertised lantern-slides of Meiji-era heavyweight KIMBEI KUSAKABE.

For more on TAMAMURA and ENAMI, and mention some of their shared activities, search the story on T. ENAMI found half-way down this Web page : www.t-enami.org/services

*

*

*

RANDOM SOBA : www.flickriver.com/photos/24443965@N08/random/

LOOKING OUT TO SEA FROM INSIDE THE CAVE AT ENOSHIMA, JAPAN

nobody@flickr.com (Okinawa Soba) — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 08:29:30 -0700

Okinawa Soba posted a photo:

Another nice photo from the 1880s by Italian photographer ADOLFO FARSARI.

Titled in the original print as L 28 ENOSHIMA, CAVE (B), it is very similar in composition to this one by his Japanese competitor, KIMBEI KUSAKABE :

www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/4185672920/

>B>INTERESTING NOTES ON FARSARI :

".......Prospective colourists at A. Farsari & Co. were interviewed by Farsari himself, who ensured they were familiar with Japanese painting techniques. Once hired, they were given unpaid instruction for several months, and then a basic salary that steadily increased as Farsari became satisfied with their work.

A capable and loyal colourist could earn twice the rate offered at other Yokohama studios and double his own daily rate for work on Sundays. Colourists also received regular bonuses and gifts. On the other hand, Farsari complained in a letter to his sister that in order to motivate his employees he had to rage, swear and beat them, which he did according to a fixed schedule.

By 1891 A. Farsari & Co. had 32 employees, 19 of whom were hand-colouring artists.

♥ In 1885 Farsari had a daughter, Kiku, by a Japanese woman whom he may not have married.

He described himself as living like a misanthrope, associating with very few people outside of business, and his correspondence indicates that he increasingly hoped to return to Italy.

He tried to regain the Italian citizenship lost when he emigrated to the United States, and he even hoped to be made a cavaliere and thereby join the Italian aristocracy. His success in these endeavours is not clear. Nevertheless, in April 1890 he and his daughter left Japan for Italy.

On 7 February 1898 Farsari died in his family home in Vicenza.

Following Farsari's departure from Japan in 1890, his studio continued to operate and even listed him as proprietor until 1901, when Tonokura Tsunetarō became the owner........."

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolfo_Farsari

Photos that have you looking through caves or ice tunnel are personal favorites, especially in 3-D !

江の島明治時代明治

*

*

*

RANDOM SOBA : www.flickriver.com/photos/24443965@N08/random/