My friend Marcel invited me to come see the Blue Lotus Okiya (geisha house), where his SL sister is a jr. geisha. I thought the okiya was stunning, and on the water when you arrive there were little floating paper lanterns as part of a festival. Marcell was dressed as a samurai in kamishimo and hakama trousers, with double swords and a naginata. He told me that his friend FerrettHerder Kitsune created the very well-made shaved topknot hair. I thought he looked fantastic in both that and his armor later.
We walked through the grounds looking at the performance stage, tea room, bath house, and meditation areas. We had the place to ourselves as the geisha and their okasan (female head of the okiya) were not present. I would love to see a performance there one day. We talked about our love of Akira Kurosawa films (Rashomon, Seven Samurai, Sanjuro, Yojimbo, Ran...).
He teased me about my high heels, asking me if I wanted to change them. My vanity got the best of me as I got caught in some lag and flipped over the edge of a cliff into the water and needed to be tp'd out. Such is SL. Here is Marcell in his armor...
"You just can't leave without buying a kimono!" he said, so I bought this beautiful furisode. I think he was right...
He explained that the okasan tries to be as traditional as possible, in that her geisha are not escorts, it is not a club and nothing "funny" is allowed between geisha and guests. I find the concept of keeping the geisha tradition alive and well here in SL to be a good thing, as it is dying as an art form in Japan itself...Kyoto being one of the last places to find them. It's a shame really as so many, such as master kimono makers and wigmakers, are affected by it. I hope it is being documented or passed down...
I had a wonderful time.
Veloce-san told a story about Prince Yamato Take, and then they both performed a dance as Okasan Suzanne Logan accompanied them on the koto.
Marcell introduced me to the Okasan, and everyone enjoyed a champagne reception to congratulate the new maiko...
I was given a tour of the lovely grounds by minarai Emeriselle Theas-san...
And here I am sitting in the courtyard of the Blue Lotus Okiya...
We walked through the grounds looking at the performance stage, tea room, bath house, and meditation areas. We had the place to ourselves as the geisha and their okasan (female head of the okiya) were not present. I would love to see a performance there one day. We talked about our love of Akira Kurosawa films (Rashomon, Seven Samurai, Sanjuro, Yojimbo, Ran...).
He teased me about my high heels, asking me if I wanted to change them. My vanity got the best of me as I got caught in some lag and flipped over the edge of a cliff into the water and needed to be tp'd out. Such is SL. Here is Marcell in his armor...
"You just can't leave without buying a kimono!" he said, so I bought this beautiful furisode. I think he was right...
He explained that the okasan tries to be as traditional as possible, in that her geisha are not escorts, it is not a club and nothing "funny" is allowed between geisha and guests. I find the concept of keeping the geisha tradition alive and well here in SL to be a good thing, as it is dying as an art form in Japan itself...Kyoto being one of the last places to find them. It's a shame really as so many, such as master kimono makers and wigmakers, are affected by it. I hope it is being documented or passed down...
I had a wonderful time.
