Welcomed

I could hardly find time to write on my diary so far.

The days were so hectic due mainly because I was living far from Hakone Yumoto.
I moved to near by in the middle of December, which made my days much more hectic.

So far, I am enjoying my job as a geisha.
Especially, as a musician.

My okiya held the year-end party two days ago.
At that moment I realized how I was welcomed by Hakone Yumoto.
Mother, and all the other geishas of my okiya gave me gift money to congratulate my passing the musician test.

I am looking forward to the coming new year in every way.

Best wishes for a new year.

Kokyu

It’s been really hard to find time to write about my job.

But so far, I am enjoying my job as a geisha in Hakone Yumoto.

It truly is interesting to meet various people.

Although I don’t drink, I found that no problem despite co-worker’s worries.

I could say, `I can’t really play shamisen when I drink, you know.’

And clients immediately know what that means.

Everyone is surprised how popular kokyu is on my job.

One of the reasons is that most Japanese people see kokyu for the first time in their lives.  They always mistook kokyu for Chinese niko.

One of my best repertoires is ‘Amazing Grace.’  Most clients start humming melodies when I start playing the piece.

Some clients would give me gift money after I play kokyu, saying, ‘I was glad that I could hear the sound of kokyu.  It gave me strength.’

I am always glad that I continued my kokyu lesson.

Next week I will going to have musician test.

Until then, it seems that I will lead hectic days.

Shinjuku Parade

I attended a parade in Shinjuku today.

About 100 geishas from Hakone Yumoto joined in this parade.

Although clad in the same costume, I found I don’t know most of them.

I realized that I am familiar with only those geishas who are eager to take shamisen and dance lessons.  They are all nice people.

I saw my okiya mother in her kimono and her Japanese hairstyle for the first time.

How she was cool and authoritative when she leads the parade!  No wonder she used to be the top geisha in Hakone Yumoto, I thought.

I was proud of her.

Tomorrow, I will have my first job as a geisha, entertaining clients.

Yumiko

Yumiko

Today, I finally registered as a Hakone Yumoto geisha.

My geisha name is Yumiko.　「優美子」

Yumiko means gentle and beautiful girl.

I hope I can be the one.

I had my hair done by an excellent beautician --she had done this for me in only 30 minutes!-- in geisha style for registration.

My first job will be attending parade in Shinjuku on October 9th.

I will be playing shamisen in front of guests next week.

It might be a lot of work, but I am enjoying this so far!

Musician test

I was told to take musician test in November.  It could be around the beginning of December, they say.

I thought I could take the test on the next chance, in February.  But my adviser geisha encouraged me to take the test in November.  It will soon be November!

The monthly theme songs are decided in Hakone Yumoto since long time ago.

The songs are mostly, a part of Nagauta songs.  For those Nagauta songs, I do not have to struggle much because I had studied most of them back in Kyoto.

There are other small songs of Kouta, Minyo, and Risougaku, featured around Hakone Yumoto, completely unfamiliar to me.

For the test, I must prepare about 20 songs in all—play shamisen and sing song at the same time in front of examiners.

The songs which I am going to play will be decided by lottery on the test day.

I must play 4 songs, 2 from Nagauta and 2 from Kouta or Minyo.

Hakone Yumoto Geisha Union now has only three qualified shamisen players.  A number of geishas study shamisen.  But most of them are not good enough to be qualified.

Now I am feeling that these three qualified musicians are beginning to feel threatened by my entry.  There are fewer jobs nowadays for real, traind geishas.  But on the other hand, music teachers seem to welcome me.

I think I will just do what I have to.  I think I may be able to produce another job, for now I have no idea how to, and try not to threaten other senior geishas.

Anyway, I am going to register as a geisha and start my job from October.

I think I will be named—according to the naming rule of Okiya house which I am going to belong.

Owara

Owara

On 10, September, a charity concert for Japan earthquake was held in Joyo-city, Kyoto.  It mainly was a concert of Western music--piano, voice, lute, and viola da gamba—because the hostess of this concert is a piano teacher.

She had planned this concert only after three days of the quake.

She was a MC of this concert, and the final pianist.

It was such a wonderful occasion because most of all the performers were from the same school, the same age.  Two of them are my closest friends.

I played kokyu and danced ‘Owara.’

Owara is one of the most famous bon dances, in Niigata Pref.  Every year, tens of thousands of people go to see this bon dance in Yatsuo, Niigata.  Too many people rush to see small groups of dancers and musicians.  It is said that it’s not comfortable to see this festival because the roads are too narrow and too many audience.

Owara is famous for using kokyu as a part of this music.

Kokyu is famous because of this festival, Kaze no Bon.

Therefore, I heard that I was awaited by those who were great fan of Owara and who actually went to Yatsuo to see the festival.

I first played owara in kokyu, and next, played Amazing Grace in kokyu.

I could felt the audience prayed for the victims while I was playing Amazing Grace.

I asked Master Kiba to let me use his recorded live music of Owara for my dance.

I love this music he arranged and played kokyu, with other instruments like biwa, shamisen, cello, and shakuhachi.

http://yuzuruha.net/special.html

You are able to listen to this music: 風の夢～越中おわら幻想～

Shugoro Honjo (2)

I felt that I must write about him again.

It is because I had a chance to see him on stage last Sunday, on the occasion of performances of his school, Honjo-ryu in Tokyo.

Master Shugoro Honjo’s shamisen skill was just astounding.

He played music composed by School Headmaster Hidetaro Honjo.  I’ve never heard such subtle but dynamic music played only by shamisen!

Composition is brilliant and amazing, including Western melodies and waltz rhythm, but without Master Shugoro’s shamisen performing technique, it never can be realized.

I was thinking that he is mainly a song teacher for me until that time.

But I realized that Master Shugoro is one of the best shamisen players in Japan. 

He said to me, praising my kokyu Master Daisuke Kiba, `I think his performance shows enormous potentialities of kokyu’.

I think Master Shugoro Honjo’s shamisen performance shows enormous potentialities of shamisen.

It is unlike Tsugaru shamisen, but sometimes sounds alike.  But mostly, the music flows elegantly.  I never thought shamisen music is something ‘elegant.’

How lucky am I to see such wonderful master!