Goodbye 2023!
Sum-up of debuts this year
Maiko/Hangyoku:
Kotsuta 小つた from Tokyo Mukojima - before 14. December
Saku 佐く from Tokyo Mukojima - 14. June
Komomo 小桃 from Arima Onsen - before 18. October
Kotono 古都乃 from Aizuwakamatsu - 20. October
Iori 伊おり from Aizuwakamatsu - 04. August
Momokichi 桃吉 from Shizuoka - 21. July
Waka 和香 from Tokyo Kagurazaka - 10. May
Minami 美波 from Tokushima - 6. January
Kikuyu 喜久有 from Gifu - 7. March
Kikyo 喜きょう from Gifu - 3. December
Misuzu みすず and Kazuha かづ葉 from Niigata - 16. May
Yumeka ゆめ花, Mamehana 豆はな, Matsuri まつりand Misaki 美咲 from Yamagata - 8. May
Iroha いろ羽 and Mameka まめ佳 from Akita - 16. May
Geiko/Geisha/Geigi:
Yoshiki 芳菊 from Nara - 29. April
Yutsuki 結月 from Yokohama - before 22. October
Kanayuki 叶雪 from Yokohama - before 8. October
Suzuhana すず華 from Nagasaki - before 6. September
Kosen 鼓千 from Dogo Onsen - 16. May
Chizuru 千鶴 from Osaka Nanchi - 27. November
Marizuru まり鶴 from Osaka Nanchi - 20. February
Momiji 萌美路 from Kanazawa - before 19. May
Ito 以と from Kanazawa - 7. February
Makoto 万琴 from Kanazawa - 12. October
Hazuki はづき, Masaka まちか, Kimika きみか and Ayano あやの from Ureshino Onsen - before 2. October
Nana 南成 from Tokyo Mukojima - 22. February
Hana 花 from Tokyo Mukojima - 15. June
Koyuki 小雪 from Tokyo Mukojima - before 6. September
Konatsu 小奈都 from Tokyo Mukojima - before 14. November
Itsuki 五希 from Izunagaoka - before 30. March
Kotori 小とり from Yokohama - before 13. October
Nanami 七々美 from Anjo - 24. July
Those are 38 new faces, plus Momiji, who was working as a Geigi in Kanazawa before and switched district from Higashi to Nishi.
The fifth sketch of the day with gouache in fauvist style. Panorama, Night scene, urban sketching, stilllife and finally a portrait figure, I've covered all grounds. Gouache using a large brush is very easy to do quick sketches. I'm planning on taking full advantage of this speed for direct painting which I do quite a bit.
Mount Bizen Ropeway Observatory
Tokushima, Japan
Gouache
A5 sketchbook
From a photo of November 2012
Taken in Tokushima, Tokushima Prefecture at one of the 88 Henro temples. This was at the chozuya, the wash basin near the entrance of the worship area. You can see the ladle, hishaku, to the right.
Chozuya are usually associated with nativist shrines. The separation between Buddhism and nativist religious practices, shinto, is modern. The government in the late 1800s early 1900s had their own…
Shikoku es la más pequeña de las islas 🗾 principales de Japón. 😮
✨Está rodeada por una ruta de peregrinación budista (henro) de 1.200 km con 88 templos, que honra al monje Kukai del siglo IX.
✨Las ciudades más importantes de Shikoku incluyen Matsuyama, donde hay 8 de los templos de peregrinación, junto con el castillo feudal de Matsuyama y el Onsen de Dogo, uno de los baños🏊♀️ termales más antiguos que se conocen en Japón.
✨El interior montañoso de la isla tiene senderos para excursionismo y ríos con rápidos.
👌Si buscas un destino para visitar, Shikoku ofrece una experiencia auténtica y natural. Sus paisajes montañosos, templos históricos y la posibilidad de explorar la cultura local hacen de esta isla 🏝️un lugar único en Japón.
¡No te pierdas la oportunidad de descubrir sus encantos!😍
Mitsuki 美月 from Tokushima has retired earlier this year. She has been working as Geiko since 2008 latest. She said she's planning to keep her social media accounts active, so I'm curious where she's heading to next!
Held in Aomori Prefecture from August 2 to 7. The festival is known for its enormous lantern floats of up to nine meters high, made of painted washi paper over wire frames which takes a year to design and construct. They depict gods, historical samurai and mythical figures like the legendary beasts, Nebuta.
Source : Japan Guide
2) Tokushima Awa Odori 阿波おどり (Shikoku)
Pic by Justin Bowdidge
Held in Tokushima Prefecture during the Obon season from August 12 to 15. In the evening, the city center shuts down as the streets turn into a large dance stage where the performers dance down the streets for onlookers to see and join in the fun, there are also game and food stalls decorating the streets.
Source : Japan Guide
3) Gion Matsuri 祇園祭 (Kyoto)
Pic by TokyoViews
Also known as the festival of Yasaka Shrine which takes place throughout the whole month of July, where there are grand procession of floats, Yamaboko Junko during the day and Yoiyama in the evening. It dates back to 869 as a religious ceremony to appease the gods during the outbreak of an epidemic.
Source : Japan Guide
4) Hanabi 花火 (the most famous one in Kamakura)
Pic by Bensen Ho
Hanabi means fireworkds, the festival originally meant to ward off evil sprits in ancient times is now held during the summer holidays in July and August. A festival that is widely portrayed in anime and dramas where people dressed in yukata come together to enjoy good food, fun games and beautiful fireworks.
Source : Japan Guide
5) Kishiwada Danjiri Matsuri 岸和田だんじり祭 (Osaka)
Pic by Guifré
Held in September in the city of Kishiwada in southern Osaka Prefecture. A 300-year-old tradition, Danjiri Matsuri (wooden float festival) brings a team from each of Kishiwada’s thirty-four neighborhoods together to compete by manually pulling their four-ton danjiri through the city’s streets.