Although most of Geisha & Maiko of Kyoto: Beauty, Art, & Dance focuses on Satomi, Kimina, Yukako, and Makiko, there is a fifth geisha who appears in Chapter 2, Ochaya, Okiya, and Ozashiki. The fifth geiko’s name is Komanryo. Komanryo’s real name is Onaka Suga, and she is the daughter of the geiko who established the ochaya (teahouse) Onaka back in 1935. Eight photos of Komanryo appear in Chapter 2, and they give us a glimpse into the history of Gion Kobu, as does an interview with the current okamisan of Onaka.
Komanryo became a maiko in the 1930s. In some ways, the world of geiko and maiko has changed a lot since Komanryo’s time. For instance, Komanryo had her omisedashi (debut as a maiko) when she was only ten years old. The maiko of today usually have their debut at 15 or 16, and Kimina had her debut as a geiko, not a maiko, because she was nineteen at the time. On the other hand, several of the eight photos show that in other ways, the world of geiko and maiko hasn’t changed much at all. One photograph shows Komanryo and another maiko posing with hanagasa (flower hats). I photographed Makiko performing the dance “Hanagasa” just as I was starting work on the book, and Makiko uses flower hats in the dance just as Komanryo did.

Unfortunately, the biggest change in the hanamachi (geisha districts) is that they are no longer flourishing as they once did. The current okamisan of Onaka gives her opinion about the present and future of the hanamachi in her interview, and she also goes into great detail about how she prepares for an ozashiki (a banquet where geiko and maiko perform) at Onaka. She also allowed me to use photos of Komanryo from her private collection. Luckily, these photos were fairly well preserved in an album, but I wanted them to look as good as new for the book. Consequently, I sent them to Alan Cutler of Photo Rescuer. Alan did a fantastic job of restoring the photos.

The photos and the story of Komanryo and Onaka give a unique historical perspective on the world of geiko and maiko that really complements what Satomi, Kimina, Yukako, and Makiko have to say about the 21st Century world of geiko and maiko.

By the way, after the excellent work Alan Cutler did on Komanryo’s photos, I also had him restore several of my family’s historical photos. His rates are reasonable and his service is impeccable. If you have any valuable old photos you need restored, I do not think you will find a better retoucher.