OSAKA CITY-- Geiko, also known as geisha, who specialize in dancing, have returned to the last ochaya teahouse in Osaka City's Minami district for the first time in about 10 years.
Ochaya are establishments that house traditional female entertainers. Tanigawa, an ochaya in the city's Chuo Ward, has now accepted some new geiko trainees.
The dancing geiko and trainees are working hard to restore the allure of the entertainment.
"More lively! Ya! Toko ton-ton," said Hanayagi Kyokusen, 59, a traditional Japanese dance teacher, who vocalized the rhythm to her students at a rehearsal studio in Osaka City in mid-December. The students were two geiko: Tamizuru, 24, from Osaka Prefecture, and Tamako, 20, from Nara Prefecture.
With sweating foreheads, the two practiced a piece called "Hatsuharu" (New Year), the choreography of which features various traditional elements related to the season, such as hagoita paddles and the shishimai lion dance.
The two have adored geiko and maiko (geiko apprentices) ever since they were children. Tamizuru joined Tanigawa after graduating from university, Tamako after graduating from high school. They both made their geiko debut in May 2019. Their sparkling and fresh demeanors make them popular with non-Japanese tourists.
They were rehearsing for a Jan. 5 ozashiki, an appointment with clients at the teahouse.
"I'd like to work hard and do well without forgetting my original aspirations," Tamizuru said.
"I want to make the occasion a fitting one as the New Year's first ozashiki," Tamako said.
"Tamizuru has gentle expressions, while Tamako is eager to improve," their teacher Kyokusen said with a smile. "Both of them show their individual strength in their dancing."
And then there were 3
From the Edo period (1603-1867), there were four entertainment districts in Osaka City: Kitashinchi, Horie, Shinmachi and Nanchi, which is now called Minami. Before World War II, there were apparently several hundred teahouses in Nanchi.
Today, only three teahouses remain -- two in Kitashinchi and one, Tanigawa, which opened in Nanchi in 1969.
Tanigawa happily accepts reservations from first-time visitors, not sticking to the traditional teahouse rules of turning them away without a referral from a regular customer.
The teahouse also started a website two years ago. As a result, non-Japanese visitors, who would only visit once a year on average, began gradually increasing. Now they visit Tanigawa once or twice a month.
Last autumn, Tamako danced in front of about 30 Chinese tourists on board a traditional pleasure boat navigating through rivers in Osaka City.
Expectations are high for geiko. On Jan. 9, Tamizuru and Tamako took part in the Toka Ebisu traditional festival to wish for prosperous business and safety at home, dancing on a stage set up at the foot of the Ebisu Bridge in Osaka City.
They performed three pieces, including "Hatsuharu." After the performance, they smiled and said, "Okini" -- or thank you in their dialect -- on stage, while receiving enthusiastic applause from spectators, who also took photos with smartphones.
Would-be trainees rare
Following Tamizuru and Tamako, several young women knocked on the door of Tanigawa, aspiring to follow in their footsteps. Among them was Ichizuru, now a maiko. She assists the teahouse, greeting and seeing off visitors, while she also rehearses dancing with Tamizuru and Tamako.
Their activities are a source of relief for Megumu Tanigawa, 46, the manager of the teahouse.
"There have been many trainees who quit after a short time, but I'm glad we now have a geiko trainee. I hope we'll have more ozashiki appointments," he said happily.
If Ichizuru becomes a geiko, Tamizuru and Tamako will have their first junior colleague.
"There are many things we can learn from a younger colleague," Tamizuru said. "I'm grateful to her for choosing the path of a geiko, and together we'd like to enliven Tanigawa."
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