Saturday, May 19, 2012

..Being an Oiran 花魁変身..


One funny thing I did in Kyoto... I became an Oiran for a day! 
I can hardly recognize myself in the pictures though...

And yes it's really me!

Oiranって? Wikipedia attack:
Oiran (花魁) were courtesans in Japan. The oiran were considered a type of yūjo (遊女) "woman of pleasure" or prostitute. However, they are distinguished from the yūjo in that they were entertainers, and many became celebrities of their times outside the pleasure districts. Their art and fashions often set trends among the wealthy and, because of this, cultural aspects of oiran traditions continue to be preserved to this day.

I think a lot of people tend to confuse Geisha for Oiran...
I wasn't very clear myself until I saw the movie Sakuran, starring Anna Tsuchiya ... A very nice movie. Definitly recommend! And I love Anna Tsuchiya, she always plays strong women. She is gorgeous in real life too, I was lucky enough to touch her hand during a live show

Nowadays Oiran henshin is very popular because:
1- kimono used are usually more beautiful and more glamourous
2- the general outfit is more sexy and you can do some pretty sexy photoshots

So I went to the traditional area of Kyoto...


And after 40 minutes make-up and dressing...


I also met 2 maiko-san (apprentice geisha)...


Notice the difference of hair, obi (belt with front lace) and kimono!

They were going out after the picture. Usually you can keep the maiko outfit for the day and visit Kyoto. I imagine a lot of people and especially foreign tourists can confuse them for real maiko-san and chase them for a picture haha!

As I chose Oiran, I could not get out (Oiran were not supposed to go out anyway, they would wait for customers in the main house), so I did a few modelling pictures with the photographer








I like the last one a lot! Even Oiran need to keep up with technology!

16 comments:

  1. Oh my God this is amazing! You look great in these outfits! And the pictures are just wonderful!<3

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    1. Thanks a lot Yulia! You should try it when you visit Kyoto :3

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  2. Wow omg that's amazing!!! I've been wanting to try this as well! I love the movie Sakuran too <3 And you look amazing!!
    Oh I definitely have to try this!!! Kimono, hair, colors and contrasts are amazing!! SO inspiring!

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    1. Hopy chan! It's been a while I hope you are doing well ^3^;
      Thank you I am glad you liked my pictures since you are the pro!!

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  3. Wow!! These are very beautiful and stunning pics, and you make it all look so natural! This is such a glamorous look that I wish I could wear it too, but I doubt that I could get away with it in America. Did they use just your hair to create this style, or were there hair extensions added in as well?

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    1. Thanks! I will try to upload more pictures, I have like hundred of them but I need to select only the good one huhu :3
      The hair is partly mine and partly wig, it's called katsura かつら(鬘)! Like this one: http://www.yamada-katsura.com/sale/index.html

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  4. Sympa ton blog, je vais le suivre.

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  5. en effet méconnaissable! mais ça te va trop bien Irié *_* ce que j'aimerai tenter cette expérience !! c'est pas en France qu'on aura ça...

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    1. Ca serait une super idée de business par contre!! En France tu peux te déguiser en Marie Antoinette peut-être :p

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  6. Oh, very interesting to see and read! Something I didn't know yet, and explains also why so many people confuse geisha with prostitutes... Out of curiosity is it your own hair modeled or a shimada wig ? Also sorry if it's been asked already ^^' Also I noticed the difference of make-up between Oiran en Maiko, the neck nape is coloured in Oiran's make-up?

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  7. So beautiful pictures! ^^

    www.katinosky.blogspot.com

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    ReplyDelete
  9. Nice blog!! I'm your new Follower! I hope you can visit mine sometimes. Thank you so much! :)

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    ReplyDelete