Kurokami 黒髪

Her name is Kotoha and finally after 5 years of training she gets to let her hair down and put on a wig.  This ceremony is called Eri-kae (ゑりかえ) or “turning of the collar”.

For the past few weeks she has worn a hairstyle called Sakkou-Mage (先笄髷). During the Edo period ( 1603-1868 ) newly-wed women would sport this style. In the old days, when Geiko and Maiko could not wed freely, the Oka-san would allow them to wear it in their last days as a Maiko.

Kotoha © Hidenori Ohnishi

Kotoha does a very special dance during these few days called “Kuro-Kami” (黒髪), literally meaning “Jet black hair”, which has been passed down throughout generations. The song is a sad story of a woman forlorn over her absent lover, reminiscing over the nights they’ve shared together.