Exhibitions
Photos Exhibitions
Welcome to my little photos exhibition corner. Every month, I plan to present here online, a new exhibition or series of photos on a given theme related to Kyoto.
Your comments are welcome.
Gion Matsuri – Photos exhibition
Summer is coming, and this usually means the Gion Matsuri first events will soon start. I thought it'd be nice to show a few photos I captured over the years at the various events and ceremonies taking place across the city. Let's not forget that this festival is...
Faces of the Kagai Book
Faces of the Kagai Photo Exhibition Catalog A 96 pages photo book featuring all the photos presented on the walls of the Ochaya (tea house), with general views of the house and a few explanations and descriptions is now available. Its price is yen 3,200 while the...
Kagai-13 Kagai Environment
花街の環境 - The Kagai EnvironmentIn this last room, we presented a few photos captured in the streets of the Kagai, the flower town or geisha district, the area where geiko and maiko are licensed to work in. Maiko in full regalia on their way to their evening engagement...
Kagai-12 Tsubo Niwa
坪庭 - Tsubo Niwa (Courtyard Garden)Just three photos in our little "Tsubo Niwa" or courtyard garden. This garden is located in the "service area" of the Ochaya. The actual entrance of the house is just behind the stairs you used to go down, at the back of the building....
Kagai-10 Faces (the Portraits)
顔 - FacesA selection of portraits of maiko (and one geiko)... Look at the twelve faces you have in front of you. They are all maiko, but you can easily see some obvious differences between them. Some only have the lower lip painted in red (or even only part of the...
Kagai-7 Dancing
舞い - DancingDancing is probably one of the main skills a maiko has to acquire. They will practice almost every day for four or five years before becoming a geiko. And then after that, they will continue to practice even more. Japanese traditional dance or "Nihon Buyo"...
Kagai-3 Kuromontsuki Kimono
黒紋付着物 Kuromontsuki KimonoKuromontsuki Kimono Room Lit. “Black Crested Garment”, the most formal kimono that is worn during special occasions such as weddings, tea ceremonies, and other formal events. "Kuro" means black, while "montsuki" refers to the pattern on the...
Kagai-2 Elegance in the Rain
Elegance in the rain 雨の中の優雅さElegance in the rain A young maiko (geisha apprentice) protects herself from heayy rain with a traditional “Bangasa”, a waxed paper umbrella, while walking in Hanamachi or Flower Town, one of the geisha districts in Kyoto, Japan. It...
Kagai-1 Introduction
Entrance - Introduction The Story behind this exhibition Patrick Hochner began taking photographs in his native Alsace (France) when he was 14, using the family bathroom as his darkroom. At about the same time, he became interested in traveling and has visited over...
Geiko Toshiemi – Photos Exhibition
Toward the end of February 2021, I heard that the popular geiko Toshiemi san was about to retire. This was surprising news about one of the most popular Geiko of the Miyagawa-Cho Kagai. I promptly asked around and received confirmation of her decision to leave.
I was then lucky to be able to arrange for the last photoshoot with her. This took place on the 2nd of March, the day she actually retired.
Geiko Toshiemi was wearing a beautiful pink kimono…
