Eek! Worry comes again!

[pixyteri]

心配な。。I read some more research about ko-furisode, and it said that it's either worn by older, unmarried women or married women. Maybe the source was wrong, but the "ko", 子, child, implies smaller or younger. Hence why it is usually a graduation kimono

Comments

[faeriemuriel]

The disparity might be because of when the naming convention happened. "Older" used to be a lot younger for Japanese girls--maiko (apprentice geisha) were only acceptable up to age 14. This changed when the government said that kids had to go to school for a certain amount of time. You would wear ko-furisode for graduation because that was when it marked your coming into a woman-age and leaving child-age.

Liza Dalby has written a wonderful book called "Kimono". I love her to death because she's an American anthropologist who became a geisha.

[liberty]

Technically she never really "became" a geisha, she didn't do the training, she just went with geisha she knew to their engagements as part of her research. She did dress as one and perform, but she didn't have clients or anything.

But she's the closest thing to a Western geisha there will ever be!

[kabe_no_hana]

Actually, there is a western geisha:
http://www.marieclaire.com/world-reports/news/japans-western-geisha

[liberty]

oh wow! I didn't know about her. thanks for the link!

[kamuigakupo]

25 isn't older at all. I don't consider anyone old until they have age enough to be a granny :D

Hope to see you in ko-furisode!