Airashii Minarai Kimono

This is the kimono of a minarai, otherwise known as an apprentice maiko. Girls who want to become geisha, will pass through this stage right before their misedashi, or formal debut into geisha society. Minarai - literally learning by oberservation - attend ozashiki with their fellow maiko and geiko, but do hardly participate. Their role is to watch and learn, and this stage will take approximately a month.

The kimono of a minarai has shorter sleeves than that of a maiko, who's long, dangling sleeves are one of the trademarks of a maiko. Also, the very colorful kimono itself is not as long as the hikizuri, and decorated all over: a sign of youth. Note that the obi, which is folded in the special handarari (half-darari) obi. Only minarai (and in some hanamachi, also newly debuted maiko), will wear their kimono this way.

This particular kimono has a charming flower motif, which is dyed with shibori technique. shibori is Japanese tie dyeing technique, and it gives the textile very unique texture. The obi is a very nice fukuro obi with vivid woven pattern of kikko (tortoiseshell) and karabana (imaginary flower).