Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Tsuki no Ie Okiya at MTAC 2014

This was my 6th year attending the Middle Tennessee Anime Convention in Nashville, TN. Many people have posted their "reports" from the convention, and honestly, most were not complimentary. To sum up, they had to move to a smaller venue because the convention center decided to break their contract after last year's event. I thought the hotel they moved to was nice, but I did have to sit in line for a very long time to get checked in and out (not the con staff's fault). I really didn't attend any events because I did so many panels. The only complaint I have is how they check in panelists. I was told at first to go to programming ops, but then no one knew whether I needed to wait in the regular pre-registration line for my badges. They used to have a separate check-in area for panelists doing 3 hours or more of presentations, and they gave them a special presenter badge. No special badges, and after some utter confusion with check-in, my sister (who used for work for their sister con and knows everyone) got me checked in without having to wait in the huge pre-reg line. That being said, the rest of the time went pretty smoothly for me (except for the 30 minute wait to get into the dealer's room on Sunday, but I digress...).

We did 3 panels on Saturday. The first panel was on how to put on geisha-style makeup and kimono. We dressed the newest member of our geiko-henshin group (and celebrated her "misedashi"). The second event was an Urasenke style tea ceremony. I was the host, my husband narrated, and the other members of my geiko-henshin group filled the main guest and assistant roles. The last event of the day was our "ozashiki". I performed two pieces on the shamisen ("Hana Momiji" and "Kurokami"), then the girls danced "Sakura Sakura" and I accompanied on the shamisen, and finally we demonstrated and played "Konpira Fune Fune" and "Tora Tora" with our guests. I hope some other people took pictures and will send them my way, because I forgot to have my husband take pictures during the 1st and 3rd panels. The pictures we did take were after the 1st panel.

All of the performers (by performing names, L to R): Tsukiteru, Tsukiko, and Tsukiuma
"Sisters" - Tsukiteru and Tsukiuma
Gratuitous obi shot!
My sister is a decent photographer, so she got some good shots of me in my new whirlpool hikizuri, and some good closeups. I am really proud of my makeup this time, especially the eyebrows! I usually make them messy (very shaky hands) and too thick for my taste. And I got to wear my new katsura that is in MUCH better shape than the old one and fits me so much better. I like how it frames my face better as well. Of course, I'm critical of myself, and I wish I had made the hikizuri tighter around my hips, so I'll try to do that next time.
From the front
From the side (This is my favorite shot!)
Obi shot - I love this gold shippou obi!
Close-up from the front
3/4 view, close-up (my second favorite picture)
Thank you for looking!

8 comments:

  1. Wow you all look great; hope the event was a lot of fun! :)

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    1. Thank you! We did have a good time, and we had way more attendees at our events than I was expecting!

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  2. Bijin-sama!! Such beautiful henshin!

    You make an okaasan weep. Your katsura looks phenomenal on you - do you have any plans to change out the ties in back for something closer to geiko katsura?

    Both your lovely maiko-henshin look spectacular! I love the furisode/hikizuri you are using; very elegant and timeless.

    Hugs!

    -Hasume

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    1. Thank you so much, Hasume-san!

      Do you have any suggestions for what to use for the ties?

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    2. Hm. I'm a big believer in "if you can't buy it, make it." Your local craft store will have spools of silver (aluminum?) wire, as well as various widths of cording in silver. Experiment and see how close you can get to the "horns" that are atop geiko katsura. I'm still playing with mine - not sure how I like how my set turned out.

      As for the silver tie at the back of the katsura (the base of the shimada ponytail) I'd get the aluminum tape used by plumbers from home depot and sandwich it with very stiff cardboard in between two layers of tape. I may have time this weekend to take mine off my katsura, and I'll see how long/wide it is for you...

      We're only ~280 miles apart. Wanna get together some time and have a formal ozashiki / performance? Or -- if we plan far enough in advance, throw a real performance of our own -- Miyako Odori-style? Sell tickets, rent a stage and go to town?

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    3. You have some very creative ideas! I never would have thought the plumber's tape! I'm sure I can find some kind of silver cording at the fabric store.

      Getting together would be fun! I was actually supposed to be up your way for Anime St. Louis, but due to family emergencies, I had to cancel. My schedule can be busy, but if we plan it well enough in advance, it could be done. Feel free to email me at gaston.jackie@yahoo.com or message me on Facebook, and we can hash out the details!! =)

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  3. How nice!
    You look wonderful in geiko style!
    Can you play "Konpira fune fune" on shamisen? Wow!

    Next Sunday, I'm going to attend "Maiko photography event" in Kyoto.
    I will report it on my blog after the event. (It will take 1 week or more to edit the post.)
    So please check it when you have time :)

    Thank you for sharing wonderful photos,JadeXcore!

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  4. How lucky you are to get to attend such an event! I cannot wait so see your photos, Kumiko-san!

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