Maiko Kitsuke Details

Here are some details of the maiko kitsuke manequin.

HAN'ERI - Decorative Collar
Han'eri are strips of embroidered or dyed fabric used to decorate the collar of a kimono ensemble. For the average person, they come in a variety of colours and patterns. The red and white embroidered collar displayed on this manequin is the collar of an apprentice geisha. A junior apprentice wears a mostly red collar. As she gains seniority, her collar is more heavily embroidered with white threads, until is shifts entirely to white when she becomes a geiko. This is celebrated with a ceremony known as erikae: turning of the collar. White is seen as a more mature colour than red. So the colour of the maiko's collar changes to reflect her status as a mature woman.