KYOTO - Japanese "geiko" and "maiko" traditional female entertainers participated in a traditional ritual Monday in Kyoto, western Japan to pray for a good summer of performances.
Despite the rain, about 60 people, including maiko apprentices from the Miyabi-kai, a group comprising students from the Inoue school of traditional Kyoto dance, took part in the ritual, known as "Osendo," at Yasaka Shrine in Kyoto's Higashiyama Ward.
Holding umbrellas, they circled the main hall of the shrine to offer prayers to improve their skills and stay in good health.
They then underwent a purification ritual inside the main hall, dressed in yukatas, or casual kimonos, featuring indigo eggplants on white fabric.
Miyabi-kai organized the annual event following the Gion Festival, one of the largest festivals in Japan that started July 1.
Yachiyo Inoue, the fifth-generation head of the school, said, "We wish to devote ourselves to the arts while receiving the power of the gods of Yasaka, and hope to be of some service to society."
