The Geishas of Kanazawa

 Our next stop was the city of Kanazawa, known for its Edo-period architecture, samurai history and traditional arts. It is rather isolated from the big cities, and therefore escaped being damaged during World War II.

Our tour included a visit to another garden - Kenrokuen, one of the three most famous in Japan - and lunch and entertainment from modern-day geishas, or geiko.

We drove by a shop selling traditional kimonos. It is
apparently almost impossible to dress in
a full kimono without help.

Our first stop, Kenrokuen, is not only one of the most famous gardens, but it also has a history dating from the Edo period. The precursor of the garden was begun in 1676 by the feudal lord of the Kaga Domain which ruled the area as the lotus pond garden of his villa. The garden is just across the street from Kanazawa Castle, the lord's home. The garden was expanded by a successor in 1822 when he added a stream and bridges, and gave the garden its current name. Only a couple of years later the lord's villa was demolished and the garden expanded to its current composition. After the Meiji era began and feudal domains were abolished, the garden was opened to the public in 1874.

The Kotoji Lantern, one of the most famous
sculptures in the park. People line up to
stand on a nearby bridge and have their photos
(and some TV footage) taken with it in the background. The TV
footage is featured in programming during Golden Week, so we saw
lots of people waiting in line.

This is the Ganko Bridge over one of the streams.
Each granite stone is shaped like a turtle; it is also
said that those who cross it will have a long life.

There is a very interesting story about garden design in Japan, the elements needed to make an excellent garden, and how Kenrokuen manages to combine them all. Its name means 'Ken' (combined) 'Roku' (six) 'En' (garden), or the garden of six attributes. The inspiration for the name came from the classical Chinese text 'Chronicles of the Famous Luoyang Gardens', paraphrased here by the man who named the garden:

'A garden cannot combine all six excellent elements. If there is spaciousness, seclusion will be diminished. If artifice dominates, it will lack antiquity. If there are many watercourses, it will lack commanding views. Koen Garden is the only garden that combines these six elements.'

So spacious areas don't allow seclusion, human design doesn't allow for a feeling of natural timelessness, and if there are too many waterfalls, streams and ponds, there won't be any panoramic views. From what we saw of the garden, it really does incorporate all six elements.

This Neagari Pine tree is about 200 years old. The heavy
branches are supported by the poles. It is said
that the tree was deliberately planted on a mound of soil
and the soil was removed to expose the roots once it grew.
Now as you can see, there are 40 roots exposed up to
6 feet from the ground.

The largest pond, Kasumigaike.

Hisago Pond and the Midori Waterfall in the distance.
Apparently the waterfall was recreated over and over
until it provided the sound the lord wanted.

There are even a couple of tea-houses in the garden, open
for guests to enjoy green tea or matcha.

This fountain is said to be the oldest in
Japan, built in the 1820s or 1830s. The water
comes from the larger pond and the
elevation difference allows it to rise to about
10 feet high.

Our tour guide showed us around the garden, as we all would probably have gotten lost on our own. She told us that she used to call the garden her 'office' since she spent so much of her guiding time there!

After we finished at the garden we headed toward our lunch and geisha performance stop. This restaurant, Ootomorou Ryotei is a Japanese-style dining house that is almost 200 years old! And the woman who owns it now is a direct descendant of the man who established it when he was master chef to the feudal lord.

We sat down to lunch in a private dining room with a small stage at one end.

Our two geisha entertainers introduced themselves to us all and gave each of us their calling cards. They suggested that if we kept the cards in our wallets they would give us good luck.

We began on our 7 course kaiseki lunch:

We didn't know the details of the lunch, except that it included fish and seafood, before we arrived. Some of the courses looked a bit daunting, and some of our tablemates balked at eating a few of the dishes. The only thing about that is that the staff would leave the unfinished plates on the table, expecting that, in accordance with Japanese practice, no food would be wasted and everything would be eaten. Once they were clear on the 'pickiness' of their visitors, they would take the plates away.  I had no problem with any of the food we were given, and neither did Larry for the most part. I think people were turned off by the cooked snail, much larger than an escargot, that came on the first plate!

 Courses 1 and 2: You can't see the snail in its shell from here, but it has the
toothpicks sticking out of it!

 Course 3: A light soup broth with a crab 'dumpling'
in the bottom.

Course 4: Tuna and Flounder sashimi

Course 5: Sea Bream stuffed with Okara, or soy pulp
which is actually very nutritious.

The flounder tasted really nice, too. The pink piece
on top is pickled ginger.

Course 7 and 8: The burnt rice in broth and pickled
vegetables. Don't know what happened to the duck;
maybe I was so engrossed in the entertainment that
I forgot to take the picture!

Our geishas interspersed the meal with their music, singing and dancing. And even invited audience participation to play the drums and a game that is probably the ancestor of 'Rock Paper Scissors'.

A word about the geisha, or geiko, as they are referred to in some cities. Rather than the negative connotation that they were 'ladies of the evening', this was not the case, nor is it that today. It is a rigorous 5-6 year apprenticeship to learn the traditional craft, including music, playing instruments, dance, and conducting tea ceremonies. Although there are only about 1,000 geisha working all over Japan, it is a respected traditional craft and no one makes fun of it. 

This lady was particularly talented at playing
the flute and the shamishen

And our dancer and singer led the audience participation, urging people to come up and play the drums while she sang a song. Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star was also in the rotation!

Of course, everyone had to have a photo taken
with our entertainers. They were lovely ladies.

The lady on the right is the current owner of the restaurant.

That was a fantastic lunch and a great tour. Our guide was very knowledgeable and helpful, and the geisha experience was one I wouldn't hesitate to recommend to anyone visiting Kanazawa, or for that matter to do again myself.