A melancholic image of the young Japanese geiko Momotaro wearing a slightly modern Japanese hairstyle.
She is holding her hand, hidden in a piece of cloth, close to her chin. It makes her look very bashful and shy. During the early 20th century, picture postcards of bijin (beautiful women) were extremely popular in Japan (see Woman with Rose)
Thanks to Naomi Graham, for giving a name to this beautiful face. This is Momotaro (桃太郎), who was a maiko, and later a geiko in Gion Kobu, the largest hanamachi (geisha district) in Kyoto.
It is difficult to date this photo, but it is either from the late 1910s, or early 1920s.
Published
Updated
Reader Supported
Old Photos of Japan aims to be your personal museum for Japan's visual heritage and to bring the experiences of everyday life in old Japan to you.
To enhance our understanding of Japanese culture and society I track down, acquire, archive, and research images of everyday life, and give them context.
I share what I have found for free on this site, without ads or selling your data.
Your support helps me to continue doing so, and ensures that this exceptional visual heritage will not be lost and forgotten.
Thank you,
Kjeld Duits
Reference for Citations
Duits, Kjeld (). 1910s: Momotaro in Striped Kimono, OLD PHOTOS of JAPAN. Retrieved on November 1, 2025 (GMT) from https://www.oldphotosjapan.com/photos/396/woman-in-striped-kimono
Naomi Graham
This is a very lovely photograph of my favourite postcard models!
I believe her name is Momotaro, and she was a maiko / geiko in Kyoto during Taisho era. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find out any further information about her, but she appears to have been a very popular model at the time!
I’ve spent many years collecting postcards of her (here is my collection of Momotaro postcards) and even have one from the same photo shoot (you’ll notice her haneri, kimono and hairstyle is the same).
Thank you for sharing!
#000414 ·
Kjeld Duits (Author)
Thanks, Naomi, for sharing that information. I just did a quick search in Japanese, but Momotaro is such a common name because of the fairy-tale that I wasn’t able to find anything. I am amazed at how many cards you have of her. Even more amazing, somehow I managed to find a card that is not yet part of your large collection.
#000415 ·