Maiko

A 舞妓 is an apprentice geisha in Kyoto. Their jobs consist of performing songs, dances, and playing the shamisen or other traditional Japanese instruments for visitors during banquets and parties, known as ozashiki. Maiko are usually aged 17 to 20, and graduate to geisha status after a period of training that includes traditional dance, the shamisen, short songs, and, in Kyoto only, learning the Kyoto dialect. The apprenticeship ranges from a few months to a year or two years, although apprentices too old to dress as maiko may advance to geisha despite still training. Apprentice geisha in other locations in Japan are known by other terms, such as half jewel, referring to a term for a geisha's wages, 'jewel money' for apprentices in Tokyo. The traditions of apprentice geisha in these areas diverge from those in Kyoto, sometimes to a considerable degree, including an apprentice's appearance and the structure of her apprenticeship. In the morning, maiko take lessons in the traditional arts. At night, they dance, sing, play the shamisen, and serve visitors at exclusive ochaya (teahouses). Maiko originated from women who served green tea and dango (Japanese dumpling made from rice flour) to visitors to the Kitano Tenman-gū or Yasaka Shrine in teahouses in Kyoto about 300 years ago. Nihongami#Maiko During their career, maiko will wear different kinds of nihongami (traditional Japanese hairstyles) depending on rank, formality and occasion. These hairstyles are then decorated with seasonal and occasional kanzashi (traditional hair ornaments). Most maiko, unlike geisha, use their own hair with the addition of extensions, though apprentices in different areas of Japan may also use wigs. Maiko using their own hair have their hair restyled every week, requiring them to sleep on a special pillow known as a takamakura – a raised wooden block with a pillow – in order to maintain it. Most maiko wear a style of kimono known as a trailing skirt. Hikizuri are typically anywhere from long, and often feature a lightly padded hem to create weight allowing the skirt to trail along the floor.