Gion, Kyoto, Japan

Gion is not the pictures but the experience!

Trivia:

First of all, becoming a Geisha is a PRIVILEGE and has to be EARNED!!!!!

Geisha: The word Geisha literally translates to "arts person" or "one trained in arts" (gei = art, sha = person). It is also sometimes described as "women of arts, which is exactly what a Geisha is - a woman trained in the traditional arts of Japan such as dance, music, singing to name a few.

Maiko: The word Maiko literally translates to "dancing child" (mai = dance, ko = child), but is also referred to as "dancing girl". A Maiko is an apprentice Geisha who must must undergo a period of training that generally takes 5 years, where she learns the various "gei" (arts) such as dancing, singing, music etc before she becomes a Geisha.

Geiko: The word Geiko (gei = art, ko = child) is another way of saying Geisha in the Kyoto hanamachi jargon. It is predominately used by Geisha of the Kyoto districts. The word Geisha is now the more well known version of the word in the West.

Whist their appearances are very similar, the main difference between Geiko and Geisha is largely their location, and also certain customs and traditions. Geiko's in Kyoto would consider Geisha's in Edo (Tokyo) unsophisticated, while Geisha's in Edo would consider Geikos too uptight, nose sticking up to the sky artists.

Are Maiko and Geisha women of easy morals? Most certainly not! A Maiko and Geisha's profession is based on preserving the traditional arts such as dance, singing, music and entertaining in a non-western manner. However, they are people too and form relationships, like the rest of women on earth. Usually their sophistication and training is carried along in their personal life. The man in a Geisha's life is called Dana (sponsor) and is usually carefully chosen by the senior Geisha who is the master of the house where the young Geisha apprenticed as a Maiko.

The confusion as to whether Geisha are women of easy morals or not seems to have stemmed both from the close proximity Geisha had to courtesans in the Edo era and the fact that they did technically originate from the red lantern districts. The main culprit though appears to be from post World War II occupation by U.S. service men.

Many U.S. service came home from Japan with wild and raunchy stories of "Gee-sha Girls" whom, for most of the part where not in fact real Geisha, but rather, Japanese women in need of fast cash, masquerading or calling themselves "Geisha", largely because it was easiest for the service men to understand.

Of course, the large majority of service men did not know the difference, as it was not part of their boot camp training, and despite the survival of the Geisha districts after the enforcement of the women at night work laws in 1957 (sorry, you missed your chance) and the subsequent closure of the red lantern districts, the misconception has haunted the flower and willow world ever since.

How to tell a Geisha from a Maiko in Gion. Well, if you cannot tell which is which, it shows a perfect luck of sophistication on your part. May be, if you are good, in the next life you will be born as a Dana, Oiran or Tayuu (look it up).

It is actually very simple and easy to distinguish between the two. Starting from head to toe, the main points of difference are:

Hairstyle: Maiko have their natural hair dressed in various traditional styles according to their position in the Maiko hierarchy. Junior Maiko wear the Wareshinobu style and progress onto the Ofuku style as she becomes a senior Maiko. As a senior Maiko, she has the privilege to wear her hair in the Katsuyama style and Yakko Shimada style for special occasions, and finally the Sakkou hairstyle, right before she becomes a Geisha. The maiko of the Pontocho hanamachi wear an additional 5 hairstyles through the duration of their training: Umemodoki, Oshidori no Hina, Osa Bune/fune, Mizu/sui Guruma and Ikiguruma. Geisha wear a katsura (wig) in the Shimada-mage style (or traditional style of choice).

Kanzashi: Maiko wear a wide variety of kanzashi such as tsumami kanzashi (also called hana kanzashi) made from habutae silk. They also wear kushi or tenkazari with silk. These ornaments generally correspond with the relevant season and month. Geisha only wear a few pins and a kushi in their hair which are generally plain in style and not covered in silk. The exception being a Geisha performing a formal tea-ceremony, where she may wear a small hana-kanzashi.  Like many things in Japan, some of these rules are results of sumptuary regulations imposed on Geisha (during the Edo era).

Make Up: Maiko paint their faces white, but leave a line of bare skin around their natural hairline. There is also a greater amount of pink blush on the cheek and eye area, and her eyes and eyebrows have a noticeable amount of red. She will also only partially paint her lips in (refer to the diagrams below). When Geisha wear the white make-up, they leave no bare hair line, due to them wearing katsura. They have minimal amount of red outlining the eyes and eyebrows, and the pink blush is subtle. She will paint her lips almost in full. A Geisha not wearing white make up will wear a subtle, often natural shade of make-up and her hair pulled back in a simple bun.

Kimono:Maiko kimono is a noisy (yet tasteful) and colourful affair. She wears a hikizuri kimono which has the long furisode sleeves that hang down near her ankles. The upper half of her sleeve will have a tuck along the width, and her shoulders will also have a tuck. Geisha wear the much more refined hikizuri kimono with shorter sleeve length or homongi, if she is not wearing the traditional hairstyle and make-up. Generally, the kimono will be of one solid colour with a subtle pattern towards the bottom.

• Obi:Maiko's obi are long and wide, generally covering a good proportion of her torso from her hip bone to her breast. The back of the obi bow dangles down to her ankles. Geisha wear a narrower obi of a more subtle pattern and generally tie it in the refined Taiko box bow.

• Collar: With the kimono, Maiko wear a thick heavy embroidered collar. The collar starts of predominately red, with a smattering of white and silver patterns on it, and as she increases in age and experience, it slowly turns to white. The back of the collar though remains red until she turns into a Geisha. A Geisha wears a wide, yet simple white collar.

• Geta: Last, but not least - Maiko wear Okobo - high, unpainted wooden clogs that have a bell on the inside of them. Geisha wear either zori (sandals) or geta, depending on the occasion. (www.egeorgeonline.com/getapage/okobo.html)

Of course, there are many other subtle differences that will be pointed out to you when you go to Japan. For now, if you memorize the above, you will not be thrown out from the traditional tea ceremony.

Last Site Update: 12/5/2017
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