Hello everyone! I’m Saki, a makeup staff member!
This may be a sudden question, but do you know anyone called “Maiko”?
Maiko is one of the traditional cultures of Kyoto, and refers to young women who perform dances and serve customers at places called “Ozashiki”.
In fact, they are special people who are difficult to meet even if we live in Kyoto like we do!
However, even among Japanese people, they are so famous that “when you think of Kyoto, you think of Maiko.”
In this blog, I would like to introduce in a little more detail what kind of people Maiko are!
First, I’d like to explain how Maiko began.
Maiko is said to have originated about 300 years ago.
Maiko originally worked at a shop called “Mizuchaya” near shrines and temples in Kyoto, where we served worshippers.
“Mizuchaya” is a cafe-like establishment that existed in old Japan, and Maiko was both a waitress and a sales girl there.
At first, they worked as waitresses, but to attract more customers, they began performing dances.
Currently, the main job of they is to perform dances at a place called “Ozashiki”, and they have come to be called Maiko, which means “children who perform dances”.
*perform dances is “Mai wo Mau” in Japanese.
What age girl do you think could become Maiko?
Amazingly, girls over 15 years old who have graduated from junior high school work as Maiko.
What’s even more surprising is that in the past, girls aged 10 to 13 were often cast as Maiko!
Those who want to become Maiko first practice by living and helping out at a place called “Okiya” or “Yakata”.
During this period, they are called “Shikomi”, and they learn etiquette, Hanamachikotoba and dance.
After that, there is a period called “Minarai” where students go to Ozashiki and other places with their seniors for practical training for about a month.
Once they clear this, they will be able to debut as Maiko.
Debuting as Maiko is called “Misedashi”.
By the way, the person you call “Geisya” is called “Geiko” in Kyoto.
In fact, both refer to the same Maiko’s senior!
As you can see in the photo below, they wear kimonos with simpler designs than Maiko, and they dress in more mature styles with almost no hair accessories.
I want to sharing some more Geiko trivia on another day, so stay tuned!
This time, we introduced some simple trivia about Maiko.
How did you like it?
I hope that everyone who reads this blog will become at least a little interested in Maiko!
And there’s even more trivia about Maiko!
In my next blog, I would like to introduce Maiko’s makeup, so please read on!
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