Maiko

rdf:langString Maiko

rdf:langString A maiko (舞妓, IPA: /ˈmaɪkoʊ/ MY-koh, Japanese: [maiko]) is an apprentice geisha in Kyoto and Western Japan. 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 between 17 to 20 years old, and graduate to geisha status after a period of training, which includes learning traditional dance, learning to play the shamisen, learning to sing (lit. 'short songs'), and, in Kyoto only, learning the Kyoto dialect. This apprenticeship usually ranges from a period of a few months to a year or two years, though apprentices too old to dress as maiko may instead skip to the stage of geisha, despite still being in training. Apprentice geisha in other locations in Japan are known by other terms, such as hangyoku (半玉, lit. 'half jewel', referring to one term for a geisha's wages, "jewel money") for apprentices in Tokyo. The traditions of apprentice geisha in these areas vary from those in Kyoto, sometimes to a considerable degree, including an apprentice's appearance and the structure of their apprenticeship.