舞妓Maiko

A maiko (舞妓; IPA: MY-koh, Japanese:) is an apprentice geisha (geiko 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 15 to 20, and graduate to geiko status after a period of training that includes traditional dance, the shamisen, kouta (lit. '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 geiko despite still training.

Apprentice geisha in other locations in Japan are known by other terms, such as hangyoku (半玉, lit. '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.

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