Title:
Maiko (Geisha apprentice), Kyoto, Honshu, Japan.
Caption:
Maiko girls are Geisha apprentices. They usually start their 5 or 6
year training at the age of 14 or 15. After 6 month, they receive the
title of Maiko. They learn traditional skills such as Japanese ancient
dance, singing, playing a three-string instrument called shamisen, the
ikebana flower arrangement, the art of wearing a kimono, the ocha tea
ceremony, and calligraphy. They also learn social skills such as proper
conversation, and the art to serve food and alcohol. When a Maiko
becomes 20 years old, she must decide whether to quit or to become a
geisha. She will become a geisha after an erigae ceremony, which
literally means change of collars.
It is a long and difficult training. Geishas aspire to a style called
iki, in which their goal in life is to reach perfection in their chosen
skill, whether it is music, singing or dancing and become the object of
art themselves. Geisha women along with Sumo fighters might be the last
professions representing centuries of traditions in a country that has
seen one of the most spectacular growth and changes over the last 50
years.
