Meet the Maiko

Currently on her first trip to India as part of the Cool Japan festival in Mumbai that ends today,Korin (she doesn’t use her last name) is,in fact,a maiko. “Maiko is an apprentice geisha,the traditional female Japanese entertainers who entertain through classical music and dance,” Korin explains through the emcee Yuko,who acts as her interpreter.

The differences between a maiko and a geisha,she says,are many. Japanese culture strictly observes hierarchy. As a maiko,her obi belt falls as a drape at the back unlike a geisha’s,who wears it tied up. Also,while the latter wear wigs,maikos spend over an hour getting their hair done,which lasts them for a week. “My regular workday begins at 4 pm and goes on till midnight. At night,I remove my hair accessories,make-up and attire. But my hairdo has to stay intact as we are allowed to get our hair done only once a week. We use a special pillow to ensure that it remains intact,” she adds.

The apprenticeship lasts between two to five years. Korin recalls how she pursued her geisha ambitions. “Aspiring geishas are usually introduced by the practising ones. But since I didn’t know anyone from the profession,I applied online to an okia — the lodging house for maikos and geishas — in Kyoto. When I got selected two years ago,at 15,to become a maiko,I had to move out of my home,which is in a small town in the Kochi Prefecture to the city of Kyoto,” she says.

Kyoto then,serves as a training ground where geishas and maikos learn dancing,singing,playing the tsuzumi and taiko drums and Sadou,the traditional Japanese tea-preparing ceremony. Korin is still three years away from completing her training but her grace and poise are evident in her performance. “I am glad the training has paid off so well; the audience in Mumbai has been very kind. But this is just the beginning and I have so much more to learn,” she says.