Another topic about the Geisha. 

Last week I learned the history and the culture background about the Geisha. This week, I learned about their elaborate kimono, their white make-up, and their traditional hairstyles.

Hair style

Maiko are slaves to their hairstyles while Geisha can relax. 

Maiko wear their natural hair. It is a lot of work for Maiko to style their hair. They must be very careful to keep it in place. They may sleep on a special neck brace known as a takamakura instead of a pillow. The large decorative hairpins are called Kanzashi. These have seasonal themes such as sakura blossoms. 

Geisha wear smaller, less decorative hairpins or wigs (假发).

make-up

Maiko and Geisha wear similar makeup. However, Maiko use a noticeable amount of red makeup around the eyes, and more pink on their cheeks and around their eyes. 

First year Maikos will have only their lower lip painted red, while maikos in the second year of training and beyond will have both lips painted. 

Geisha’s eyebrows will only have a touch of red, while their eyes are only outline in balck. The lips will be painted bright red.

Kimono

Geisha always wear kimono. It’s also a way to tell the difference between a maiko and a geisha and between a child geisha and an adult geisha. Unlike a regular kimono, a geisha kimono exposes her neckline - in Japanese culture, this is considered the most sensual part of a woman.

Maiko  (舞伎) , which refers to apprentice, wears a kimono that has extra long sleeves (they touch the ground when she drops her arms) and is very long, colourful and intricately adorned with embroidery or hand-painted designs. Her collar is red, and her obi  (日本妇女和富商装饰用的宽腰带) is long and wide. The collar of a Maiko’s kimono is decorative and usually has red in it. 

Geisha wears a less busy kimono. Typical they select a refined kimono that’s a solid colour with a small pattern. Geisha wear kimono with shorter sleeves.The collar of a geisha’s kimono is white.

Okobo

Maiko wears tall wooden clogs called okobo to keep her kimono from dragging on the ground. Learning to walk in this outfit without falling over is part of her training. 

Geisha wear geta that are lower.