Updated November 5, 2024
Is it possible to know the differences between a maiko and a geisha/geiko at first sight? When you see one of them in the streets of Gion, Miyagawacho or Kamishichiken, can you tell them apart? Here are some useful information for you to distinguish a maiko from a geisha.
It is highly probable for you to have seen pictures of maikos and geishas and not be able to say which one is who, maybe because we are not aware that there are some remarkable differences between them. Let’s remember that a maiko is a geisha/geiko’s apprentice, which means that this young girl is in the process of learning and doesn’t have the knowledge or the experience of a geisha.
Kimono
The kimono is a Japanese traditional dress that maikos and geishas still wear nowadays, to work and in their daily life. To distinguish a maiko from a geisha from just their kimono, we have to pay attention to the kind of kimono they are wearing, to the kind of pattern, and the colors.
In the very beginning, the type of kimono doesn’t have anything to do with their rank or experience but with their age and the formality of the event. Depending on their age the lady wears a different kind of kimono, the “tomesode” or short size sleeves kimono (for the more grown-up ladies or geishas) and the “furisode” or long size sleeves kimono (usually for the younger ones, the maikos). This way we can easily know if the sleeves of the woman are long her kimono would be furisode kind and the young lady would probably be a maiko, and if they are short, the kimono would be tomesode kind and the lady may be a geisha.
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On the other hand the patterns for the maiko’s kimonos are always more colorful and striking than the geisha ones which are more subtle and discreet.
The inner kimono or “nagajuban” is one of the things that can help us to distinguish maikos from geishas, the inner kimono of a maiko will always be red color while the geisha’s inner kimono will be pink color with patterns in white.
The kimono’s neck called “han eri” is one of the most distinguishable elements on their outfit, geishas always wear a pure with color neck collar while the maikos use a collar with some red embroidery. You have to keep in mind that the quantity of red embroidery in the han eri of a maiko varies depending on her youth and knowledge. If the maiko is on the first steps of her apprenticeship, her han eri will have more red embroidery.
The Obi
The obi is kind of a width belt or strip that men and women use to tie and hold on the kimono. This clothing piece is maybe one of the easiest to quickly differentiate from one another. When the maiko is working, she always wears an obi called “darari”, this type of obi is only for maikos, no one else but maikos wear them. The darari is really extravagant as it has around 19.69 ft. of length, the width on the front covers the whole chest, and the designs are usually of golden or silver color on the stomach area. On the contrary, the geisha’s obi are shorter, and they also have different ways of tie them on the back. This form of obi is called “maru” or “fukuro”.
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Hairstyle
The first thing we have to know about this is that maikos hair is combed into elaborate traditional hairstyles while geishas use a natural hair-based wig made exclusively for them.
In the matter of hair accessories, both maikos and geishas use “kanzashi” beautiful hair ornaments, although maikos (as usual) tend to use more extravagant and colorful kanzashi while geishas are simpler.
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