Maiko

[1] 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 17 to 20, and graduate to geisha status after a period of training that includes traditional dance, the shamisen, kouta (lit.

Maiko originated from women who served green tea and dango (Japanese dumpling made from rice flour) to visitors to the Kitano Tenman-gū or Yasaka Shrine in teahouses in Kyoto about 300 years ago.[when?]

During their career, maiko will wear different kinds of nihongami (traditional Japanese hairstyles) depending on rank, formality and occasion.

Hikizuri are typically anywhere from 200–240 centimetres (79–94 in) long, and often feature a lightly padded hem to create weight allowing the skirt to trail along the floor.

For formal occasions, maiko wear a black kurotomesode-style hikizuri featuring 5 crests (kamon) to signify the okiya they belong to.