This website is to provide information about maiko of Kyoto, Japan, to non-Japanese overseas.
Top > Maiko's Work
Function of Maiko
The job function of Maiko is to cheer up Ozashiki Party.
Of course, serving Sake, talk with client, carry some dishes in the case are also part of job.
By the necessity, make Maccha green tea like tea ceremony, too.As they are under age, they don’t drink alcoholic drinks.
Shamisen
Japanese three string instrument which has quadrilateral body and neck. It plays with Bachi.
Nagauta
Kind of song with shamisen music. One of the traditional song as same as Ziuta.
Ziuta
The original shamisen music. This is one of the traditional Japanese music as same as Nagauta.
Joruri
Playing style to talk serif, explanation of action and gesture song with shamisen music.
Mai
Kind of Japanese dance which makes rotating movement with folding fan and others under Shamisen music.
Tokiwazu
Kind of music which has balanced storytelling and song with Otoshi melody. It is common for Kabuki.
Kiyomoto
Kind of shamisen music’s Joruri
Kouta
Modern song of at that time and folk song with shamisen
Ozashiki Playing
Konpira Fune Fune
Face to Maiko and put a cup on a small table. And start to sing “Konpira fune fune ……” and put the hand over the cup by turns. Put the hand open when the opponent got the cup and if not closed. The missed person is the loser.
Omawarisan
Face to Maiko across a drum and play the game of paper, stone and scissors. The winner hit the drum and the loser round one time the drum. Two times continuously loosing is the loser.
Toratora
This is kind of the game of paper, stone and scissors by gesture which is worrior, old woman and tiger. It plays across a folding screen and comes out with the gesture each other.
Ohirakisan
Stand facing each other and play the game of paper, stone and scissors. The looser opens the leg little by little and the person who falls down is the loser.
Zintori
Man and a woman as a pair and rid on a new paper. Play the game of paper, stone and scissors and the pair of looser make the half the news paper. The pair who could not stay on the news paper is looser.
Tosenkyo
On a box (made) of paulownia wood put a target and let fly a opened folding fan. This is a game to compare the score.
Ancient and modern Maiko
When talk about maiko, it is common to hear about Mizuage.
This is one of the reasons but as this word, Maiko sometimes recognized as prostitute even now.Mizuage was some rich people bought Maiko who was known and played through Ozashiki party. This was not does not matter of opinion of Maiko. It was a system of traffic human.
Okiya was sold with a lot of money as they grew up the Maiko invested for a long time. Of course, there is no like that system.
Actual Mizuage is based on Maiko’s mind and if not it does not realize.
And it is not matter of physical relationship or not. The word Mizuage is same but the contents are totally different which a person help economically a Maiko.
Perhaps they fall in love but if she is a Maiko, the person has to pay Mizuage cost anyway.
Maiko training cost a lot for educating so maybe Okiya is charging those fees from the person.