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A maiko is a trainee geisha in her final stages of training and here she is led into Yasaka Jinja by her mentor, or “mother, to perform for the Setsubun Festival.
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| This is a “Komainu” statue outside the main entrance to Yasaka-jinja Shrine in the Higashiyama area of Kyoto.
The word Komainu literally means Korean dog and is thought to derive from the Japanese word Koma that refers to the Koguryo kingdom of Korea. Over the years they have been placed at the entrances to Japanese shrines to ward off evil spirits and have taken on the open and closed mouth depictions of the “Ah-Un” statues. “Ah” represents the open, inhaling mouth and”un” represents the closed or exhaling mouth. Together they represent eternity, cyclicality and an unspoken bond between the guardians. In the early Heian period (9th century) the two statues were clearly distinguished: the figure on the left, called shishi 獅子 (lion), resembled a lion with its mouth open (agyou 阿形); the figure on the right, called komainu 狛犬 (Korean dog), resembled a dog with its mouth closed (ungyou 吽形), and sometimes had a horn on its head like the one depicted here. Gradually the term komainu came to be used for both statues, and their shapes became indistinguishable except for the open and closed mouths (a-un 阿吽). |
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This row of metallic lanterns hangs in Yasaka Jinja in the eastern area Higashiyama in Kyoto. While everyone else is looking at the stage it’s easy to miss the details. |
| Maiko are trainee geisha in their last stage of training. These Maiko-san making their way to Yasaka-jinja’s stage to perform a rare dance for the common people of Kyoto on February 3rd 2010 for Setsubun Festival. Their names are Miharu, Kanoyumi, Kanoka and Ryouka. They are from the Gion Higashi school, historically one of the two lower tier schools of the 5 main geisha houses of Kyoto. Due some recent resignations they are now, sadly, the only four remaining trainee geisha of the Gion Higashi Hanamachi.
In this shot Kanoyumi is walking in front of Kanoka, which is unusual in the traditional geisha power structure. |
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On the 3rd of February 2010 Japan celebrated the Setsubun festival during which roasted soya beans are scattered throughout the house and people call the phrase “oni ha soto, fuku ha uchi” (“demons out, good fortune in”).
Maiko-san usually perform in private ceremonies for rich sarariman on company expense accounts, so public performances such as this one are rarities. As such the people of Kyoto are out in force to get a glimpse of them as they move elegantly through the streets. |
| The Maiko dance on Yasaka-jinja’s stage before packets of roasted soya beans are thrown out into the crowd. To catch a packet is considered good luck. However, to do so one must put one’s camera, not to mention kidneys, in the paths of people who have sharp elbows and are not afraid to use them.
One is also expected to eat the number of soya beans equivalent to one’s age plus one. Given how dry and powdery roasted soya beans can be, this is a more difficult task than you might expect. The Of Rice and Zen team have been know to remember Setsubun’s refrain using the following mnemonic: uni ha soto, fuku ha uchi (“the sea urchins go outside and the clothes go inside”). To us this is considered a useful aide de memoire, but to most Japanese acquaintances such devices are considered oyajigyagu (“old man gag”) and are considered deeply uncool. |
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Maiko (literally “dance girl”) are apprentice geisha, and this stage can last for years. Maiko learns from their senior geisha mentor and follows them around to all their engagements. The onee-san and imouto-san (senior/junior, literally “older sister/younger sister”) relationship is important. Since the onee-san teaches her maiko everything about working in the hanamachi, her teaching is vital.
There are 5 different hairstyles that the maiko wear, that mark the different stages of her apprenticeship. Maiko learn proper ways of serving tea, playing shamisen, dancing, casual conversation and more. The one-san will even help pick her little sister’s new professional name, choosing appropriate kanji with the fitting connotations. |
| Some years the maiko arrive early to practice their dance in this sub-building of Yasaka-jinja if their mentors deem the practice necessary. Arriving early on the day of Setsubun can yield a tantalising glimpse through the window at these rehearsals. It’s a privileged and unforgettable sight.
In this shot we see the girl in pink, named Kanoyumi, is helping the maiko in the black kimono, Kanoka, to remove her footwear. |
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| The geisha world is remarkable for the matronly women in green. In a male dominated society where marriage is often unrelated to love, men have long been expected to seek romantic partners outside of the home and an entire industry has existed to cater to this sizable market. Despite this, geisha training houses, or okiya, have always been run by shrewd and reputedly strict older geisha, who graduate from entertaining businessmen to themselves running the business of training new maiko and maintaining the good reputation of their school.
The system traditionally resembled indentured servitude in that by working the maiko is considered to be paying back the cost of keeping, clothing and training her until she herself can become a fully fledged entertainer and receive her full salary allowance. |
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