Geisha (芸者), geiko (芸子) or geigi (芸妓) are traditional, female Japanese entertainers whose skills include performing various Japanese arts such as classical music and dance.
Apprentice geisha are called maiko (舞子 or 舞妓), literally "dance child") or hangyoku (半玉), "half-jewel" (meaning that they are paid half of the wage of a full geisha),[2] or by the more generic term o-shaku (御酌), literally "one who pours (alcohol)".
The only modern maiko that can apprentice before the age of eighteen are in Kyoto.[3]
So on average, Tokyo hangyoku (who typically begin at 18) are slightly
older than their Kyoto counterparts (who usually start at 15).[4]
It is still said that geisha inhabit a separate reality which they call the karyūkai or "the flower and willow world." Before they disappeared the courtesans were the colorful "flowers" and the geisha the "willows" because of their subtlety, strength, and grace.[5]
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