Maiko and Geiko differ in their dress. The differences are fairly easy to discern once you know what to look for. Makeup is always done while wearing undergarments, or juban, to keep the kimono from being damaged . Both maiko and geiko wear white makeup. It is a powder that is mixed with water and turned into a paste, called oshiroi. Before the oshiroi is applied, the skin is rubbed with oil and wax (to help the makeup to stick). The white paste is then brushed on, leaving a gap only around the hairline and at the base of the neck. The bit of skin at the back of the neck is painted into the shape of a serpent's tongue and is thought to be highly sensual in Japanese society. A thin layer of powder is patted on carefully to seal the oshiroi and create a matte finish. Eyeliner is then applied and a tiny amount of red is added to the corner of the eyes. The eyebrows are brushed on softly in grey or black and sometimes highlighted with red. A geiko will sometimes leave out the red on her eyes and eyebrows completely. Last but not least, the lips. They are outlined first and then filled with color using a thin paintbrush. The red lip paint, called kyobeni, is made from safflower and often has an iridescent sheen when still in the container. A geisha is expected to evaluate her features and apply her makeup in the most flattering way possible. Young maiko will often require help from their older sisters or okasan to apply her makeup. A mature geiko may wear simpler, western-style makeup once she has been working for 3 years.
A kimono is a very difficult thing to put on. A Geiko kimono, or hikizuri, is even harder. That is why the geiko prefer to have a dresser stop by and do it for them. Kimono dressers are usually men and are called otokosu. Their trade is passed down through generations and takes a lot of practice and hard work. It is very much like a puzzle which only an expert can put together. Piece by piece, they pull, tuck, tie, and fasten until every bit of the geiko is covered in beautiful fabric and tied in an elegant obi.
A kimono can cost many tens-of-thousands of dollars, as can the obi. A geiko's kimono are her livelihood and her fortune. She needs at least one for each season but will probably have a thousand or more. Most of them she will wear only once, and then store carefully away in fire-proof containers. Most okiya have a separate kimono storehouse. Maiko kimono are often owned by the okiya and are passed through generations of trainee geisha. The geisha kimono is different in construction and style than the typical kimono. It hangs lower in the back to reveal the neck and the top of the back. It is also much longer than a common kimono and drags behind the geisha as she walks. During the summer months a thinner kimono made of cotton, called a yukata, is sometimes worn, but the dressing continues to be elaborate in the evenings when geisha attend banquets. In place of a purse, geiko and maiko always carry a bag with a basket weave bottom topped by a silk drawstring pouch called an ozashiki-kago.
Geiko and Maiko wear different shoes along with their tabi socks . The geiko wear a slightly-raised, flip-flop looking sandal, called zori. Maiko wear a tall, wooden, platform sandal called an okobo to keep her kimono from dragging. Okobo are made of kiri wood, can be black-laquered or light wood-colored, and usually contain a small bell which jingles when the wearer walks. The straps of a maiko's okobo, or hanao, change in color throughout her career denoting various advancements in her station. During the summer, sandals called geta are worn without socks to accommodate warm weather during the day. Tabi are always worn to parties and engagements. *Note - I make no claims about my technical-art abilities... Also, please don't use my drawings.
© Sofia Patterson Karyukai