Geisha and maiko - Female Japanese performance artists

Geisha also known as geiko (in Kyoto and Kanazawa) or geigi are a class of female Japanese performance artists and entertainers trained in traditional Japanese performing arts styles, such as dance, music and singing, as well as being proficient conversationalists and hosts.

A geisha’s appearance changes symbolically throughout her career, representing her training and seniority. These constitute changes in hairstyle, hair accessories, and kimono style. Both maiko and geisha wear traditional white foundation known as oshiroi. The hairline too is not painted white so as to give an illusion of a mask.

Maiko use their own hair to make the hairstyle and have elaborate “hana-kanzashi” or a flower comb made out of silk with other ornaments to decorate their hair.
Geisha use wigs instead of their own hair and have only simple decorative combs or “kanzashi” in their hair.

They later to finish off this dramatic look stained the teeth black with a mixture of oxidized iron steeped in an acidic solution. The custom of teeth blackening does not prevail now for Geisha and is now only used by kabuki actors and by Maikos for the week before they become Geisha.