Hi all,
I was thinking about it and i really don't know
My question is when maiko has onesan and she decided to quit. So what now? She'll have another maiko or geiko sister or she must living without her but wjhat about if she's very young and she just stared her career so what now?

And the second is: when maiko has an geiko onesan, and later she's becoming a geiko so theirs relationship is the same? Onesan did everything to her, she showed her geisha's live, so what now?

Please, can you explain it for me?

just my thoughts:

to your first question, as far as i know, someone else would take over the responsibility for the young maiko. maybe another geiko of the okiya. (wasn't there something about mamechiho being onesan to mamehana? but... oh man XD who knows? )

the onesan-relationship will never change, the onesan will be onesan for ever and ever. actually the apprenticeship of a maiko doesn't stop or is finished, when she is geiko. she didn't learn everything, she is still learning, goes to school and is improving her skills.

thank you so much mariko
it wasn't really clear for me

Same thing with the whole Ninben Okiya girls.

Geiko Mamechika is oneesan to Maiko Mamechiho, but then she later retired and leave Mamechiho, who was still a junior maiko. So, Geiko Mamehiro [Mamechika's oneesan] "step in" to help Mamechiho thru out her whole training.

This same event happen later in the line to Maiko Mamechiho little sister Maiko Mamesaho.

Just a little after Mamesaho little sister Maiko Mamehana debuted, Mamesaho quit.
Mamehana was just a maiko for 2 months, and her sister quit just like that, leaving her ! Big blow to the okiya and to the 'oneesan relationship'. So now Mamehana is learning under the wings of Mamechiho.
-I bet you Mamechiho feel some sympathy for Mamehana since that same event happen to her.

I also learned that, you can have only one little sister at a time. When your little sister became an independent geiko, you may take a new girl to be your little sister.

- Some maiko & geiko go through thier whole entire career stage without a little sister, and that is simply because;

1] When you're a maiko, you can't choose to have a little sister or not, the okaasan of your yakata choose it for you. The okaasan is wise to know when you're responsible enought to have a little sister.
2] When you're a geiko, the decision is up on you, you can choose to except little sister or deny the offer. But some geiko is old enough to know themself, they know they do not have the time to pass down their knowledge.
3] When you're a popular maiko or geiko, and you have a young little sister/freshly debuted maiko. And suddenly she QUIT. All blames are on you, and to some big sisters that might be a big blow to their status and they don't like to take that risk.

Yeah, that's right.
But you know, maiko isn't a full geisha co she hacn't got many voice in dessicions.
But when you're a geiko you're ful geisha so you have your own choice, and you're not ''belong'' to okasan at some point.

Mamechika was not the big sister of Mamechiho, Mamehiro is it. And probably for all the other maikos in the Ninben okiya as well.



Tohsihana is the big sister of many of the toshi-maikos...

may i ask you where you got that information about only having one little sister?

I saw the video "The Secret Life of Geisha" document.
Where the narrator once said a "geiko may have only one little sister at a time" When her little sister "became an independent geiko, the geiko may take a new girl to be her little sister"
-It could be wrong since it was recorded in 1999 and the translation was blurry- and not accurate . I came to except it, what is your information on "oneesan relationship" Ichisumi? I would love it for you to share your knowledge.

It can be like the maiko can have an only one imouto but geiko more than one or something like that. I was watching ,,The Secret...'' and i thin that Yuio was talking about that.
Well, but thank you _qd
I'll search more of that. Try to if that's somewhere.

Yes, it can be like that.
Senior Maiko rarely have little sister.
-if they do, they can only have one at a time.
I know Geiko can have up to 2 or more.
-[ex. Geiko Kikuno have two little sister, Kikuyu who is still a senior Maiko & Kikune who is a junior Maiko.]