Portraits of Maiko

Maiko San are Geiko (Kyoto Geisha) in training, learning advanced skills in music, dance, conversation, and other traditional Japanese arts. This project documents a fast-disappearing facet of traditional Japanese culture. It is estimated that there are only about 1,000 geisha remaining in Japan today, from an estimated 80,000 a hundred years ago. I am currently making several trips per year to photograph in Kyoto and expand the series with the goal of an eventual book release. A selection of hand-made silver gelatin prints from “Portraits of Maiko” is available here, with more prints being added as the project evolves.