The okiya is the lodging house a maiko or geisha lives in during the length of her nenki, or contract or career as a geisha. A young woman's first step toward becoming a geisha is to be accepted into an okiya (boarding house), a geisha house owned by the woman who will pay for her training. The proprietress of the okiya is called okaasan (the Japanese word for "mother"). The okiya normally pays all expenses, including for kimono and training. The okiya plays a large part in the life of a geiko or maiko, as the women in the okiya become her geisha family, and the Okaasan manages her career in the karyukai (flower and willow world). Plaques like the ones featured in the image tell which maiko and geiko live in which okiya.
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