An okiya is the lodging house/drinking establishment to which a maiko or geisha is affiliated with during her career in the karyūkai. The okiya funds the training of affiliates under certain ochaya and has its own "branch" of names that link them together - for instance, many geisha trained at the Dai-Ichi teahouse in Pontochō have names that begin with Ichi-. The mother of the house handles a young geisha's engagements, supports her training, and helps her develop her skills through arranging lessons in dancing, singing, musical instruments, and tea ceremony. A geisha is legally required to be affiliated with an okiya in order to be registered in their localhanamachi, though she may not actually live there.
Living arrangements
Many geisha live in the okiya they are affiliated with, though in modern times it has become more common for geisha to live independently. As Kyoto holds more strictly to tradition in the karyūkai, it is more likely that a Kyoto geisha will live in her okiya instead of commuting in from an apartment. A geisha will keep her kimono at the okiya as this is where she dresses for the evening before going to engagements. There may be more than one geisha or maiko living in an okiya at any given point and it is possible for the mother ofthe house to still be an active geisha, though there are no requirements for a house to have any geisha at all in order to keep its license.
Financial arrangements
Depending on financial arrangement, a geisha may start by loaning everything from the okiya - room, board, and kimono - and slowly pay this back over time. Under this system, until she has paid off everything, all her tips and wages go to the okiya, though she is given an allowance by the mother of the house. This generally takes over two years, requires a geisha to have an external guarantor, and the mother to keep detailed records. Some mothers will not take geisha on under this arrangement as it may be too much hassle. Instead, a geisha may be independent from the start - buy her own kimono, choose to live outside the okiya if she wishes, and only pay for the fee of affiliation. This is referred to as being jimae. Dependent geisha who have paid off all of their debts are also referred to as being jimae.
Succession of owners
Okiya are usually required to be owned and run by women, who are referred to as "mother" by the geisha and maiko affiliated with the house. These women are often former geisha themselves. When the mother dies or retires, she may name one of her natural daughters as the heir to the house as daughters of geisha and their patrons are often raised inside the community by the mother herself. Failing this, she may name one of her geisha as heir and adopt her as her daughter. Under this arrangement, the geisha's debts are absorbed by the okiya and all money she earns goes to the establishment directly, with her being the new owner and proprietor of the okiya once her adoptive mother dies or permanently steps down.
