arrangement may be that a geisha begins her career as an "independent" () geisha, who buys her own kimono, chooses to live separately from the , and pays only for the fee of affiliation to the house. Geisha who do not begin their career in this manner, but have paid off all of their debts, are also referred to as being . Owners are usually owned and run by women, who are referred to as "mother" by the geisha and affiliated with the house. These women are commonly former geisha themselves, and were typically raised as geisha by the previous owner of the ; when the owner of an retires, she may name one of her natural daughters – as the daughters of geisha are often raised inside the community – or one of the geisha under her as the heir () of the house; in the case of the not being related to the mother of the house, the heir is adopted as the mother's daughter (). Under this arrangement, a geisha's debts are absorbed by the , with all the money she earns going to the establishment directly as the new owner and proprietor of the house following the permanent retirement or death of her adoptive mother. Notes References External links The Kamishichiken district's official site The Ponto-cho hanamachi The Miyako Odori's official site The Nagoya Odori's official site Geisha