The distinctive white face, red lips and elaborately decorated hairstyle of the Geisha is an enduring image portrayed throughout the globe as the.
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The first stage of training was called shikomi. When girls first arrived at the okiya, they would be put to work as maids, who were required to do everything they are told. The work was difficult, with the intent to "make" and "break" the new girls. The most junior shikomi of the house would have to wait late into the night for the senior geisha to return from engagements, sometimes as late as two or three in the morning, and assist them in undressing and preparing to sleep.
During this stage of training, the shikomi would go to classes at the hanamachi's geisha school. In modern times, this stage of training still exists, mostly to accustom the girls to the traditional dialect, traditions, and dress of the geisha lifestyle. Once the recruit became proficient with the geisha arts, and passed a final, difficult dance exam, she would be promoted to the second stage of training: Minarai are relieved from their housekeeping duties.
The minarai stage focuses on training in the field. Although minarai attend ozashiki banquets in which guests are attended by geisha , they do not participate at an advanced level. Their kimono, more elaborate than even a maiko's, are intended to do the talking for them. Minarai can be hired for parties, but are usually uninvited yet welcomed guests at parties where their onee-san meaning "older sister" and the Minarai's senior is contracted to attend.
Japanese Culture - Geisha
They charge one-third of the hanadai , or performance fee, that the geiko receive. Minarai generally work closely with a particular tea house called minarai-jaya learning from the okaa-san proprietor of the house. These techniques are not taught in school, as skills such as conversation and gaming can only be absorbed through practice. This stage lasts only about a month or so. After a short period of time, the third and most famous stage of training began, called maiko. Maiko are apprentice geisha, and this stage can last for years. Maiko learn from their senior geisha mentor and follow them around to all their engagements.
Since the onee-san teaches her maiko everything about how to work in the hanamachi, her teaching is vital. She will teach her proper ways of serving tea, playing shamisen , and dancing, as well as how to succeed during casual conversation with clients. This is important for a maiko to learn in order to receive future invitations to more teahouses and gatherings. The onee-san will even help pick the maiko's new professional name with kanji , or symbols related to her own name.
One would suggest that geisha are prone to "flirt," but it is only their nature to seem demure and innocent. Regional variations exist, as the han'gyoku of Tokyo are known for being sassy and the Kyoto maiko are known for being demure. After a period as short as six months in Tokyo or as long as five years in Kyoto , the maiko is promoted to a full-fledged geisha, or geiko in Kyoto , and charged full price for her time.
Geisha remain as such until they retire. While geisha themselves are not prostitutes , their roots can be found in Saburuko, late seventh century Japanese women who were forced by eroding economic conditions and social displacement to exchange sexual favors in order to survive. The Shirabyoshi followed in the twelfth to fourteenth centuries. During another time of economic upheaval, the daughters of rich aristocrats were forced to perform at parties in order for their families to make ends meet. Highly educated, the Shirabyoshi were valued for their poetry and for the dance for which they are named.
Among the most famous Shirabyoshi was Shizuka, concubine of Minamoto no Yoshitsune. Recognizable geisha emerged during the eighteenth century, evolving from the courtesans of highly controlled Japanese brothels. These geisha were originally men, who began coming to the brothels to entertain the guests with music. As female geisha became more popular, they began to be called geiko, strict limits were placed on when they could work and what they could wear.
There has been a history of exploitation in the geisha business, especially during its early history. Sometimes young girls were sold by their parents into the geisha life, a practice not abolished completely until the mid-twentieth century. In addition, geisha were sometimes paid for their virginity , in a practice called mizu-age. However, these practices no longer exist for modern geisha. Modern geisha still live in traditional geisha houses called okiya in the hanamachi areas, particularly during their apprenticeship.
Many experienced geisha who are successful enough choose to live independently during the later part of their careers. Young women who wish to become geisha now most often begin their training after completing junior high school or even high school or college , with many women beginning their careers in adulthood. Geisha still study traditional instruments like the shamisen , shakuhachi bamboo flute , and drums, as well as traditional songs, Japanese traditional dance, tea ceremony , literature, and poetry. By watching other geisha, and with the assistance of the owner of the geisha house, apprentices also become skilled in the complex traditions surrounding selecting and wearing kimono , and in dealing with clients.
Kyoto is considered by many to be the place where the geisha tradition is the strongest today. The geisha in these districts are known as geiko. The Tokyo hanamachi of Shimbashi, Asakusa, and Kagurazaka are also well known. In modern Japan, geisha and maiko are now a rare sight outside hanamachi. In the s there were over 80, geisha in Japan, but today there are far fewer. The exact number is unknown to outsiders, and is estimated to be from 1, to 2,, mostly in the resort town of Atami.
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A sluggish economy, declining interest in the traditional arts, the exclusive nature of the flower and willow world, and the expense of being entertained by geisha have all contributed to the tradition's decline. The world of the geisha is changing rapidly. When once one could only become a geisha through personal connections, now some training houses advertise on the internet.
There remains some confusion, even within Japan, about the nature of the geisha profession. Geisha are frequently depicted as expensive prostitutes in Western popular culture. Geisha are entertainers, their purpose being to entertain their customer, be it by reciting verse, playing musical instruments, or engaging in light conversation. Geisha engagements may include flirting with men and playful innuendos; however, clients know that nothing more can be expected. In a social style that is uniquely Japanese, men are amused by the illusion of that which is never to be.
Geisha do not engage in paid sex with clients. She is a role model to her younger sister and expected to maintain high standards of etiquette in all aspects of her life and lead by setting example every day. You can only hire a Geisha through a Okaasan Geisha mother. Therefore the relationship between the customer and the Ochaya relies heavily on trust.
Geisha are not allowed to eat whilst entertaining. They entertain women as well as men. It takes up to 2 hours for a Geisha to get ready every day. Maiko style their natural hair but Geisha wear a wig. Young Maiko girls applying their ruby red lipstick. To prevent their elaborate and time consuming hair styles from falling out, Maiko and Geisha have to sleep on a wooden pillow a few inches from the ground called Takamakura.
Geisha often get bald spots on the top of their scalp where their hair was rigorously pulled into a central bun. A successful geisha can entertain her male customers with music, dance, and conversation. Geishas are not submissive and subservient, but in fact they are some of the most financially and emotionally successful and strongest women in Japan, and traditionally have been so.
Geisha learn the traditional skills of dance and instruments and hold high social status. Geisha are single women, though they may have lovers or boyfriends whom they have personally picked, who support them financially. There is currently no western equivalent for a geisha—they are truly the most impeccable form of Japanese art. The appeal of a high-ranking geisha to her typical male guest has historically been very different from that of his wife. The ideal geisha showed her skill, while the ideal wife was modest. The ideal geisha seemed carefree, the ideal wife somber and responsible.
Historically, geisha did sometimes marry their clients, but marriage necessitated retirement, as there were never married geisha. Geisha may gracefully flirt with their guests, but they will always remain in control of the hospitality. Over their years of apprenticeship they learn to adapt to different situations and personalities, mastering the art of the hostess. Women in the geisha society are some of the most successful businesswomen in Japan.
In the geisha society, women run everything. Without the impeccable business skills of the female tea house owners, the world of geisha would cease to exist. The tea house owners are entrepreneurs, whose service to the geisha is highly necessary for the society to run smoothly. Infrequently, men take contingent positions such as hair stylists, [35] dressers dressing a maiko requires considerable strength and accountants, [18] but men have a limited role in geisha society.
The geisha system was founded, actually, to promote the independence and economic self-sufficiency of women. And that was its stated purpose, and it actually accomplished that quite admirably in Japanese society, where there were very few routes for women to achieve that sort of independence. The majority of women were wives who did not work outside of their familial duties. Becoming a geisha was a way for women to support themselves without becoming a wife.
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Thus, some argue [ who? Historically, Japanese feminists have seen geisha as exploited women, but some modern geisha see themselves as liberated feminists: Isn't that what feminists are? Many experienced geisha are successful enough to choose to live independently. Before the twentieth century, geisha training began when a girl was around the age of six. Now, girls must go to school until they are 15 years old and have graduated from middle school and then make the personal decision to train to become a geisha.
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Young women who wish to become geisha now most often begin their training after high school or even college. Many more women begin their careers in adulthood. Geisha still study traditional instruments: By watching other geisha, and with the assistance of the owner of the geisha house, apprentices also become skilled dealing with clients and in the complex traditions surrounding selecting and wearing kimono , a floor length silk robe embroidered with intricate designs which is held together by a sash at the waist which is called an obi.
In the s, there were over 80, geisha in Japan, [45] [46] but today, there are far fewer. Most common are sightings of tourists who pay a fee to be dressed up as a maiko. A sluggish economy, declining interest in the traditional arts, the exclusive nature of the flower and willow world, and the expense of being entertained by geisha have all contributed to the tradition's decline. Now they are flat fees charged by the hour. Since the s, non-Japanese have also attempted to become geishas. Liza Dalby , an American national worked briefly with geisha in the Pontocho district of Kyoto as part of her doctorate research, although she did not formally debut as a geisha herself.
The district of Gion in Kyoto, Japan does not accept non-Japanese women to train for becoming a geisha. Any other districts require permanent residency for foreigners to work legally as geisha as there are no visa for this kind of job available. Other foreign nationals who have completed training became fully pledged working as geisha in Japan include the following:.
While traditionally geishas have led a cloistered existence, in recent years they have become more publicly visible, and entertainment is available without requiring the traditional introduction and connections. All the Kyoto hanamachi hold these annually mostly in spring, with one exclusively in autumn , dating to the Kyoto exhibition of , [59] and there are many performances, with tickets being inexpensive, ranging from around yen to yen — top-price tickets also include an optional tea ceremony tea and wagashi served by maiko before the performance; [60] see Kyoto hanamachi and Kanazawa hanamachi for a detailed listing.
Other hanamachi also hold public dances, including some in Tokyo, but have fewer performances. Geisha begin their study of music and dance when they are very young and continue it throughout their lives. Geisha can work into their eighties and nineties, [66] and are expected to train every day even after seventy years of experience. The dance of the geisha has evolved from the dance performed on the noh and kabuki stages.
The "wild and outrageous" dances transformed into a more subtle, stylized, and controlled form of dance. It is extremely disciplined, similar to t'ai chi. Every dance uses gestures to tell a story and only a connoisseur can understand the subdued symbolism. For example, a tiny hand gesture represents reading a love letter, holding the corner of a handkerchief in the mouth represents coquetry and the long sleeves of the elaborate kimono are often used to symbolize dabbing tears. The dances are accompanied by traditional Japanese music.
Understanding the Geisha of Japan: Myths & Facts
The primary instrument is the shamisen. The shamisen was introduced to the geisha culture in and has been mastered by female Japanese artists for years. It has a very distinct, melancholy sound that is often accompanied by flute. The instrument is described as "melancholy" because traditional shamisen music uses only minor thirds and sixths. Along with the shamisen and the flute, geisha also learned to play a ko-tsuzumi , a small, hourglass-shaped shoulder drum, and a large floor taiko drum. Some geisha would not only dance and play music, but would write beautiful, melancholy poems.
Others painted pictures or composed music. Sheridan Prasso wrote that Americans had "an incorrect impression of the real geisha world Henshall wrote that the geisha's purpose was "to entertain their customer, be it by dancing, reciting verse, playing musical instruments, or engaging in light conversation.
Geisha engagements may include flirting with men and playful innuendos ; however, clients know that nothing more can be expected. In a social style that is common in Japan, men are amused by the illusion of that which is never to be. The wording of this statute was the subject of controversy. Some officials thought that prostitutes and geisha worked at different ends of the same profession—selling sex— and that all prostitutes should henceforth be called "geisha". In the end, the government decided to maintain a line between the two groups, arguing that geisha were more refined and should not be soiled by association with prostitutes.
Also, geisha working in onsen towns such as Atami are dubbed onsen geisha. Onsen geisha have been given a bad reputation due to the prevalence of prostitutes in such towns who market themselves as "geisha". In contrast to these "one-night geisha", the true onsen geisha are competent dancers and musicians. However, the autobiography of Sayo Masuda , an onsen geisha who worked in Nagano Prefecture in the s, reveals that in the past, such women were often under intense pressure to sell sex.
Geisha are portrayed as unattached. Formerly those who chose to marry had to retire from the profession, though today, some geisha are allowed to marry. It was traditional in the past for established geisha to take a danna , or patron. A danna was typically a wealthy man, sometimes married, who had the means to support the very large expenses related to a geisha's traditional training and other costs.
This sometimes occurs today as well, but very rarely. A geisha and her danna may or may not be in love, but intimacy is never viewed as a reward for the danna's financial support. While it is true that a geisha is free to pursue personal relationships with men she meets through her work, such relationships are carefully chosen and unlikely to be casual.
A hanamachi tends to be a very tight-knit community and a geisha's good reputation is not taken lightly. During the period of the Allied occupation of Japan , local women called "Geisha girls" worked as prostitutes. They almost exclusively serviced American GIs stationed in the country, who actually referred to them as "Geesha girls" a mispronunciation. Many Americans unfamiliar with the Japanese culture could not tell the difference between legitimate geisha and these costumed performers.
Geisha girls are speculated by researchers to be largely responsible for the continuing misconception in the West that all geisha are engaged in prostitution. Prostitutes posing as geisha often used this term to refer to their acts with customers, which lead to great confusion when such prostitutes often called themselves "geisha" in the company of foreign soldiers and even Japanese customers.
Mizuage literally means "raising the waters" and originally meant unloading a ship's cargo of fish. A geisha's appearance changes throughout her career, from the girlish, heavily made-up maiko, to the more somber appearance of an older established geisha. Different hairstyles and hairpins signify different stages of a girl's development and even a detail as minute as the length of one's eyebrows is significant.
Short eyebrows are for the young and long eyebrows display maturity. In modern times the traditional makeup of apprentice geisha is one of their most recognizable characteristics, though established geisha generally only wear full white face makeup characteristic of maiko during special performances. The traditional makeup of an apprentice geisha features a thick white base with red lipstick and red and black accents around the eyes and eyebrows. Originally, the white base mask was made with lead; after the discovery that it poisoned the skin and caused terrible skin and back problems for the older geisha towards the end of the Meiji Era , it was replaced with rice powder.
The application of makeup is hard to perfect and is time-consuming. Makeup is applied before dressing to avoid dirtying the kimono. First, a wax or oil substance called bintsuke-abura is applied to the skin. Next, white powder is mixed with water into a paste and applied with a bamboo brush starting from the neck and working upwards.