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JAPAN - GEISHA

Photo of a Mamasan & Maiko at a Geisha

House in Gion, the famous Geisha District

of Kyoto, Japan.

The Secret World of the Geisha

Genevieve Long
Epoch Times New York Staff
Epoch Times

WORLD-CLASS ENTERTAINERS: A “Maiko,” or young Geisha named Toshiaya (R) pours beer for guests while they enjoy the cool breeze on the balcony of a traditional Japanese restaurant called Ikumatsu in Japan’s ancient capital of Kyoto, in western Japan, at dusk. Geisha are prized, highly trained entertainers and conversationalists who appear only to serve guests at the most high-class functions and social gatherings.

Since the end of World War II, a mystique has surrounded the Japanese Geisha in the western worldbut not a very flattering mystique. The popular western belief and concept of a Geisha, literally translated as “one who serves,” sprang from stories that American servicemen brought home after being stationed abroad in Japan following the end of World War II. Wild and unflattering rumors about the “services” provided by Geisha to male customers seem to have taken root in the modern day western consciousness, forming an incorrect notion that Geisha are prostitutes.

In 18th century Japan, scores of women from different levels of societyincluding noble familieshad already long been displaced due to different forms of social upheaval. Many of these women were forced to wander from their homes, looking for any means of survival. Owing to the difficult economic times and the disparity of women’s ability to make ends meet, pleasure quarters sprung up in different major cities, including the ancient national capital of Kyoto.

These pleasure quarters were areas for exactly what their name suggestsdrinking, gambling, and women. Many of the socially displaced women found a way to make a living by garnering male customers who would visit them on a regular basis. The Geisha were among them.

ENCHANTING STYLE: Two Japanese “Maikos” prepare to tie paper fortunes to a tree on the first business day of the new year at Yasaka Jinja on January 9, 2005 in Kyoto, Japan. Geikos and Maikos visit Shinto shrines at the start of the New Year to pray for good health and good luck. The length of the sash the women are wearing, called an “obi,” indicates their rank as apprentice Geisha, or Maiko. The traditional Japanese dress they are wearing is called a Kimono.

By 1779, the Geisha, who were for the most part highly educated, cultured, and accomplished musicians and singers, rivaled the popularity of courtesans in the brothels. An edict was created to put a code of conduct, or kenban, into place to control the activities of the Geisha and reduce the level of competition they were bringing to the courtesans.

Some of the rules imposed on Geisha during the 18th century included strict curfews and areas where they were allowed to entertain customers, as well as clothing and hairstyle regulations to identify them and set them apart from courtesans. Geisha were also prohibited from entertaining guests alone, and it was required that they were hired only in groups of two or three for parties and social gatherings.

Any offense regarding their moral code of conduct was taken seriously, and offending Geisha were prohibited from working for one or two days.

The kenban stuck and ushered in a new era, paving the way for a more refined Geisha class. The women were hired for parties and special occasions to entertain with conversation and the skillful singing, playing of musical instruments, or dancing. This is the form that the few remaining Geisha in modern-day Japan still observe.

CAPTIVATING DANCERS: An apprentice Geisha, or Maiko, performs a dance at the Expo Plaza during Japan Week "Maiko Hospitality" at the 2005 World Exposition on June 7, 2005 in Nagakute, Japan. The genuine Maiko is an apprentice Geisha who undergoes a five-year period of training during which she will learn the various “gei” (arts) such as dancing, singing and music before she becomes a Geisha.

Japan’s last major bastion of Geisha is in the old capital of Kyoto (the capital was later moved to Tokyo, also called Edo). They can sometimes be glimpsed walking down the street or making appearances at extremely special occasions of national or regional significance, displaying and preserving the rich art and dance of the Japanese culture.

What is a Geisha? Geisha is a word that consists of two characters borrowed from the Chinese language, gei or art, and sha or person. The literal translation is an artful person, and is also described as women of arts. Geisha are women who are highly trained in the traditional Japanese arts such as dance, music, singing, and conversation, among others.

What is a Maiko? Maiko literally translates as mai or dance, and ko or child, to dancing child, and is also referred to as dancing girl. Maiko are apprentice Geisha who undergo a period of training that generally lasts 5 years. During this time she learns the various arts of her trade, usually specializing in one or two areas, such as a specific musical instrument.

What is a Geiko? Geiko is a colloquial word used in the dialect Kansai region of Japan in the districts of Kyoto. It is predominately used by Geisha in Kyoto, the ancient capital of Japan. Kyoto is the region where Geisha originated, and remains the predominate area of Japan where modern-day Geisha train and live out their careers.

Are Geisha and Maiko prostitutes? No,Geisha and Maiko are part of an ancient profession that revolves around preserving traditional Japanese arts of singing, dance, music, and entertaining at parties with their skilled conversation.

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Test from a WUNRN university lecture on the

Japanese Geisha. The picture above is part of the

research for same. The photo is of a Mamasan and

Maiko at a Geisha House in Gion, the famous Geisha

District of Kyoto, Japan.

JAPANESE GEISHA

The Geisha of Japan, with her stylized makeup, elaborate coiffure, elegant
kimono, and artful, coquettish behavior, has long fascinated observors
around the globe, and yet she remains a truly, uniquely JAPANESE phenomenon.
The world of geisha started historically in the seventh century, and
continues today with new constructs and a much different market in Japan.
The geisha in her purest form is an ENTERTAINER, a dancer, musician,
hostess, and symbol of a treasured artform in Japan, very much dedicated to
male pleasure, power, and privilege.

I have long studied the geisha, and have been fascinated by the symbolism of
geisha, which is truly only fully appreciated and accessed in Japanese
culture. Though the geisha may seem an elusive feminine fantasy to western
men, she is desired and ecountered in her own special world, by Japanese men
who embrace the values and historical context she represents.

Two years ago, I was in Japan on a mission, and spent extended time in
Kyoto. This was my second visit in Kyoto. I asked to be privileged to meet
with geisha, with mamasan who run geisha houses, and with a maiko or trainee
geisha. The path to this experience was complicated and challenging, but I
was able to learn a great deal in the process.

We do not have an institution comparble to geisha in modern Western
societies.

Geisha means ARTS PERSON. They are not in their truest sense, prostitutes,
but highly trained entertainers and with sexual favors that may be elusive.
There are more books now on the geisha that reveal the myths and realities,
and bring the geisha experience to modern day world, as does Memoirs of a
Geisha, by Arthur Golden.  A center of the "flower and willow world of
geisha," has always been the Gion district of Kyoto, Japan. Geisha emerged
in the "pleasure quarters" of historical Japan, but it was in the middle
l800's that walled entertainment districts emerged in Japan's three largest
cities, and the luxury of these quarters was fueled by the new wealth of
merchants and a rising privileged class, particularly of men. The pleasure
quarters included courtesans in brothels, and the highest rank entertainers
were geisha.  The "flower and willow world" is a poetic term for pleasure
quarters. Geisha had training, and sophisticated, cultured behavior, an
elitist level of courtesans.

Interestingly, the original GEISHA, meaning ARTS PERSONS, were male. Women
geisha began to appear around the mid l700's. The peak of geisha was in the
l800's, before Japanese modernity took a western turn.

It is essential for geisha survival, to have a continuing monied market, and
new dimensions of business such as travel posters and events, advertising,
and diplomatic activity symbolism. It is also necessary for the geisha now,
as in the past, to maintain a strong web of relationships among members of
her community. They support the geisha in her individual subculture.

There have been many changes. In the past, a young girl might be sold to a
geisha house, while today recruitment is often voluntary and not indentured.
But, what has stayed very much the same, is that the geisha house has a huge
investment in a geisha from the beginning of her training, through her
emergence as a full geisha and with very expensive costumes and skills
developement. An older geisha may have a "little sister" whom she mentors
through the stages of geisha rites of passage. There is, indeed,
competititon among geisha, and among geisha houses.

In earlier days, there was a more clearly defined loss of virginity, called
mizuage, that would go to the highest bidder, and launch the young maiko
geisha into full womanhood. As the marker of this significant change in her
life, red fabric is placed in the deflowered geisha's "split peach."
hairstyle.

Historically, the geisha would hope for a steady patron, or DANNA, who would
provide her with financial support and consistent patronage.

The geisha is a protected symbol in Japan, much more endeared by men than
women. The idea of charm differs in cultures. The American businessman
attending a formal business dinner with geisha in attendance, and at great
cost, and to impress the visitor, may find through his American perspective,
that the geisha is too formal and artificial, that her makeup is too thick,
her costume too voluminous, her voice and laughter too irritating in pich
and childlike qualities, and her movements too restrained, too strange and
formal, not at all spontaneous. She will not be a symbol of lust and romance
to the American, but she may captivate the Japanese men present. In Japan,
the geisha is assuredly a status symbol.

The geisha must exhibit examplary etiquette, be also in control of her
behavior, be totally gracious, charming, and elegant. She must hide her
feelings. She must please and be enchanting and talented to her audience.
She must create demand for her presence. She must be attentive and demure to
all who buy her services.

Geisha will remain in Japan as long as there are Japanese men with money
desiring to participate in the world that only geisha can create, to
demonstrate their refinement and sophistication, their entertainer skills,
their mystical feminine allure, and their form of poetry of the past.

There may be modern day entertainers and prostitutes, bar hostesses who may
be secretaries by day or do other work and want to earn more money; and
there are trafficked women, disco dancers, escort services. But, the geisha
is in a league all by herself, in some way untouchable, distanced from other
women and fulfilling the fantasies of Japanese elite men. The geisha remains
a symbol of Japan, and her image tantalizes the minds of some Japanese men,
because her access means not only a solid historical tie, but also that they
are privileged and powerful; and she is their symbol, and brings the past to
the present, their patriarchal control of, and yet vulnerability to, in a
very expensive female entertainer and uniquely seductive symbol.

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