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It has been suggested that Geisha and Japanese Women be merged into this article. (Discuss) Proposed since January 2010.

Geisha (芸者), Geiko (芸子) or Geigi (芸妓) are traditional, female Japanese entertainers whose skills include performing various Japanese arts such as classical music and dance.

Terms

Geisha (Template:Pron-en), like all Japanese nouns, has no distinct singular or plural variants. The word consists of two kanji, 芸 (gei) meaning "art" and 者 (sha) meaning "person" or "doer". The most literal translation of geisha into English would be "artist" or "performing artist". Another name for geisha used in Japan is geiko, which is usually used to refer to geisha from Western Japan, including Kyoto.

Apprentice geisha are called maiko (舞子 or 舞妓), literally "dance child") or hangyoku (半玉), "half-jewel" (meaning that they are paid half the wage as opposed to a full geisha), or by the more generic term o-shaku (御酌), literally "one who pours (alcohol)". Maikos' white make-up and elaborate kimono and hairstyle is the popular image held of geisha. A woman entering the geisha community does not have to start out as a maiko, having the opportunity to begin her career as a full geisha. Either way, however, usually a year's training is involved before debuting either as a maiko or as a geisha. A woman above 21 is considered too old to be a maiko and becomes a full geisha upon her initiation into the geisha community. However, those who do go through the maiko stage can enjoy more prestige later in their professional lives.

Tokyo geisha are more likely to start at 18 years old for hangyoku, so on average, Tokyo hangyoku are slightly older than their Kyoto counterparts.

Throughout history, geisha often began the earliest stages of their training at a very young age, sometimes as early as at 3 or 5 years. The early shikomi (servant) and minarai (watching apprentice) stages of geisha training lasted years, which is significantly longer than in contemporary times.

It is said that geisha and courtesans inhabit a separate reality which they call the karyukai or "the flower and willow world." Modern geisha continue to use this term. The courtesans were referred to as the colorful "flowers" and the geisha were the "willows" because of their modest, strong, and resilient nature.

Origins

In early seventeenth-century Japan (long before the word geisha was ever used), the predecessor of the geisha, a combination of actress and prostitute, worked on the stages set in the driver river bed of the River Kamo in Kyoto. The line between actress and prostitute was then blurred. The women would perform erotic dances and skits for their audiences. This new type of performance was dubbed kabuku, meaning "to be wild and outrageous". Her dances were called "kabuki". This the beginning of kabuki theater.

Traditional Japanese views of sex were very relaxed. It was a society that embraced sexual delights and where men were not constrained to be faithful to their wives. In fact it was socially acceptable to be in love with one's wife, but only what was considered a "professional" woman. For sexual enjoyment and romantic attachment, men did not go to their wives, but to courtesans. In order to maintain this profession, the Japanese government created "pleasure quarters" where the courtesans could reside and work and men could go to relax and enjoy the entertainment.

These pleasure quarters quickly became glamorous entertainment centers that offered far more that just sex. The highly accomplished courtesans of these districts entertained their clients by dancing, singing, and playing music. Some were even renowned poets and calligraphers. Gradually, they all became specialized and the new profession, purely of entertainment, arose. It was near the turn of the eighteenth century that the first entertainers of the pleasure quarters, called geisha, appeared. The very first geishas were men, entertaining customers waiting to see the most popular and gifted courtesans.

Around 1760, women began to join men in the art of the geisha and very quickly outnumbered the men. The first woman to use the term "geisha" was an Edo prostitute named Kikuya and became a full-time entertainer. Soon, many women, whether they sold sex or not, began using the term geisha. Doing so was a way of acquiring respectability and proving that they were professionals. The geisha who worked within the pleasure quarters were essentially imprisoned and strictly forbidden to sell sex in order to protect the business of the courtesans. Geisha who worked outside the pleasure quarters, however, could do as they pleased. Eventually, the gaudy courtesans began to fall out of fashion and the geisha were seen as the chic and desirable entertainers they are in modern Japan.

Ranking

Within the complex world of geisha, there is a strict ranking system. At the very top of the rank are the grand dowagers of the Gion district of Kyoto. These women consider themselves far above even the lower-ranking geisha of the same city. In Kyoto there is a total of five geisha districts, also known as hanamachi of "flower towns". Three of these districts (Gion, Pontocho, and Kamishichiken) have a better reputation than the other two (Gion Higashi and Miyagawa). The geisha of these districts are visited by powerful businessmen and politicians and were very expensive.

At the opposite end of spectrum are the hot-spring geisha. These geisha work in the spa resorts and are viewed by most Japanese as no better then a common prostitute. They normally cater to far less exclusive patrons, usually office workers or others of the sort, and are much less expensive. They very well may supplement their income by selling sex, however, they are not the same as prostitutes. Like all other geisha, they are trained in the art of Japanese dance and music. Even so, hanamachi and other high-ranking geisha would not consider them geisha at all and perhaps would be horrified to be categorized together.

Stages of training

Traditionally, Geisha began their training at a very young age. Some girls were bonded to geisha houses (okiya) as children. These girls were referred to as hangyoku and were as young as nine years old. This was not a common practice in reputable districts and disappeared in the 1950s with the outlawing of child labor. Daughters of geisha were often brought up as geisha themselves, usually as the successor (atotori, meaning "heiress") or daughter-role (musume-bun) to the okiya.

A maiko is essentially an apprentice and is therefore bonded under a contract to her okiya. The okiya supplies her with food, board, tuition fees, kimonos, obis, and other tools of her trade. Her training is very expensive and her debt must be repaid to the okiya with the earnings she makes. This repayment may continue after the maiko becomes a full-fledged geisha and only when her debts are settled is she permitted to move out to live and work independently.

A maiko will start her formal training on the job as a minarai, which literally means "learning by watching". Before she can do this she must find an onee-san ("older sister": an older geisha acting as her mentor). It is the onee-san's responsibility to bring her to the ozashiki, to sit and observe as the onee-san is at work. This is a way in which she will gain insights of the job, and seek out potential clients. 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 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 that their onee-san attends. They only charge a third of the usual fee. Minarai generally work with a particular tea house (minarai-jaya) learning from the okaa-san (literally "mother," the proprietress of the house). From her, they would learn techniques such as conversation and gaming, which would not be taught to them in school. This stage lasts only about a month or so.

After a short period of time the final of training begins, and the students are called maiko. Maiko (literally "dance girl") are apprentice geisha, and this stage can last for years. Maiko learns from their senior geisha mentor and follows them around to all their engagements. The onee-san and imouto-san (senior/junior, literally "older sister/younger sister") relationship is important. Since the onee-san teaches her maiko everything about working in the hanamachi, her teaching is vital. There are 5 different hairstyles that the maiko wear, that mark the different stages of her apprenticeship. She will teach her proper ways of serving tea, playing shamisen, dancing, casual conversation and more. The onee-san will even help pick the maiko's new professional name with kanji or symbols related to her name.

There are three major elements of a maiko's training. The first is the formal arts training. This takes place in special geisha schools which are found in every hanamachi. The second element is the entertainment training which the maiko learns at various teahouses and parties by observing their onee-san. The third is the social skill of navigating the complex social web of the hanamachi. This is done on the streets. Formal greetings, gifts, and visits are key parts of any social structure in Japan and for a maiko, they are crucial for her to build the support network she needs to survive as a geisha.

Maiko are considered one of the great sights of Japanese tourism. They appear very differenty from fully-qualified Geisha. They are at the peak of traditional Japanese femininity. The scarlet fringed collar of a maiko's kimono hangs very loosely in the back to accentuate the nape of the neck which is considered a primary erotic area in Japanese sexuality. She wears the same white makeup for her face on her nape, leaving two or sometimes three stripes of bare skin exposed. The effect of this style of makeup is essentially to tease, much like cleavage in western society. Her kimono is bright and colorful with an elaborately tied obi hanging down to her ankles. She takes very small steps and wears traditional wooden shoes called okobo which stand nearly ten centimeters high.

When a girl is around 20-22, the maiko is promoted to a full-fledged geisha in a ceremony called erikae (turning of the collar). This could happen after two to five years of her life as a maiko or hangyoku, depending on at what age she debuted. She now charges full price for her time. Geisha remain as such until they retire.

Female dominance in geisha society

“The biggest industry in Japan is not shipbuilding, producing cultured pearls, or manufacturing transistor radios or cameras. It is entertainment” . The term geisha literally translates to mean “entertainer.” Around the world, the term geisha has many different connotations; some western countries think that geishas are high-class prostitutes or escorts. Even some Japanese citizens see geisha in that way because of the lower class geisha who do sell their bodies and work as prostitutes. The biggest misconception of geisha is that they have sex with their male customers, however modern day, true geisha do not. Their sex life and love life are the most personal parts of a geisha’s life, rarely involving their professional lives. They entrance their male customers with their traditional skills of music and dance. Men pay high prices for geisha, and in return expect to be like the masculine and powerful men that they see themselves as being. Geisha are entirely different than the men's wives who stay at home and care for the family, and must retire from the profession if they get married. “Geisha 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” . There is currently no western equivalent for a geisha- they are truly the most impeccable form of Japanese art . Geisha learn the traditional skills of dance and instruments to perform for public and private groups. They hold the highest social status in Japan. Before the twentieth century, geisha training began when a girl was around the age of four. Now, girls usually go to school until they are teenagers and then make the personal decision to train to become a geisha. Before World War II, young geisha sold their virginity to the highest bidder in order to fund their geisha debut, but this became illegal in 1959. Geisha are single women, though they may have lovers or boyfriends whom they have personally picked, who support them financially. World War II brought a huge decline to the art of being a geisha because most women had to go to factories or other places to work for Japan. The geisha name also lost some status during this time because prostitutes began referring to themselves as “geisha girls” to American military men. During Japan's rebuilding, only a few geisha went back to their districts to rebuild their culture to bring it back to completely traditional ways.

Relationships with male patrons

Japan is viewed as a very male-dominant society, so the world of geishas is both surprising and intriguing as it is strictly matriarchal. Geisha are meant to be completely different from wives. Wives in Japanese society are expected to be more submissive to their husbands. They typically don't work so that they can stay at home with their children. Men look for wives who will provide them with healthy children, not necessarily women whom they love. Men look for their wives to be good mothers and child-bearers, whereas they want their geisha to make them feel like more of a man. Geisha will remain unmarried, but if they choose to become a wife, they must retire from their profession. For men, geisha are everything in a woman that their wife is not. Geisha are meant to be entertainers whose main goal is to make their male customers feel more dominant and masculine. Men pay for geisha to be entertained at a teahouse or private party. They are paying for the experience and company that they desire, which they don’t receive from their wives. Geisha offer men pleasure by their classical entertainment and overall femininity, not by having sex with them. “The cultural style of masculinity in Japan tends to demand female subservience, and many things contribute to an ideology in which men are the sources of authority” . Men aren’t meant to experience the behind-the-scenes work of geisha, because one of the main goals of geisha is to make the man feel more dominant and masculine.

The relationships that geisha have with their male patrons are one of the most interesting aspects of their lives. They basically withhold sex through graceful seduction, which is one of the reasons the men keep coming back for entertainment. In a way, not having sex with their patrons puts the women in a more powerful position than the men because they are more in control. Their years of apprenticeship teach the women how to keep men infatuated with their entertainment. They act as every man’s fantasy and learn to adapt to different male personalities to maintain interest. In the film, Memoirs of Geisha, the young girl is given a description of her future career as a geisha. "Remember Chiyo, geisha are not courtesans, and we're not wives. We sell our skills, not our bodies. We create another secret world, a place only of beauty. The very word "geisha" means artist, and to be a geisha is to be judged as a moving work of art" .

Matriarchal society

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 teahouse owners, the world of geisha would cease to exist. The teahouse owners are entrepreneurs, whose service to the geisha is highly necessary for the society to run smoothly. Men are also needed, but in contingent positions such as hair stylists, dressers, and sometimes accountants. In an interview with the Boston Phoenix, Mineko Iwasaki, reportedly the most successful geisha of all time, stated, “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 didn’t work outside of their familial duties. Becoming a geisha was a way for women to support themselves without submitting to becoming a wife. The geisha women live in a strictly matriarchal society. Women dominate. Women run the geisha houses, they are teachers, they run the teahouses, they recruit aspiring geisha, and they keep track of geishas’ finances. The only role that men play in the society is that they are the people being entertained. Sometimes men work as hair stylists or kimono dressers, but their jobs are hardly ever long-term. Men aren’t meant to see the behind-the-scenes workings of geisha to ensure the mystery behind the women.

Geishas also embody a type of feminism . "We find our own way, without doing family responsibilities. Isn't that what feminists are?” . These women leave their families at a young age to immerse themselves in their art. They believe that men can make a life for themselves, always being in control, so why can't women? Also, they "have grown adept at using their silken charms to wind their men around their little fingers... manipulate the dumb, unsuspecting male of the species... to make a man think that he is the one who has the brilliant ideas" .

Misconceptions

There are many misconceptions over what a geisha truly is because the tumultuous past of artisans, prostitutes, and pleasure quarters in Japan. “The world of the geisha, the "flower and willow world," is a very separate society that is shrouded in mystery. The myths that have been created by outsiders about the environment and the lifestyle of the geisha world have, for the most part, been able to grow unchecked. And because it is a very private,elite world, most people would be uncomfortable speaking about it” . Other misconceptions are derived from true prostitutes in Japan, confused with the word geisha. During World War II, some prostitutes referred to themselves as geisha girls to the foreign military men who they spent time with. However, prostitution was legal in Japan until the turn of the twentieth century, which is another reason that people may be misinformed about geishas not offering sex to customers .

History

The first geisha were men during the 1600s. They entertained as comedians and musicians. It wasn’t until 1751 when a female geisha surprisingly emerged. “The profession originated in the 17th century in response to male demand for cultured female company. According to Confucian custom, most marriages were loveless affairs arranged purely to produce heirs. While licensed courtesans existed to meet men's sexual needs, geisha carved out a separate niche as artists and erudite female companions” . By 1800, being a geisha was considered a female occupation. There were many different statuses of geisha to represent what type of business they conducted. Some women would have sex with their male customers, whereas others would strictly entertain with their art forms. Prostitution was legal up until the 1900s, so it was practiced in many quarters throughout Japan, also fueling the misconception between geisha and prostitution. World War II brought many changes to the world of geishas. In 1944, everything in the geisha’s world was forced to shut down, including teahouses, bars, and houses. About a year later, they were allowed to reopen, after the women had been working laboriously in factories every day. The very few women who returned back to the geisha areas decided to reject western influence and revert back to traditional ways of entertainment and life. “The image of the geisha was formed during Japan’s feudal past, and this is now the image they must keep in order to remain geisha” . World War II resulted with most of the laboring geisha not returning to their previous occupation. It was up to the few women who did return to change the thwarted view of geisha back its traditional ways. Because of the devastations of the war, people post-war wanted to bring nationalism back to the country through a reinvention of traditional values and the arts. Another major change after World War II was the absence of a young geisha’s mizuage, or selling their virginity to the highest bidder. This reform was also in the form of a feminist movement, because the girls wanted control over their bodies, especially sexually. “There is no doubt that coerced sex and bidding on a new geisha’s virginity occurred in the period before WWII…After Japan lost the war, geisha dispersed and the profession was in shambles. When they regrouped during the Occupation and began to flourish in the 1960s during Japan’s postwar economic boom, the geisha world changed. In modern Japan, girls are not sold into indentured service, nor are they coerced into sexual relations. Nowadays, a geisha’s sex life is her private affair” . In her book, Geisha, a Life, Mineko Iwasaki said, “I lived in the karyukai during the 1960s and 1970s, a time when Japan was undergoing the radical transformation from a post-feudal to a modern society. But I existed in a world apart, a special realm whose mission and identity depended on preserving the time-honored traditions of the past” .

Modern geisha

Modern geisha still live in traditional geisha houses called okiya in areas called hanamachi (花街 "flower towns"), particularly during their apprenticeship. Many experienced geisha are successful enough to choose to live independently. The elegant, high-culture world that geisha are a part of is called karyūkai (花柳界 "the flower and willow world").

Young women who wish to become geisha now most often begin their training after completing middle school, high school, or even college. Many women begin their careers in adulthood. Geisha still study traditional instruments: the shamisen, shakuhachi, and drums, as well as traditional songs, Japanese traditional dances, tea ceremony, literature, and poetry. Women dancers drawing their art from butō (a classical Japanese dance) were trained by the Hanayagi school, whose top dancers performed internationally. Ichinohe Sachiko choreographed and performed traditional dances in Heian court costumes, characterized by the slow, formal, and elegant motions of this classical age of Japanese culture in which geisha are trained.

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.

Kyoto is considered by many to be where the geisha tradition is the strongest today, including Gion Kobu. 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 1920s, there were over 80,000 geisha in Japan, but today, there are far fewer. The exact number is unknown to outsiders and is estimated to be from 1,000 to 2,000, mostly in the resort town of Atami. 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.

Geisha are often hired to attend parties and gatherings, traditionally at tea houses (茶屋, Chashitsu|ochaya) or at traditional Japanese restaurants (ryōtei). Their time is measured by the time it takes an incense stick to burn and is called senkōdai (線香代, "incense stick fee") or gyokudai (玉代 "jewel fee"). In Kyoto, the terms ohana (お花) and hanadai (花代), meaning "flower fees", are preferred. The customer makes arrangements through the geisha union office (検番 kenban), which keeps each geisha's schedule and makes her appointments both for entertaining and for training.

In 2007, the first Caucasian geisha debuted under the name of "Sayuki", in the Asakusa district of Tokyo.

Arts

Geisha begin their study of music and dance when they are very young and continue it throughout their lives. They could be as old as sixty and still learning the art of their profession. The dance of the geisha has evolved from the dance performed on the kabuki stage. The "wild and outrageous" dances transformed into a more subtle, stylized, and controlled form of dance. It is not athletic, like ballet, but slower and more graceful. It is also extremely disciplined, similar to tai 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 love letter, holding the corner of a handkerchief in ones mouth represents coquetry and the long sleeves of the elaborate kimono are often used to symbolize dabbing tears. The dance sends a message of femininity but the small steps and the limited range of movements.

The dances are accompanied by traditional Japanese music. The primary instrument is the shamisen. This shamisen, originating in Okinawa, is a banjo-like three-stringed instrument that is played with a plectrum. It has very distinct, melancholy sound that is often accompanied by flute. It takes years to master and only a very experienced geisha can play with the precision and passion of a master. All geisha are required to learn to play a shamisen. Along with the shamisen and the flute, geisha also learned to play a ko-tsuzumi, a small, hourglass-shaped shoulder drum, and the taiko, a large floor drum. Some geisha would not only dance and play music, but would write beautiful, melancholy poems. Others painted pictures that gave glimpses into the mysterious lives of the geisha, and even others would compose music. The art of the geisha is her main entertainment and is most important in her training.

Geisha and prostitution

There remains some confusion, even within Japan, about the nature of the geisha profession. Geisha are regarded as prostitutes by many non-Japanese. However, legitimate geisha do not engage in paid sex with clients. Their purpose is 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.

Geisha have been confused with the Edo period's high-class courtesans known as oiran, from whom they evolved. Like geisha, oiran wore elaborate hairstyles and white makeup, but oiran knotted their obi in the front. It has been commonly thought the obi was tied that way for easy removal, though anthropologist Liza Dalby has suggested that it was because it was the practice of married women at the time.

During the Edo period, prostitution was legal. Prostitutes such as the oiran worked within walled-in districts licensed by the government. In the seventeenth century, the oiran sometimes employed men called "geisha" to perform at their parties. Therefore, the first geisha were men. In the late eighteenth century, dancing women called "odoriko" and newly popular female geisha began entertaining men at banquets in unlicensed districts. Some were apprehended for illegal prostitution and sent to the licensed quarters, where there was a strict distinction between geisha and prostitutes, and the former were forbidden to sell sex. In contrast, "machi geisha", who worked outside the licensed districts, often engaged in illegal prostitution.

In 1872, shortly after the Meiji Restoration, the new government passed a law liberating "prostitutes (shōgi) and geisha (geigi)". 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," as well as sordid rumors of dance routines like Shallow River (which involves the "dancers" lifting the skirts of their kimono higher and higher). In contrast to these "one-night geisha," the true onsen geisha are in fact competent dancers and musicians. However, the autobiography of Sayo Masuda, an onsen geisha who worked in Nagano Prefecture in the 1930s, reveals that in the past, such women were often under intense pressure to sell sex.

Personal relationships and danna

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Geisha are expected to be single women; those who choose to marry must retire from the profession.

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. The traditional conventions and values within such a relationship are very intricate and not well understood, even by many Japanese.

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.

"Geisha girls"

"Geisha girls" were Japanese women who worked as prostitutes during the period of the Allied Occupation of Japan. They almost exclusively serviced American GIs stationed in the country, who incorrectly referred to them as "Geesha girls." The term is a mispronunciation of the word geisha. The mispronunciation persists among some Westerners.

Adding to the confusion is the fact that these women dressed in kimono and imitated the look of geisha. Americans unfamiliar with the Japanese culture could not tell the difference between legitimate geisha and these costumed prostitutes. Shortly after their arrival in 1945, occupying American GIs are said to have congregated on the Ginza and shouted in unison, "We want geesha girls!"

Eventually, the term "geisha girl" became a general word for any female Japanese prostitute or worker in the mizu shobai and included bar hostesses and streetwalkers.

Geisha girls are speculated by researchers to be largely responsible for the continuing misconception in the West that all geisha engaged in prostitution.

Mizuage

Mizuage (水揚げ) was a ceremony undergone by a maiko (apprentice geisha) to signify her coming of age. Mizuage literally means "raising the waters" and originally meant unloading a ship's cargo of fish. Over time, the word came to represent money earned in the entertainment business.

During the Edo period, courtesans' undergoing mizuage were sponsored by a patron who had the right of taking their virginity. This practice became illegal in 1959. All maikos had to go through this ceremony in order to become a full fledged geisha. Once the mizuage patron's function was served (of deflowering the young maiko) he was to have no further relations with the girl.

Mizuage was not considered by geisha to be an act of prostitution. The ceremonial deflowering of the Geisha is not only a rite of passage, but a commercial transaction. The money acquired for a maiko’s mizuage was a great sum and it was used to promote her debut as a geisha.

Appearance

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A geisha's appearance changes throughout her career, from the girlish, heavily made-up maiko, to the more sombre appearance of an older established geisha.

Makeup

Today, the traditional makeup of the 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, but 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 a time-consuming process. 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. The white makeup covers the face, neck, and chest, with two or three unwhitened areas (forming a W or V shape, usually a traditional W shape) left on the nape, to accentuate this traditionally erotic area, and a line of bare skin around the hairline, which creates the illusion of a mask.

After the foundation layer is applied, a sponge is patted all over the face, throat, chest, the nape and neck to remove excess moisture and to blend the foundation. Next the eyes and eyebrows are drawn in. Traditionally, charcoal was used, but today, modern cosmetics are used. The eyebrows and edges of the eyes are colored black with a thin charcoal; a maiko also applies red around her eyes.

The lips are filled in using a small brush. The color comes in a small stick, which is melted in water. Crystallized sugar is then added to give the lips lustre. Rarely will a geisha color in both lips fully in the Western style, as white creates optical illusions and colouring the lips fully would make them appear overly large. The lower lip is colored in partially and the upper lip left white for maiko in her first year, after which the upper lip is also colored. Newly full-fledged geisha will color in only the top lip fully. Most geisha wear the top lip colored in fully or stylized, and the bottom lip in a curved stripe that does not follow the shape of the lip.The geisha round the bottom lips to create the illusion of a flower bud.

Maiko who are in their last stage of training will sometimes color their teeth black for a short period of time. This practice used to be common among married women in Japan and, earlier, at the imperial court, but survives only in some districts, or even families. While this sounds unsavoury to Western ears, it is again at least partly because of the optical illusion generated by white makeup: in contrast, teeth seem very yellow; colouring the teeth black means that they seem to "disappear" in the darkness of the open mouth. This illusion is of course more pronounced at a distance.

For the first three years, a maiko wears this heavy makeup almost constantly. During her initiation, the maiko is helped with her makeup either by her onee-san, or "older sister" (an experienced geisha who is her mentor), or by the okaa-san, or "mother" of her geisha house. After this, she applies the makeup herself.

After a maiko has been working for three years, she changes her make-up to a more subdued style. The reason for this is that she has now become mature, and the simpler style shows her own natural beauty. For formal occasions, the mature geisha will still apply white make-up. For geisha over thirty, the heavy white make-up is only worn during special dances which require her to wear make-up for her part.

Dress

Geisha always wear kimono. Apprentice geisha wear highly colorful kimono with extravagant obi. Always, the obi is brighter than the kimono she is wearing to give a certain exotic balance. Maiko wear the obi tied in a style called "darari" (dangling obi). Older geisha wear more subdued patterns and styles (most notably the obi tied in a simpler knot utilized by married women known as the "taiko musubi" (太鼓結び), or "drum knot"). The sign of a prosperous okiya is having geisha not wearing a kimono more than once, meaning that those okiya with higher economic status will have "storehouses" of sorts where kimono are stored and interchanged between geisha.

Kimono can be as many as 12 or 15 layers thick for a maiko. An apprentice geisha's kimono will have, in addition to the heavy dangling obi, pocketed sleeves called "furi" which dangle all the way to the ground. During a dance or performance, an apprentice must wrap the pocketed sleeves around her arms many times to avoid tripping.

The color, pattern, and style of kimono is also dependent on the season and the event the geisha is attending. In winter, geisha can be seen wearing a three-quarter length haori lined with hand-painted silk over their kimono. Lined kimono are worn during colder seasons, and unlined kimono during the summer. A kimono can take from two to three years to complete, due to painting and embroidering.

Geiko wear red or pink nagajuban, or under-kimono. A maiko wears red with white printed patterns. The junior maiko's collar is predominantly red with white, silver, or gold embroidery. Two to three years into her apprenticeship, the red collar will be entirely embroidered in white (when viewed from the front) to show her seniority. At around age 20, her collar will turn from red to white.

Geisha wear a flat-soled sandal, zori, outdoors, and wear only tabi (white split-toed socks) indoors. In inclement weather geisha wear raised wooden clogs, called geta. Maiko wear a special wooden clog known as okobo.

Hair

The hairstyles of geisha have varied through history. In the past, it has been common for women to wear their hair down in some periods, but up in others. During the 17th century, women began putting all their hair up again, and it is during this time that the traditional shimada hairstyle, a type of traditional chignon worn by most established geisha, developed.

There are four major types of the shimada: the taka shimada, a high chignon usually worn by young, single women; the tsubushi shimada, a more flattened chignon generally worn by older women; the uiwata, a chignon that is usually bound up with a piece of colored cotton crepe; and a style that resembles a divided peach, which is worn only by maiko. This is sometimes called "Momoware", or "split peach". Additional hairstyles: Ofuku, Katsuyama, Yakko-shimada, and Sakko. Maiko of Miyagawa-chō and Pontochō will wear an additional six hairstyles leading up to the Sakko, including Umemodoki, Oshidori no Hina, Kikugasane, and Osafune.

These hairstyles are decorated with elaborate hair-combs and hairpins (kanzashi). In the seventeenth century and after the Meiji Restoration period, hair-combs were large and conspicuous, generally more ornate for higher-class women. Following the Meiji Restoration and into the modern era, smaller and less conspicuous hair-combs became more popular.

Geisha were trained to sleep with their necks on small supports (takamakura), instead of pillows, so they could keep their hairstyle perfect. To reinforce this habit, their mentors would pour rice around the base of the support. If the geisha's head rolled off the support while she slept, rice would stick to the pomade in her hair. The geisha would thus have to repeat the tiresome process of having her hair elaborately styled. Without this happening, a geisha will have her hair styled every week or so.

Many modern geisha use wigs in their professional lives, while maiko use their natural hair. However, either one must be regularly tended by highly skilled artisans. Traditional hairstyling is a slowly dying art. Over time, the hairstyle can cause balding on the top of the head.

In popular culture

This article may contain irrelevant references to popular culture. Please help Misplaced Pages to improve this article by removing the content or adding citations to reliable and independent sources. (August 2009)

The growing interest in geisha and their exotic appearance have spawned various popular culture phenomena both in Japan and in the West. Western interest in geisha increased with the 1997 novel and 2005 film Memoirs of a Geisha and the autobiography of former geisha Iwasaki Mineko, titled Geisha of Gion.

Geisha photography

• A girl inherited Maiko (apprentice geisha) life (2007) by Naoyuki Ogino at the Canon Gallery, Japan
• A Geisha's Journey (2008) Photographs by Naoyuki Ogino, text by Komomo, ISBN 9784770030672, Kodansha International
• Geisha of Pontocho (1954) by P.D. Perkins. Photographs by Francis Haar. Published by Tokyo News Service.

In film

• Sisters of the Gion (1936) - Dir. Kenji Mizoguchi
• Geisha Girl (1952) - Dir. George P. Breakston
• The Life of Oharu (西鶴一代女 Saikaku Ichidai Onna) (1952) - Dir. Kenji Mizoguchi
• A Geisha (祇園囃子, Gion bayashi) (1953) - Dir. Kenji Mizoguchi
• The Teahouse of the August Moon (1956) - Dir. Daniel Mann
• The Barbarian and the Geisha (1958) - Dir. John Huston
• The Geisha Boy (1958) - Dir. Frank Tashlin
• Late Chrysanthemums (Bangiku) (1958) - Dir. Mikio Naruse
• My Geisha (1962) - Dir. Jack Cardiff
• The Wolves (1971) - Dir. Hideo Gosha
• The World of Geisha (1973) - Dir. Tatsumi Kumashiro‎
• In the Realm of the Senses (1976) - Dir. Nagisa Oshima
• Yokiro(The Geisha) (1983) - Dir. Hideo Gosha
• American Geisha (1986) - Dir. Lee Philips
• Ihara Saikaku Koshoku Ichidai Otoko (1991) - Dir. Yukio Abe
• The Geisha House (1999) - Dir. Kinji Fukasaku
• The Sea is Watching (2002) - Dir. Kei Kumai
• Zatoichi (2003) - Dir. Takeshi Kitano
• Fighter in the Wind (2004) - Dir. Yang Yun-ho
• Memoirs of a Geisha (2005) - Dir. Rob Marshall
• Wakeful Nights (2005) - Dir. Masahiko Tsugawa
• DOA: Dead or Alive (2006) - Dir. Cory Yuen
• Maiko Haaaan!!! (2007) - Dir. Nobuo Mizuta

See also

• Taikomochi
• Mineko Iwasaki
• Sada Yacco
• Ichiriki Ochaya
• Memoirs of a Geisha

References

1. ^ Lesley Downer, "The City Geisha and Their Role in Modern Japan: Anomaly or artistes", in Martha Feldman and Bonnie Gordon, eds, The Courtesan's Arts: Cross-Cultural Perspectives (New York: Oxford University Press, 2006; ISBN 0195170288), pp. 223–242.
2. ^ Gallagher, John. Geisha: A Unique World of Tradition, Elegance, and Art. London: PRC, 2003. ISBN 1856486974
3. Melissa Hope Ditmore (2006). Encyclopedia of prostitution and sex work. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press. ISBN 0-313-32969-9., page 184
4. ^ Reynolds, Wayne; Gallagher, John (2003). Geisha : A Unique World of Tradition, Elegance and Art. PRC Publishing. ISBN 1-85648-697-4.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) page 159
5. De Mente, Boye (1966). Some Prefer Geisha. Rutland, VT: Charles E. Tuttle Company. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
6. Mineko, Iwasaki (2003). Geisha, A Life. New York: Washington Square. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
7. Champeon, Kenneth (3). "the Floating World". Things Asian. Retrieved 12 January 2010. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
8. Dalby, Liza (1998). Geisha. Berkeley: University of California. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
9. Dalby, Liza (1998). Geisha. Berkeley: University of California. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
10. Suzuka Ohgo, Togo Igawa, Mako (2005). Memoirs of a Geisha (DVD). Japan: Columbia Pictures Corporation.
11. Dalby, Liza (1998). Geisha. Berkeley: University of California. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
12. Wieder, Tamara (17 October 2002). news_features/qa/documents/02473409.htm "Remaking a memoir". Boston Phoenix. Retrieved 12 January 2010. {{cite news}}: Check |url= value (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
13. Collins, Sarah (24). "Japanese Feminism". Serendip's Exchange. Retrieved 12 January 2010. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
14. Dalby, Liza (1998). Geisha. Berkeley: University of California. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
15. Hua, Julietta (2009). ""Gucci Geishas" and Post-feminism". Academic Search Premier. {{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |month= (help)
16. Wieder, Tamara (17 October 2002). news_features/qa/documents/02473409.htm "Remaking a memoir". Boston Phoenix. Retrieved 12 January 2010. {{cite news}}: Check |url= value (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
17. Dalby, Liza (1998). Geisha. Berkeley: University of California. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
18. Haworth, Abigail (2009). "Meet Japan's First Western Geisha". Marie Claire. Retrieved 12 January 2010. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
19. Dalby, Liza (1998). Geisha. Berkeley: University of California. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
20. Dalby, Liza. "Do They or Don't They". Retrieved 12 January 2010. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month= and |coauthors= (help)
21. Mineko, Iwasaki (2003). Geisha, A Life. New York: Washington Square. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
22. ^ Coutsoukis, Photius (2004-11-10). "Japan Performing Arts". Retrieved 2009-06-02. Originally from The Library of Congress Country Studies; CIA World Factbook.
23. Coutsoukis, Photius (2004-11-10). "Japan Dance". Retrieved 2009-06-02. Originally from The Library of Congress Country Studies; CIA World Factbook.
24. Tames, Richard (September 1993). A Traveller's History of Japan. Brooklyn, New York: Interlink Books. ISBN 1566561388.
25. ^ Kalman, Bobbie (March 1989). Japan the Culture. Stevens Point, Wisconsin: Crabtree Publishing Company. ISBN 0865052069.
26. Dougill, John (2006). Kyoto: a cultural history. Oxford University Press. p. 182. ISBN 0195301374.
27. Merriam-Webster, Inc (2000). Merriam-Webster's collegiate encyclopedia. Merriam-Webster, Inc. p. 639. ISBN 0877790175.
28. Lies, Elaine (2008-04-23). "Modern-day geisha triumphs in closed, traditional world". Reuters. Retrieved 2009-06-02.
29. "Turning Japanese: the first foreign geisha". The Independent. 2008-01-24. Retrieved 2009-06-02.
30. Ryall, Julian (2008-01-09). "Westerner inducted into mysteries of geisha". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 2009-06-02.
31. Henshall, K. G., 1999, A History of Japan, Macmillan Press LTD, London, ISBN 0333749405, page 61
32. Seigle, Cecilia Segawa (1993). Yoshiwara: the glittering world of the Japanese courtesan. : University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 0-8248-1488-6. pages 170-175.
33. Matsugu, Miho, 2006, "In the Service of the Nation: Geisha and Kawabata Yasunari's "Snow Country"", in Martha Feldman and Bonnie Gordon, ed. The Courtesan's Arts, Oxford University Press, London, ISBN 0195170288, page 244
34. Masuda, Sayo, 2003, Autobiography of a Geisha, trans. G.G. Rowley, Columbia University Press, New York ISBN 0231129513
35. ^ Sheridan Prasso, The Asian Mystique: Dragon Ladies, Geisha Girls & Our Fantasies of the Exotic Orient PublicAffairs, 2005. ISBN 1586482149 Cite error: The named reference "Prasso" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
36. Ruth Ozeki, Inside and other short fiction: Japanese women by Japanese women Kodansha International, 2005. ISBN 4770030061
37. Alan Booth, Looking for the Lost: Journeys Through a Vanishing Japan Kodansha Globe Series, 1995. ISBN 1568361483
38. Seigle, Cecilia Segawa (1993). Yoshiwara: the glittering world of the Japanese courtesan. : University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 0-8248-1488-6. page 179.
39. Liza Crihfield Dalby. Geisha. (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1998)
40. Lesley Downer. Geisha: The Secret History of a Vanishing World. (London: Headline Book Publishing, 2000) Pages 256-266.

Further reading

• Aihara, Kyoko. Geisha: A Living Tradition. London: Carlton Books, 2000. ISBN 1858689376, ISBN 1858689708.
• Ariyoshi Sawako, The Twilight Years. Translated by Mildred Tahara. New York: Kodansha America, 1987.
• Burns, Stanley B., and Elizabeth A. Burns. Geisha: A Photographic History, 1872–1912. Brooklyn, N.Y.: powerHouse Books, 2006. ISBN 1576873366.
• Downer, Lesley. Women of the Pleasure Quarters: The Secret History of the Geisha. New York: Broadway Books, 2001. ISBN 0767904893, ISBN 0767904907.
• Ishihara, Tetsuo. Peter MacIntosh, trans. Nihongami no Sekai: Maiko no kamigata (The World of Traditional Japanese Hairstyles: Hairstyles of the Maiko). Kyōtō: Dōhōsha Shuppan, 1993. ISBN 4810412946.
• Iwasaki, Mineko, with Rande Brown. Geisha, A Life (also known as Geisha of Gion). New York: Atria Books, 2002. ISBN 0743444329, ISBN 0756781612; ISBN 074343059X.
• Masuda, Sayo. G.G. Rowley, trans. Autobiography of a Geisha. New York: Columbia University Press, 2003. ISBN 0231129505. * Masuda, Sayo. G.G. Rowley, trans. Autobiography of a Geisha. New York: Columbia University Press, 2003. ISBN 0231129505.
• Scott, A.C. The Flower and Willow World; The Story of the Geisha. New York: Orion Press, 1960.

External links

• Japanese Society Performing Arts*Japanese Dance
• The apprentice geisha (maiko)'s explanation
• Photos of maiko by Naoyuki Ogino
• Photos of geisha and maiko by Lubomir Cernota
• Information on geisha and maiko from Japanlinked.com
• Geisha and Maiko of Gion, photos by Francois Bergeron
• Geisha and maiko photos by Frantisek Staud

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• Articles to be merged from January 2010
• Articles with trivia sections from August 2009
• Japanese performing arts
• Geisha
• Japanese culture
• Japanese artists
• Japanese musicians
• Japanese society
• Entertainment occupations
• Dances of Japan