- Traditional female entertainer accomplished in the arts.
- Literally, "art person"; female performers who specialize in entertaining and providing companionship to men at dinner parties and similar venues. They are skilled in classic Japanese arts such as music (especially the playing of the stringed samisen), poetry and calligraphy. They first appeared at the start of the Edo period, as an off-shoot of the group of highest-class courtesans.
- a traditional female entertainer Geisha literally means "art-person," and the true geisha is above all an artist. She is an accomplished musician, being able to sing, dance, and play traditional instruments like the shamisen, but perhaps most excels in the fine art of making her client feel like a king.
- "Accomplished person," Edo dialect for male and female entertainers who specialized in dancing, playing musical instruments, singing, and sophisticated conversation. Two other terms meant the same thing: geigi and, in the Kamigata region (Osaka and Kyoto), geiko. At first only males were geisha (see taikomochi), but the first female was reputedly the former yujô (prostitute) Kasen of the Ôgiya in Edo's Yoshiwara, who had paid off all her debts and began an entertainment business around 1761.
- young women trained in traditional Japanese social arts to serve clients in tea houses. Training includes dance, musical instruments, song, flower arrangement (ikebana), and the tea ceremony (cha-no-yu).
- A Japanese girl whose profession is to entertain men by dancing and singing; loosely, a Japanese prostitute.
- a woman entertainer, accomplished in music, dancing, conversation. Popular from the 1750's onward.
- is a woman who puts on make up and wears a beautiful kimono, particularly in Kyoto.
a Japanese woman trained to entertain men with conversation and singing and dancing
Geisha (芸者 "person of the arts") are traditional Japanese artist-entertainers. Geisha were very common in the 18th and 19th centuries, and are still in existence today, although their numbers are dwindling.
What is a Geisha?
The word Geisha means "artist" in Japanese. Geisha are professional hostesses who entertain guests through various performing arts in tea houses called O-chaya. They are trained in a number of traditional skills such as Japanese ancient dance, singing, playing instruments such as the Shamisen, flower arrangement, wearing kimo no, tea ceremony, calligraphy, conversation, alcohol serving manners and more. Geisha continue to study and perfect these skills throughout their careers as geisha.
A successful geisha must demonstrate beauty, grace, artistic talent, charm, impeccable etiquette, and refinement. Only guests with a long time connection with the tea house are allowed and tea houses generally don't take on new clients without an introduction. The profession of a geisha is a very expensive business and a geisha party can easily cost thousands of US dollars. The total number of geisha in the 1920's was 80,000, but today the number of geisha has dropped to 10,000 due to the westernizing of Japanese culture.
What is the Role of Geisha?
Geisha must train themselves in various traditional arts such as classical dancing, playing the Shamisen, and several styles of singing in the hanamachi (geisha community). Today, geisha women may also be models or go on international tours, for example.Geisha work by entertaining guests at expensive tea houses. They will serve drinks, talk with the guests, and perform.Geisha women maintain many different relationships with men. They are not prostitutes. It is appropriate for geisha to have a patron (danna), whom she is involved with emotionally, economically, and sexually, however it is up to the geisha whether she wants one or not. Geisha wear their hair in a bun or a uniform style with a single comb and two pins. They also wear elegant kimonos and beautiful white make-up.Geisha also entertain at business banquets or parties for a considerable amount of money. There they engage in conversation, and perform for the guests. Geisha will either perform "Tachikata" which mainly does traditional Japanese dance or "Jikata" which mainly sings or plays an instrument. Tachikata are usually the maiko girls while Jikata are older geisha women. They also pay greater attention to the guest of honor. Geisha also do not discuss anything that was said at a party or business meeting outside.
Geisha do not prepare or serve food. They also never have a one-night stand.
How Do You Become a Geisha?
To become a geisha, you had to be the daughter of a geisha or accepted by an O-chaya. Usually beautiful little girls who were orphaned or from poverty stricken families were sold to an O-chaya by relatives. The O-chaya would invest a lot of money to train these girls and dress them in brightly colored kimonos. In the O-chaya, the okamisan ("mother" who runs the house) taught the girls. They performed various chores while observing the geisha. When they reach a certain level, the girls become "Maikos" (15-20 year old girls) which are apprentices to geisha. A maiko accompanies a geisha on her appointments to learn and become accustomed to the job. Usually at the age of 20, a maiko girl decides if she is going to become a geisha. If she gets married she must quit. The initiation ceremony is called "erigae" and means "changes of collars". At one time this was when the collar of a maiko changed from red to white. Also, this was when a girl underwent mizu-age, a ceremony that revolved around the girls losing her virginity to the "highest bidder." This does not take place anymore.
History of Geisha
During the early 11th century, two women of noble birth created a new dance to entertain the warrior's circles. Representing the court dress of the warriors, they wore white costumes. They wore a tall hat, long white gown, and sword at their waist. The dance caught on and over time the costume changed to a black hat and red skirt. Then both the hat and sword disappeared. Many people believe that these women were the early predecessors of geisha However, others believe geisha were originally men who entertained in a society called the "water world." This world contained prostitutes, entertainers and their patrons. Eventually, there was a transformation from all male geisha to all female geisha. After geisha became more popular, they began entertaining in tea houses and began defining what was in, in Japanese culture. In 1779, authorities were angry with the conduct of the geisha. They were upset that they did not pay taxes on their wages. Disciplinary rules were formed and a code of conduct was created, which is still upheld today.
Art of Geisha
What attracts a woman to this profession is, above all, the conscious and deliberate choice to make art her life. (Dalby:217)
The importance of dance in the Japanese culture and to Geisha most likely originates from ancient religious practices. The nineteenth century saw the development of many of the dances that are now the most common dances performed by Geisha at both private parties and public events such as festivals. Dances such as the Miyako Odori and the cherry dances, dances that originate in the Japanese cultural value of Cherry Blossoms, arise out of the nineteenth century.
The shamisen is a lute-like instrument made out of redwood with three strings of braided silk attached to the arm by three large ivory pegs. The wooden body is backed with parchment. The instrument is played with an ivory or hardwood plectrum. The playing of the shamisen dates back to T'ang China when the instrument was given as a gift from the T'ang court to Japanese Buddhist envoys.
Before discussing matters of appearance in Geisha, it is important to note the significance of the color red. There is a word in Japanese, ko itten, which means "touch of scarlet." The word is used as an affectionate term for women, especially Geisha girls. The use of the color red in dress and makeup is very significant to Japanese society. Red is denoted as a color of beauty and happiness. Red undergarments are thought to ward off menstrual pain and keep the female reproductive organs healthy and functioning. Red is also thought to be erotic to men. Geishas traditionally wear crimson lining under their kimonos (depending on season)as well as bright red lipstick made from safflower extract and red rouge, made from the petals of crimson flowers.
In the early era of Geisha, when most patrons were shoguns, the costumes that the Geisha Girls wore were very warrior-like, including large hats and decorative swords. As the culture flourished, garments became much more feminine. Geisha began to wear the traditional kimono. The color, pattern, and style of kimono was dependent on season, but the kimono was always worn in three layers (the outer kimono and two layers of undergarments), regardless of season. In the winter, Geisha could be seen wearing a three-quarter length "overcoat" lined with hand painted silk over their kimono. In the spring, the waistband that Geisha wear (obi) became very important. During the springtime, the waistband was often more expensive than the kimono and ornately decorated. The spring kimono also had a crimson lining. Come summer, the lining was removed, and the kimonos were typically of brighter colors and different designs. Again in autumn, the crimson lining would reappear as well as new colors and designs. Geisha wore a flat-soled sandal outdoors, and went barefoot indoors. When weather was bad, the women wore raised wooden clogs that are attached to the foot in the same way that the usual thong sandal is. Maiko, geisha in training, wore a special black lacquered wooden clog.
The hairstyles of Geisha have varied considerably over history. Before the time of T'ang China, it was most common for women to wear their hair down but during the time of T'ang China, it became popular to tie one's hair up. Women then returned to wearing their hair parted in the center and hanging straight down. Again during the seventeenth century, women began pulling all their hair up again and it is during this time that the traditional hairstyle, shimada, developed. This is the hairstyle worn by Geisha and means generally thatall the hair is pulled back in one section. There are four major types of the shimada: Taka Shimada,a high chignon (a kind of knot of hair), usually worn by young, single women; Tsubushi shimada, a more flattened chignon generally worn by older women; Uiwata, a chignon that is usually bound up with a piece of color cotton crepe; and a style that ends up looking like a divided peach, typically worn by maiko. These hairstyles were decorated with elaborate hair-combs and hairpins, which often symbolized status. In the seventeenth century and after the Meiji Restoration period, hair-combs were large and conspicuous, generally more ornate for higher-class women. During the Meiji restoration and in this modern era, smaller less conspicuous hair-combs are more popular. The traditional makeup of the Geisha is probably the most common feature associated with the culture because of its striking contrast to contemporary makeup. Under the influence of T'ang China, early geisha and other women of the period would dye their brows a golden yellow.
Beginning in the Sixteenth century, the Geisha began using a white foundation made from rice powder that has since been replaced by a white cream. Geisha wear bright red lipstick, made from safflower extract and often worn only in the center of the lips to emphasize delicacy, femininity and the desired miniature effect. Light red rouge made from crimson flower petals was also worn. Until the Meiji period, Geisha and other performers were known to permanently stain their teeth black, the significance of which is not certain. The world of Geisha is a culture that allows Japanese women to be independent and economically self-sufficient, as they do not marry (as they would cease to be a Geisha if she did).
It is probably the only profession in Japanese which the women are consistently ranked above the men in the profession. Geisha also allows a woman to work into old age and because of the high cultural value on this preservation of traditional art and culture gives the woman an inherent value and respect that she might otherwise be unable to obtain.
The Significance of a Geisha to Men in Japan
Some geisha do develop intimate relationships with clients, who become their patrons, this is part of the picture. Until quite recently, nearly all marriages in Japan were arranged by the respective families of the bride and groom, with the main ambition being to preserve rank rather than securing the personal happiness of the parties involved. Under these circumstances, a Japanese man of means would typically come to have two women in his life, his wife and his loved one. It came to be considered normal for wealthy and powerful men to have liaisons with geisha. For an attractive girl whose family situation gave her little hope getting married for real, this arrangement could be attractive too. She could lead a better life than would otherwise have been possible and she could actually have a say in who she accepted as her patron.
How are Geisha Hired For Parties?
If a customer wants to call a geisha or maiko to a party, he/she asks the okami of an o-chaya, then the okami lets a management office (yakata) know about the request. Yakata are in charge of sending geisha or maiko girls to places, such as o-chaya, restaurants, hotels, and Japanese inns, depending on customers' request. If a customer is renting a room in an o-chaya for a dinner party, the customer will be charged for the food and geisha in addition to the cost for renting the room. The charge for calling the geisha is called "o-hanadai"
Unless you are referred by someone who is already a customer of a o-chaya, you aren't allowed to enter an o-chaya. O-chaya are very exclusive places. Usually, the charge for the service is billed to the customer from the o-chaya later, so, it's important for the o-chaya to have a trusting relationship with customers. O-chaya don't do business with a newcomer without the proper referral. However, many well-known restaurants and Japanese inns in Kyoto have some kinds of connection to an o-chaya, so you can request them to send geisha women to your party.
When you do request, make it clear that what types of performance you would like. There are two basic types of geisha. One is called "tachikata" which mainly does traditional Japanese dance (mai). The other is called "jikata" which mainly sings, or plays an instrument. Tachikata are usually maiko girls and jikata are older geisha women. The cost for a party with geisha varies depending on the number of geisha, food, drink, hours, and so on. But, you can even have a party beginning at about $150 per person for a regular two-hour appointment. Consult with restaurants or inns in Kyoto who have connections to hanamachi.
What is the Relationship Between the Wife and a Geisha?
Geisha women are not perceived as a threat to a marriage in Japanese culture. Traditionally, the wife and geisha have completely separate roles in society. Usually, the relationship between a man and his geisha is not based on love and is not meant to disrupt the marriage between a husband and wife.
Wives ususally know who their husbands geisha are, and in fact, there are some times when their paths cross. During the Obon Festival and during the New Year's celebration, geisha will typically visit the homes of important customers and bring gifts to their wives. Geisha also give an occasional dance performances specifically for the wives and daughters of a geisha's or ochaya's customers. Because a wife may not persuade her husband, she may also, at times, seek the advice of a geisha or request that the geisha persuade the husband to do something that may be in the best interest of the family.
In addition to acting on the wife's behalf, a geisha may also offer business advice, as she is likely to hear the details of important business deals while performing or serving businessmen. At times, a geisha may also attempt to encourage a man's talents or bring them out, as it would be socially unacceptable for a man to suggest that he is talented in an area.
In the past, geisha would perform at the weddings of their customers' daughters. This is not as common now, but geisha still are present at the funerals of important customers. Often geisha will be in charge of making funeral arrangements or making other preparations after the death of a patron. This can be of great help to a family in their time of grief, and is almost always welcomed with open arms.
Will Geisha Survive in Japanese Culture?
The number of geisha has been declining for primarily two reasons. First, the training to become a geisha is long and rigorous. Second, the variance in levels of geisha, as far as cost, has all but disappeared. Geisha have become an elite group and have therefore become very expensive.
Fewer and fewer men are willing to pay the high cost of a geisha when other entertainers (i.e. hostesses) are available. Kyoto and the area around the city maintains the highest number of geisha as well as having a more traditional culture of geisha. Tokyo brags the second highest population of geisha, though these geisha and teahouses tend to be less traditional. Tokyo geisha lack the formalized older sister/younger sister relationship. Geisha in Kyoto are more conscious of being a geisha at all times. On the whole, in Tokyo, geisha is seen as another career.
Traditionally, geisha live lives separate from the rest of society. "Ideally, what a geisha brings to the banquet room is an elegance that has been cultivated, like a rare orchid, in the special environment in the flower and willow world. Whatever is special about geisha and imbues them with a certain mystique arises because their lives are set apart from everyday society. Today the walls of their world are art and discipline" (Dalby, 217). In the past, geisha were often sold to a teahouse by their family as a means of earning money, and for their daughters to get an education of some sort. Now the choice to become a geisha is less for economic reasons, and more as a career choice like any other. If a geisha had daughters, they were traditionally sent to a special geisha school with the intention that they would grow up to be geisha like their mothers. Now the children of geisha are sent to public school like all other children. This is one illustration of how, in the recent past, geisha have been losing the strict division between their lives and the rest of society.
We can observe a dramatic decline in the number of geisha. Nowadays, there are very few genuine geisha left in Japan. This is partly due to the decreasing demand. Most of the Japanese prefer (and can afford) hostesses when they want to go out and have some fun with women outside the "net of the family and workplace". The decline is also due to the supply. For the Japanese girls it is much easier to become a Western-type entertainer, a hostess.
It is possible that in a few years it will be difficult to find any geisha left. If we can, it would probably not the real, traditional type. Due to tourism and the interest of the businessmen visiting Japan, this institution will probably survive, but maybe in a modified form. It is possible that the Japanese women who used to become geisha (who wish for independence and try to get rid of the accustomed mother/wife role), can find more opportunity for success in work. In spite of these, it would be positive if this uniquely interesting patch of the Japanese society, would survive. We should not see it (as many Western people do) as prostitution. A love for the traditional arts seems to be the most important motivating factor for women who choose to become geisha. They are respected as preservers of traditional art and culture.
