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Where can I find information about "Japanese Geisha"?

Geisha

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Female tourists dressed as maiko

See also 芸妓／舞妓変身geisha変身geisha, also known as geisha in Chinese translation, is a type of female performer in Japan. In addition to serving food and drink, a large part of their work consists of performing dances, music, and musical instruments at banquets. In the Kanto region, such as Tokyo, they are called "げいしゃ (Geisha)" and in the apprenticeship stage they are called "半玉", while in the Kansai region, such as Kyoto and Osaka, they are called "げいこ (Geiko)" and in the apprenticeship stage they are called "げいこ (Geiko)" and in the apprenticeship stage they are called "げいこ (Geiko). In the Kansai region, such as Kyoto and Osaka, they were called "げいこ（Geiko）" and in the apprenticeship stage, "maiko（or "maiko", pronounced "maiko" in all cases）". After the Meiji period, the pronunciation "げいぎ、Geigi" became more and more common, and became the modern standard Japanese pronunciation.

Contents [hide]

1 Translation interpretation

2 Historical origins

3 Differences from prostitutes

4 Geisha career

4.1 Learning the art

4.2 Everyday life

4.3 Marriage

5 The art of performance

5.1 Dress

5.2 Props

5.3 Venues

5.4 Performances

6 Social status

7 Decline and cultural value

8 Famous geishas

9 Related topics

10 External links

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Translated interpretations

Japanese Ukiyo-e Geisha in Japanese ukiyo-e In Japanese, the word "妓" retains its traditional Chinese usage, representing both female art performers and female sex workers. In Japanese, the word "geisha" retains its traditional Chinese usage, representing both female art performers and female sex workers, and the word "geisha" refers to the former because geisha are in principle art performers and do not engage in the sex trade. However, in modern Chinese, the word "妓" is often intuitively associated with the sex trade, thus giving rise to the modern Chinese translation of "艺伎". In fact, the Japanese word "kabuki" refers to a male performer (see: kabuki), so the correct translation would be "geisha" to show the difference.

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Historical origins

Japanese geisha culture began to develop outward from Kyoto, and the origins of geisha in Kyoto can be traced back to Higashiyama in Kyoto, where Yasaka Shrine is located, in about the 17th century. Yasaka Shrine is a very famous shrine among the many shrines and temples in Kyoto and has a long history. It is said that many people visited Yasaka Shrine at that time, and naturally, many stores gathered in the vicinity, forming a commercial area. Among them, there were many stores called "mizuchaya" that sold tea, "dango" and other confectionary items, and provided a temporary resting place for worshippers who came from all over Japan. The waitresses who work in these stores are called "chagai girls" or "tea girls. Some of these women used songs and dances to attract customers, in what is now known as a commercial approach. As time went by, these commercial methods were constantly being developed, and the quality was constantly being improved, for example, by the addition of music to the shamisen. As a result of this virtuous cycle, some mizutaya became better and better, their size began to expand, and the variety of their products began to increase, with, for example, sake and haute cuisine appearing.

Since the performance of chagallas was an important business practice, some mizukaya owners began to systematically train their chagallas, and this was the beginning of the geisha culture. From ordinary water tea houses to high-class kiosks, the division of labor became more and more refined under the consideration of cost. Instead of each store maintaining and training its own geisha, it would be better to centralize the training and then invite them to perform when necessary, so as to bring out more economic benefits. This is why the professional training centers and operators called "chikuyas" came into being.

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Difference from prostitutes

Traditionally, in Japan, a woman who pours wine at a banquet without training in the art is called a "shochu" (酎女人), and has a low social status. Prostitutes are often referred to as "girls" or "girls" and the highest-ranking among them are called "taio" or "hanakoi". The most senior among them are called "taiwu" and "huaqui". "They were not only young and beautiful, but also had good attainments in the tea ceremony, singing, dancing, incense and other arts, and their services were limited to dignitaries, who also treated them as guests, so their social status was relatively high. However, no matter "girl", "traveling girl" or "too husband", "flower girl", all of them will sell their bodies, and the real status of geisha is an entertainer. The real identity of geisha is an entertainer, and their main job is to wait for customers to make art.

However, because of the prosperity of the geisha industry, the demand for more and more, and for the flirtatious environment, more or less unavoidable profit-oriented operators, so there are geisha origin because of the birth of a family in need of money, orphans, and other socially disadvantaged factors, and signed the contract of sale of the body, or trafficked by the traffickers. Perhaps in order to pay off their debts and redeem themselves, or perhaps because they could not resist the lure of money, some geishas began to engage in the sex trade. Although this kind of self-indulgent behavior was traditionally punished, in fact, until after the Second World War, there were many geishas who sold themselves as prostitutes throughout Japan, and there were also many unscrupulous businessmen who specialized in this kind of business in disguise. Nonetheless, the real first-class geisha were "for sale, not for sale". On the contrary, a first-class geisha, like a woman in general, may have a single lover, called a "dana (husband)", and even commit herself to him, and the "dana" will also commit herself to the "dana". The "dana" will also provide material assistance such as money to take care of the geisha's needs. There are also many geisha who leave their jobs and marry their loved ones and start a family.

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Career as a geisha

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Learning the art

The conditions for becoming a geisha in Japan are very demanding, and the cost of learning the art is very high, and is not something that the average family can afford. Moreover, the learning process is arduous and not all geishas are able to persevere.

In the olden days, geishas usually started at the age of 10, but nowadays, due to the limitations of the Kodomo Welfare Law and the Rōjōji Law, you have to graduate from high school (i.e., be around 14 or 15 years old) before you can start learning the art of geisha. There is a lot to learn and the process is very difficult. They include culture, etiquette, language, decorations, poetry, music, bowing, pouring wine, etc., and every action and word is strictly regulated, reflecting nobility and stability. For example, one of the contents of the training is to eat hot tofu without making a sound, not to mention not touching the lip gloss, so it can be seen that the requirements are very strict. At the age of about 16, a geisha can officially become a geisha, and the entire process lasts for five years. The first geisha are called "maiko" (or maiko), and then they are officially transformed into "geisha". A geisha's career generally ends at the age of 30, and if one continues to work as a geisha after that age, one is demoted and becomes a companion to younger, more beautiful geishas. Geisha refer to their predecessors as "o ister san" (older sister).

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Daily life

Geishas generally live a quiet life, and are usually seen in public only as geishas in a hurry hurrying from their place of residence to the tea house, or from the tea house back to their place of residence. They form a small circle among themselves, and it is very difficult for the general public to pry into their lives, thus causing people's curiosity and interest in their lives. Geishas earn a lot of money and are very elegant, but their ability to take care of themselves in daily life is very poor. For this reason, geisha's employers provide them with personal nannies to take care of their daily lives.

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Marriage

Outstanding geishas often became the objects of pursuit for the rich and powerful, and many of them fell in love with each other. In ancient Japan, women were required to give up their jobs as geishas after marriage, and it was only in modern times that this custom was gradually abolished, allowing geishas to lead normal lives. However, most women still follow the tradition and leave geisha after marriage, while a few return to geisha after divorce, the most famous of whom is Kiharu Nakamura.

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Performing arts

Image:Yiji02.jpg

A geisha in the midst of applying her make-up

Note: The person in this photo may not be a real geisha, but is merely demonstrating. [edit]

Dress

The hairstyle of the geisha is most commonly known as "Shimada". "There are three theories as to the origin of Shimada髷:

It became popular in the Edo period among the "travelers" of Shimada-juku ("宿") in the Tokaido province.

The Kabuki actor Shimada Mangyoshi began to wear the knot during the Kan-ei period.

The name is derived from the Japanese word "缔めた".

Darari no Obi (だらりの帯), the costume of a geisha, is a gorgeous kimono with excellent workmanship, texture, and decorations, and is therefore very expensive, usually costing more than 500,000 yen, and in some cases as much as 1 million yen. The costumes of Kyoto maiko are even more famous, and are characterized by a gorgeous obi called "だらりの帯", which can be up to five times as long as the obi of the maiko. These belts can be as long as 5 meters and are so heavy that they require a great deal of strength to tie, so they are often worn by male servants known as "maiko.

The kimono worn by maiko and young geisha is called a "train" and the section from the obi to the hem of the skirt is called a "tsuke". When walking around, maiko and young geisha always put their left hand on this section, which means "to sell one's art, not one's body".

Although geisha costumes are categorized as kimonos, they are in fact somewhat different from traditional kimonos. While traditional kimonos have a high back neckline, which usually covers the woman's neck, the neckline of the kimono worn by geishas is wide open and purposely sloped back so that the geisha's neck is fully exposed.

Geishas are also very particular about their make-up, with special procedures for applying heavy make-up and using traditional materials. The most striking thing is that geisha use a liquid white pigment to evenly coat their faces and necks, making them look like beautifully carved dolls.

When a geisha goes out to a banquet, she is accompanied by a man with a shamisen case, who not only takes care of the geisha, who have difficulty moving around because of their dress, but also protects them from drunken customers and debauchees.

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Props

The props used in geisha performances are narrowly defined as hand-held performance equipment, including all kinds of musical instruments and ornaments, and broadly defined to include the brothel, the accompanist, and even all the knowledge learned by the geisha. Because geisha reception of guests is not limited to song and dance performance, they provide is able to guests feast for the many activities.

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Places

The geisha's performances were initially confined to geisha houses, but later on, as they were required to attend the banquets of dignitaries, geisha began to hang out in teahouses, restaurants and kiosks. With the change of times and the impact of modern Western culture, geisha decline pressure increased, so that the art of geisha had to change the tradition of geisha practitioners are also allowed to the teahouse in the ad hoc bar room guest performance.

Senior geisha performing shamisen and Japanese flute[edit]

Performances

Geisha performances can be broadly categorized as "cubic" and "local". A "tachiwa" is a performer who mainly dances, while a "jikkai" is a performer who sings songs such as "nagayama" and "kiyomoto," plays taiko drums and shamisen, and so on. The term "local" refers to performers who sing songs such as "nagayama" and "kiyomoto" and who play taiko drums and shamisen. Because the performance of "local" is difficult and requires long training, it is usually performed by experienced geisha. On the other hand, "cubic" performances are easier, so they are usually performed by less experienced geisha and maiko. In addition to the two main types of geisha performances mentioned above, geisha also perform traditional Japanese arts such as the tea ceremony and incense ceremony. In addition, geishas are trained to speak, so many of them are very talkative and will talk to their customers after the performance to add to the atmosphere. The fee paid by the customer to the geisha for the performance is called "shouka-yo" or "tamashiro", and in Kyoto it is called "hanayo".

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Social status

In the Japanese mindset, geisha are a very respectable profession, and it is a great honor for a girl to become a qualified geisha, and for someone in the family to be a geisha is considered an honor.

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Decline and cultural value

After the Second World War, there were still many hanamachi (花街), which were the main places of entertainment in Japan, and there were a large number of geishas and geishas who sold themselves. However, in 1947, Japan implemented the Child Welfare Law and the Labor Standards Law, which prohibited children from dropping out of school and working before the age of majority. This had a direct and significant impact on the source of talent for geishas, who needed to be trained from an early age to seize the opportunity to work in their prime. In addition, the rapid social changes since the Industrial Revolution and the emergence of new entertainment activities led to the gradual decline of the hanamachi and geisha.

Japan has recognized geisha as a cultural asset and is actively protecting them. In Kyoto and other cities with geisha culture, there is a commercial service called "geisha/maiko 変身" that allows female tourists to dress up as geisha or maiko and experience the beauty of the geisha culture for themselves.

In addition, due to the ease of transportation, modern geishas are invited to travel to faraway places to perform, which has helped to expand geisha culture and increase the understanding of geisha culture around the world. But as with many traditional arts around the world, the biggest challenge remains the lack of successors.

While the art of the geisha, like many traditional arts around the world, will have to decline, the geisha will remain a symbol of Kyoto's art for a long time to come and will be recognized as one of Japan's greatest cultural treasures.

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Famous geisha

Image:Geisha03.jpg

Kiharu Nakamura Kiharu Nakamura (1913-2003) released his autobiography Memoirs of a Geisha in Tokyo in 1983, and another book, Mourning Japan, in 1985. Kiharu Nakamura has **** 10 books out.

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