What is Geisha

Geisha (also known as Geisha in Chinese) are women who work in the performing arts 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 "芸妓（or "芸子"）" or "芸子" (or "芸子") . In the Kansai region, such as Kyoto and Osaka, they are called "芸妓 (or げいこ、Geiko)" and in the apprenticeship stage "舞妓" (or "舞子", Maiko) Maiko". After the Meiji period, this pronunciation of "げいぎ、Geigi" became more and more common and became the modern standard Japanese pronunciation.

Geisha in Japanese ukiyo-e In Japanese, the word "妓" retains its traditional Chinese usage, representing both female art performers and female sex workers. And geisha's "妓" refers to the former, because geisha are in principle artistic performers, and do not engage in the sex trade. However, in modern Chinese, the word "妓" is often intuitively associated with the sex trade, which is why the modern Chinese translation of "艺伎" is written for the purpose of avoidance. The Japanese word "kabuki" refers to a male performer (see: kabuki), so some have argued that "geisha" is the correct Chinese translation to distinguish it.

Japan's geisha culture developed outward from Kyoto, and the origins of the Kyoto geisha can be traced back to Higashiyama in Kyoto, where Yasaka Shrine is located, around 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," which sold tea, dumplings, and other confectionery, and provided a place for worshippers from all over Japan to rest for a while. The waitresses who work in these stores are called "chagai ladies" or "tea ladies. 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 supporting and training its own geisha, it was 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.

Traditionally, in Japan, a woman who poured wine at a banquet without training in the art was called a "shochu" (酎妇), and had a low social status. Prostitutes were often referred to as "girls" or "girls", and the highest-ranking among them were 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 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 is 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 her, 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.

The conditions for becoming a geisha in Japan are very strict, and the cost of learning the art is very high, which is not affordable for the average family. It was also a difficult journey and not all geisha could persevere.

In the olden days, geishas usually started learning at the age of 10, but nowadays, due to the Child Welfare Law and the Labor Standards Law, they can only start learning when they have graduated from high school (i.e., when they are around 14 or 15 years old). The learning process is grueling and involves a wide variety of subjects. It includes culture, etiquette, language, decorations, poetry, music, bowing, pouring wine, etc., and there are strict requirements for every action and word, reflecting nobility and steadiness in every way. For example, one of the elements of the training is to eat hot tofu without making a sound, not to mention not touching the lip gloss, which shows how strict the requirements are. 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).

Geishas generally live a quiet life, and are usually seen in public only 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, their employers provide them with personal nannies to take care of them.

Geishas were often sought after by the rich and powerful, and many of them were in love with each other. In ancient Japan, married women were obliged to give up their jobs as geisha, a practice that was only gradually abolished in modern times to allow geisha to lead normal lives. However, most women still follow the tradition and leave geisha after marriage, while a few return to the profession after divorce, the most famous contemporary being Kiharu Nakamura.

The most common hairstyle for Kyoto's "だらりの帯" geishas is known as "Shimada髷" (島田髷). "There are three theories as to the origin of Shimada髷:

It became popular in the Edo period among the "travelers" of Shimada-juku ("juku" means post station) on the Tokaido Road.

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".

Geisha costumes are very ornate kimonos with excellent workmanship, texture and decoration, and are therefore very expensive, usually costing more than 500,000 yen, and some 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 part of the kimono, 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 the traditional kimono has a high back collar that usually covers the woman's neck, the kimono worn by geishas has a large collar that is purposely slanted 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 the geisha from drunken patrons and debauchees.

The props used in the performance of geisha from a narrow sense refers to the hand-held performance tools, including all kinds of musical instruments, ornaments; broadly speaking, it should include brothels, song and dance accompanists, and even geisha learn all the knowledge. Because the geisha reception is not limited to song and dance performance, they provide is able to guests feast for the many activities.

The geisha's performances were initially limited to art galleries, but later, as they were required to attend the banquets of dignitaries, geisha began to frequent teahouses and restaurants as well as material pavilions. 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 in the guest performance.

Geisha performances can be broadly divided into "cubic" and "local" 2 kinds. "Cuban" refers to performers who mainly dance, and "local" refers to performers who sing songs such as "Chanting" and "Seigen", and play drums and shamisen. 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 "kachi" is difficult and requires a long period of 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, geisha are trained to speak, so there are many talkative geisha, and after the performance, they will also talk to their customers to enhance the atmosphere. The fee paid by the customer for the geisha's performance is called "shouka-yo" or "tamashiro," and in Kyoto, it is called "hanayo.

Social status

In the Japanese mindset, a geisha is 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.

Decline and cultural value

After the Second World War, there were still many flower streets throughout Japan, which were the main places of entertainment, and there were a lot of geishas and geishas in disguise. However, in 1947, Japan implemented the Child Welfare Law and the Labor Standards Law, which prohibited children from dropping out of school and entering the workforce before the age of majority. This was a direct and significant impact on the source of talent for geishas, who needed to be trained from a young age to grasp the prime of their lives. This, coupled with 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.

Famous geisha

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