(Lit. "art person")
A brief history
Geisha have been part of Japan
's culture for centuries. Though skilled courtesans had existed as earlier as the 10th century, the geisha became a distinctive profession from the 18th century onwards. During this period entertainers were mostly men but a few female drum players appeared in the 1770s. They were called geiko
, the predecessors of the geisha. The popularity of the geiko soared and so they expanded their repertoire.
In many ways, the geisha were the creation of the wealthy merchant class. The merchants were annoyed by the lack of social mobility under Tokugawa rule, as certain arts such as Noh drama were reserved for the nobility only. Thus they decided to create a type of entertainer to serve their needs. She would be as accomplished as any courtesan of the time, skilled in the use of the shamisen, koto and other classical Japanese instruments. She would be the epitome of grace, the perfect dancer and an excellent conversationalist. For a select few, she would also provide an incredible night of sex. Originally samurai were unable to purchase a geisha's services, a small act of revenge on the part of the merchants.
The geisha were originally based in the Yoshiwara pleasure district around Edo (Tokyo) but the profession soon grew. Girls were recruited as young as possible, sometimes as young as 6, normally from families so poor they had to sell a daughter. Curiously it seems that few came from peasant families, as they were too proud to do so - most were from those living in urban areas. In rare cases, impoverished samurai families asked a daughter to join to pay off debts - some even volunteered. They were normally made to do the chores in the okiya where they lived. Those who lacked sufficient skill or fell out with the owner of the okiya stayed as maids, as lessons in the appropriate arts were deemed a waste of money. But those who worked hard and looked promising were sent to the various music and dance schools for regular lessons. They would wake early and go to bed late, a routine that would stay with them for much of their career.
As the numbers of geisha increased, so too did the interest in them. It did not take long until most self-respecting daimyo had at least one geisha in their service. Nowadays there are few okiya still in existence but a number do survive in modern Tokyo and Kyoto.
Geisha and Sex
Though in the past geisha on occasion did offer sexual services to clients, this was especially rare. The view that many gaijin
have of geisha as being little more than prostitutes is heinously incorrect. This is mostly due to Arthur Golden
's Memoirs of a Geisha
. Quite fittingly, in 2001 Mineko Iwasaki
, one of the geisha who he interviewed while researching his book, initiated legal precedings against him, accusing him of misrepresenting her profession.
As their literal description suggests, a geisha's purpose is to be a thing of beauty, almost a piece of art. The whole point of the new entertainers was to separate themselves from the conventional cortesans and prostitutes. Some geisha did sleep with a few, special clients and the act of mizuage (a client payed to sleep with a maiko for the first time in her life) was an integral part of a young maiko's career. However such activities were rare and not the main point of becoming a geisha.
Of course geisha were women and often fell in love themselves. If it was with a patron, they were lucky. If it was with a man who could not afford her contract, she had to supress her emotions - being caught with an unsuitable man could destroy her reputation. After prositution was banned after WWII in Japan, the age of sleeping with select clients drew to an end. Geisha are still expected to keep their chastity but as ever, this is not always possible to enforce.
Today geisha wear the finest kimono, ones that ordinary people could never afford. They paint their faces in thick white make-up and carefully apply rouge to their lips. Their fine black hair is pile up high, locked in place with strong wax and ornate hair combs. A truly alluring image. Though they are often the things of sexual desires, it would be unthinkable for a client to inquire whether one would sleep with him. Even if he had the arrogance to do so, the most he could expect would be a polite smile.
For the outlay of hundreds, sometimes thousands of pounds, geisha entertain clients through song and dance, either in ochaya
(teahouses) or restaurants - in rare circumstances at private functions. The Japanese koto and shamisen are the preferred instruments to accompany performing geisha. They also make polite conversation with their clients, though such conversations are strictly private. They also serve meals and drink such as sake
Though the geisha of today do not spend as long as their ancient predecessors in training, who could be entered into a okiya before they were 10, geisha still have to go through at least a few years of intensive training. Generally it is still a case of "the younger the better" - the younger an applicant is, the more training she can be put through. The young girls join a particular okiya, where they live with the other trainees, maiko and geisha, under the care of a mama-san. They are instructed in traditional dance, poetry, how to play instruments like the koto and perform the ancient tea ceremony. By the age of 17 (though today older girls apply) an apprentice geisha traditionally became a maiko - today a girl normally requires 5 years training first. Although not a full geisha, she attends an older "sister" during parties. This is important as she learns how to make the conversation vital to being a successful geisha.
Geisha have a fixed contract and at first earn no money, as they must pay for the expensive kimonos, wigs and make-up. They are normally sponsored by a wealthy patron to pay for this. Geisha are given accommodation in an okiya and an allowance though. After some time they earn a lot of money, and they can expect to leave with a great deal of money. The more successful women can leave the shared dwellings and operate by themselves, often the most efficient way of making money. For many decades, geisha have been expected to move out by their 30s, to make way for the younger trainees. Though they could stay on, it was normally only if they were not in demand and could not afford to do so.
Though many commentators claim that the geisha are a dying breed, there is still an adequate interest in them, both in terms of potential clients and potential employees. The geisha profession provides Japanese women with an excellent opportunity at being financially independent and a rare chance to retire before they are 40. Some go on to buy their own ochaya. A new breed of geisha, the furisode-san, has recently sprung up in Tokyo. These entertainers are less exclusive than the geisha and spend less time in training - some people complain they are like buzzing bees, rather than graceful butterflies. However in a consummerist market, they are 21st century geisha, who will keep the old arts alive if their more illustrious counterparts really do fade away.
A recent book Geisha: The Secret History of a Vanishing World
by Lesley Downer
provides a comprehensive and more accurate understanding of geisha than Memoirs of a Geisha