Week 3 [03-09.04.2017] GEISHA PROFFESION

GEISHA PROFFESION

Some history…

The creation of the term GEISHA reaches the Tokugawa's era and refers to a person who performs the art and is an artist itself. Initially, Geishas were men. Only since the XVIII century women were allowed to perform this profession. They were called Anna Geishas which meant the women geisha. The first of a woman-geisha were Kasen and she was chosen in the 1761

Geishas' districts…

The most traditional were geishas from Kioto. They dwell geishas' districts, the biggest are:

*Pontocho

*Gion

*Shimabara

source: http://swiatwild.blogspot.com/2015/09/kyoto-gion-dzielnica-gejsz-zeby-nie.html

They usually live in a one house which is called Okiya. Although they live all together, there is a great atmosphere of hatred due to the fact that each of them fights for the respect of other people which unfortunately does not allow them to run a peaceful life in their environment.

Stages of the training

To become a geisha was not an easy task. Education started at the very early age, most frequently the girls between 10-12 became geishas on the basis of a contract between parents and Okasan who is a kind of a keeper and a manager of the school for girls.

Shikomi- does the same activities as servants and additionally serves Maiko and Geiko. The training takes 6 months and is a stage of getting the girls familliar with the life in the house, the ideology, the study of a more formal language, discipline and wearing a kimono. Geisha works very hard under the constant okasan's observations

Source: https://sites.google.com/site/nishimuraokiya/geisha-training/shikomi

Maiko- she is an apprentice for whom the world of geishas is presented. She acquires the experience mainly through taking part in the parties and festivals of the dance. She distinguishes from other ordinary people mainly because of wearing a colourful kimono with very long sleeves which reach the ground and lots of decorations in the hair. The young geisha has to look cute and innocent

Source: https://leolaksi.wordpress.com/2010/04/14/maiko-in-kyoto-geisha-in-training/

Geiko- is the elder and experienced geisha. Her kimono is not that colorful anymore and her hair is not decorated by a number of combs and pins. Her outfit is specifically blinded by a belt called 'obi'. That kind of a woman becomes a beautiful, dignified and also a serious Geiko

Source: https://www.pinterest.com/kikyousotsugyou/geiko-kikuyu/

Mizuage

In the past, a girl who wanted to become the Geiko had to pass through initiation (mizuage). However, nowadays it is not practiced. In the first day of mizuage, Okasan in a specially prepared room left 3 eggs and walked away to the neighboring room. The lover who came to Mizuage asked Maiko to lay down. Later he drank the yolks and rubbed the whites of an eggs into clothes. He informed the girl that this is Mizuage and with saying 'good night darling!' he left the room. The next day, they met at the same place when again the lover drank the yolks but the whites were rubbed over the girl's legs. He left the room with saying the same words as on the previous day. This ceremony took 7 days and with each day, the whites of the eggs were rubbed into more and more sensitive parts of the woman's body. When the week was coming to the end, the young geisha felt calm and excited and the male comforted by the yolks with pleasure did his role.

Disrepute

A lot of people mistakenly perceive geishas as the prostitutes. Unfortunately this thought still functions and probably came from the period of the Second World War when American occupiers used services of the prostitutes who named themselves geishas.The real geisha does not have sexual relation with their customers. All she can do is to flirt and of course only to some extent. The prove of their innocence is the fact that every geisha has to be registered at the office which can be found in every district. The prostitution in Japan is forbidden.

Geisha’s outfit

Geishas' outfit consist of 3 parts: nagajuban, kimonoes and obi. Nagajuban is a robe worn under the kimono and obi is a belt by which Geiko bind their clothes. It can have a length of even 6 meters. Furthermore, the kimono itself is very beautiful, however, it can weight up to twenty kilos. Geishas do not wear underwear because it could spoil the look of the outfit. Socks are usually worn 1 number smaller to look better in shoes.

Source: http://kimonogeisha.com/2015/02/23/whats-the-difference-between-a-geisha-a-maiko-and-a-geiko/

Geisha’s responsibilities

The dance and parties are main Geishas' responsibilities. Rich Japanese people cannot imagine feasts without geishas. However, these women who take part in all these meetings are under the risk of getting addicted to the alcohol which may spoil their further career. The more official celebrations are dance festivals which were organized since the 1875. The most popular are spring festivals in Kioto. Not only the Japanese people join these festivals but also tourists from the whole world who want to watch this amazing dance, performed by those unique women.

They played an essential role in the economy and politics. It was said that an ambitious politician had two goals in his life: Have a geisha as a wife and to become a minister. If a geisha wants to marry a man, she has to quit her profession for the life time.

Popularity of geishas

Although before the end of XX century, the popularity of geishas decreased and only rich businessmen and clients are interested in geishas. However, there is no doubt that these women will remain as the symbol of Japan which makes an essential impact on the Japanese culture. Almost every young Japanese girl dreams about becoming geisha. What amazing is about geishas is that their traditions and rules have not changed over those all years.

To end with, I present you a trailer from a film called ‘Memoirs of a geisha’ which shows their life. I encourage you into watching the whole.

Please, write your opinion about geisha’s.