Geishas are not submissive and subservient, but in fact they are some of the most financially and emotionally successful and strongest women in Japan, and traditionally have been so.
–Iwasaki Mineko, Geisha
Well, for a girl of least brains as me, getting to know the whole information about what Geishas are, and almost everything about them, is going to make her a curious wacko! And for rest of the people with good brains, I am still not in the convincing terms that this blog would prove a less eye-pinning and less attention-gripping.
Yes, the whole lifestyle of Geishas who are also called as Geikos, mostly in Kyoto of Japan, makes me filled with reverence and agile of shifting my thoughts out of them.
Geishas are female Japanese entertainers who perform traditional Japanese artforms, such as traditional dance and singing. They are characterised by their distinct appearance of long, trailing kimono, traditional hairstyles and the oshiroi makeup they wear.
From their style of dressing to their artforms, everything would fascinate you!
Let me come one by one to each of the things.
Origin
- They are believed to be emerged in 17th century. History records that the first self-styled geisha was Kikuya, a talented shamisen player and prostitute who lived in Fukagawa around 1750.
- Throughout the late 18th and early 19th centuries, a number of other pleasure quarter residents began to make a name for themselves as talented musicians, dancers or poets, rather than simply as sex workers.
- Though geisha would not develop until the 1800s, the use and status of courtesans as artistic and romantic entertainers was a tradition that geisha would later come to employ, with the development of courtesan artforms leading the way for geisha to later develop.
- Prostitution was not illegal in traditional Japan until around the 1900, and courtesans entertained men.
- Geisha has been a predominantly female occupation since around 1800, and rose in popularity until World War II, when most women had to work in factories and other places in Japan.
Maikos
- Apart from Geishas, there are also Maikos who are yet learning to be a Geiko. They are in the training phases who get guidance from the other Geikos for their day to day problems such as how to sleep comfortably while keeping safe the hairstyle, etc. Geikos have to keep intact their traditional hairstyles for a week, almost.
Fan dancing
- Geikos mostly perform upon stages and for them, the fans are very important. You would always find them with a fan. They perform traditional dances by fans.
- The earliest recorded fan dances in Japan took place in 6th century. Accompanied by a traditional Japanese music, the dance have many gestures as symbols
- It was originally an aristocratic art form. Today, the fans used in dancing are made up of paper and are elaborately painted and folded.
Makeup
- It shouldn’t seem strange to you if I tell you that they use whitest, thick layer of cosmetic for their makeup. It is believed that they do such kind of makeup so as to make their face dazzle into the night lamp.
- Besides, they have a very certain way of leaving the rear side of their neck bare with a certain design. It is believed that it’s a sign of seduction.
Kimono
- A geisha is recognized by her unique, long trailing traditional garments of Japan that is Kimonos. They were elaborated designs and huge protruding hairstyles with lots of traditional brooches.
Lifestyle
- A geisha lives a sort of secretive life where her life dawns not in the morning but in the evening when usually, the businessmen leave their offices and think of attending themselves into a bit pleasure.
- Geishas attend them into the nightclubs or secluded place where they usually arrange tea parties and entertain their guests with sweet hospitalities and art of dancing.
- They feel that they have to treat men as kings and make them feel that they have arrived into a fantasy world where, most men, actually feel that they are in some real world of pleasure.
- In Japan, the married men are not objectionable to seek the attendance of Geishas. And usually the rich businessmen are their all-time guests.
- Geishas have to attend several nightclubs a single day and they usually are shifting from one place to another with their trained walks.
Modern Culture of Geishas
- Japanese geisha today still live in traditional okiya in areas called hanamachi or “flower towns”. Young women now begin geisha training after high school, college, or even in adulthood. The traditional instruments, games, and dancing are still learned.
- Kyoto is most strongly associated with the geisha arts, as well as some parts of Tokyo like Shimbashi, Asakusa and Kagurazaka. They may be seen within hanamachi or chayagai, however today there are only an estimated 1,000 to 2,000 geishas in Japan.
Well, I feel certainly glad to have known about them.
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Curioosyty 