Geisha: The Mysterious Beauty

For hundreds of years the Geisha have existed, living in their closed world of mystery and secrecy. In these days they are the last guardians of the traditional culture.

The Hanamachi

Geisha (literally "person of art"; also known as "geiko" or "geigi" in some parts of Japan) live in hanamachi or "flower towns". In English they could be called Geisha districts. In the old days of the Edo era, when Geisha profession rose into popularity, there used to be hanamachi in all the major cities of Japan. In these days only a few remain as a reminder of the glorious old days. The biggest Geisha districts are located in Kyoto and Tokyo. One of the most famous districts is the Gion district in Kyoto, where the world famous Ichiriki-tei tea house is.

Women of a Art

After the movie Memoirs of a Geisha the western world has been wondering the big question: What is a Geisha? Many people have gotten the wrong image of the profession.

Geisha is a traditional Japanese entertainer who is skilled in every aspect of the traditional culture and entertainment, such as dance, singing, playing the shamisen (a traditional three-stringed banjo-like instrument) and the art of conversation. The karyukai, or the geisha world, is an exclusive world of art and traditional hospitality. Geisha work in tea houses known as Ocha-ya in Japan where they entertain important guests, such as traditional kabuki players and businessmen. The misunderstanding about the Geisha profession is mainly because of the main rule of karyukai: "Ichigensan o kotowari", or "No first timers allowed". Only regular customers are allowed in the tea houses. New customers must be properly introduced and accompanied by regulars.

Becoming a Geisha

Usually in the age of 15 a girl who wishes to become a Geisha leaves her home, and moves in the Geisha house which is known as an Oki-ya in Japan. She will live there together with the owner of the house ("okaasan") and other Geisha of the house. She will start her journey as a "shikomi" (a young apprentice) whose job is to help clean the house, take classes in dance and shamisen, and learn the proper etiquette of the new world.

When she passes her dance test at the kaburen-jo theatre, she becomes a soon-t0-be apprentice Geisha ("minarai"). The shikomi period lasts about one year and for about 50% of the young shikomi it is too much and they quit. The minarai period lasts about one month and after that the girl will have her debut as an apprentice geisha ("maiko"). As a maiko the girl will be able to leave the oki-ya and entertain guests in tea houses with other Geisha and maiko of the district. Unlike many western people think, the maiko period lasts around 5 or 6 years and it is the hardest training period in the journey of becoming a Geisha. A maiko has to take classes during the day and afternoon, prepare for work in the evening, and work usually until late evening or early morning entertaining in the Ocha-ya. That is why some girls quit during or after the maiko period.

Finally, after 6 or 7 years of hard training a girl has her "erikae" ("turning the collar") ceremony where she becomes a Geisha, a professional artist. The name of the ceremony is linked to an ancient tradition and the girl will change her red maiko collar into a white geisha collar as a mark of her seniority.

From the Edo until Today

For hundreds of years the profession has survived and the Geisha world has remained unchanged. Now our world is changing and due to those changes in Japan, the profession is dying. Fewer and fewer girls make it to Geisha, and fewer people want to pay the high prices of luxurious Ocha-ya.

During the edo period Geisha were extremely popular and they even over-powered the great Oiran, the luxurious courtesans, who disappeared soon after the birth of geisha profession. In these days Geisha are all what is left of the oiran and their culture. Maybe, like the Oiran became Geisha, Geisha will become something more fitted to the busy modern day Japan. If the profession dies at least we can learn to understand what a geisha really is!