Become a geisha
In Japanese culture, the term geisha means "person who practices the arts" and dates back to the Edo period. Today, geishas are more prevalent in Kyoto, where they are commonly known as geiko. Somegeishas, known as gyoku, also work in Tokyo, but their training is different.
Geiko gain their experience after five years of demanding training in okiya, between the ages of 15 and 20 or 21. These one-storey wooden houses can be found in the hanamachi of Gion or Ponto-cho in Kyoto. Some hanamachi still exist in Tokyo, such as in Kagurazaka, where the old alleys of the pleasure district have retained all their character.
The organization of an okiya follows a family pattern. A patroness called a mother(okâsan) supervises the training of one to five geishas at a time. The geishas call each other "sisters". Their names appear on wooden plaques posted on the facades of the houses. While in training, geisha are called maiko . All the money they earn goes back to the mother, who pays the high costs of training, daily living and clothing. Geishas learn to master five traditional arts: the tea ceremony, conversation, flower arrangement, musical instruments and dance. Dance is arguably the most complex of these arts, and it is a great honor for geisha to demonstrate their skills at events such as the Miyako Odori and Kamogawa Odori.
When they are maiko, the young girls wear clothes that are distinct from those of the geishas. The women often pictured in brightly colored clothes are maiko. Geishas, on the other hand, wear jet-black wigs and soberly colored kimonos that reflect their experience and age. Maiko use their own hair to create elaborate hairstyles, which they decorate with kanzashi, sumptuous accessories. Silk flowers, symbols of their youth and the current season, top it all off. Maiko make-up is also distinguished from that of geisha by the unpowdered crescent moon at the hairline. Their magnificent kimonos are the property of theokiya to which they belong. Handmade in silk by local craftsmen, the kimonos sometimes cost tens of thousands of euros. The large obi, some 7 to 10 meters long, always bears theokiya crest on the back. Once they've completed their training, some geisha choose to work independently. They leave theokiya , which becomes their own agency.
Geisha services are usually aimed at wealthy men, and it's difficult to attend a party without being introduced by someone. Nevertheless, tea ceremonies lasting from 90 minutes to 2 hours in the presence of geishas are available to tourists willing to pay a hefty sum (around 400 euros) for an authentic experience. For the less fortunate, the Gion corner offers an express glimpse of their talents.
Between history and fantasy
Despite greater media exposure, misunderstandings persist about what geishas are and do, due as much to historical facts as to cultural misunderstandings. The 19th century saw the apogee of the courtesan in Europe, and at the height of the Japanese movement, the geisha became a popular figure. She was perceived as the exotic counterpart of the great courtesan. This exotic image was also exploited by prostitutes after the Second World War, who worked around the barracks of American GIs. They called themselves geisha girls, further blurring the boundaries with real geishas.
In Japan, however, the nightlife scene included, and still includes, a category of female hostesses whose role is to brighten up parties attended by a majority of men. Today's hostesses can be found in the kyabakura, but in the Edo period, they were found in theochaya , the tea house. Before establishing their status as refined ladies-in-waiting, geishas were often men. From the 17th century onwards, pleasure districts sprang up like mushrooms, particularly in the city of Edo, where the population reached one million in the 18th century. The government designated official pleasure districts, the best-known of which was Yoshiwara in Edo (now Shinbashi). Here, on the one hand, high-ranking courtesans practiced traditional arts and offered their sexual services, and on the other, musicians and dancers livened up the teahouses. Over time, the courtesans concentrated on sexual services, and abandoned their art. The less expensive geishas flourished, and the profession became more feminine. They also lived in the pleasure districts and could be attached to the same teahouse as prostitutes, but their profession, formalized in 1779, was clear: to entertain wealthy customers without having sexual relations.
Outside the official districts, distinctions between prostitutes and geishas were blurred. In spa towns, onsen geisha were considered lighter than in the big cities, and had less of a reputation. Some wealthy clients could negotiate sexual favors such as mizuage (the purchase of a young woman's deflowering), but this remained frowned upon. While the opening up of the country to the Meiji Restoration led some geishas to adopt new practices, the majority of them quickly positioned themselves as guardians of Japanese tradition, and castigated those who gave in to the Westernization of their art. They still play this role today, although their situation has changed completely. Until recently, women who became geishas were not free to make their own choices. They were sold young by their families, indebted to their okiya, and often trapped in the pleasure district. Today, the profession is enjoying a resurgence of interest, with young girls voluntarily choosing to apprentice, often out of a passion for the traditional arts. The beauty and refinement embodied by geishas have certainly not ceased to fascinate.
