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A typical day for a geisha or maiko (apprentice geisha) is busy, after waking mid-morning they will attend lessons in traditional arts such as dance, singing or tea ceremony, these lessons can last for up to 4 hours. In the afternoon before dressing a geisha may be given her assignments and a list of customers for the evening. Intelligent and witty conversation is a large part of a geisha’s responsibilities so she may ‘research’ her customers, reading a writer’s latest novel, listening to a musician’s latest recording or keeping abreast of current affairs in general. In the late afternoon, the geisha begin to apply their makeup and are dressed in the intricate kimono they are so famous for (interestingly most professional kimono ‘dressers’ are men, as formal kimono can be quite heavy and elaborate it requires strength and balance to dress a geisha properly). Maiko wear the most elaborate kimono and accessories which can weigh up to 10 kilograms. Women who have become fully-fledged geisha (or geiko as they are called in Kyoto) usually wear less elaborate kimono as they mature and only wear full white makeup for formal occasions. A geisha’s working evening starts from 6pm and usually lasts until midnight. A popular geisha may be required to attend several different banquets in one night, rushing between appointments while still maintaining an immaculate appearance. Holidays are also less frequent than in a regular job, with some geisha limited to only two days off per month. The history of the geisha tradition dates back to the 1600s. In fact the first geisha were men, entertainers who attended parties in the Edo period to play music and engage in witty banter with customers. The first female geisha appeared around 1750 and was at first a novelty but proved so successful that other women soon followed. By 1800 the profession of geisha had become a female domain and the karyūkai (花柳界) or ‘Flower and Willow World’ of the geisha was born. The geisha community developed into a highly organised and disciplined profession. Geisha are divided into groups called hanamachi (flower towns), some of the more famous being Gion Kobu and Pontochō in Kyoto and Shimbashi and Asakusa in Tokyo. Each district has a registry office that provides each geisha with her assignments to attend banquets at recognized ochaya (teahouses) or ryōtei (traditional Japanese-style restaurants). The hanamachi also have special schools called nyokoba dedicated to the professional training of maiko and geisha in the traditional arts. There is also a system of hierarchical relationships between the women in the community, each new maiko or geisha is assigned an ‘older sister’, a more experienced geisha who will guide them in proper behaviour and etiquette. The older sister/younger sister relationship is purely based on experience rather than age, therefore it’s possible for a 25-year-old novice geisha to be assigned a 20-year-old geisha as her ‘older sister’. In recent years the traditionally long training period to become a geisha has been reduced, often young women will finish school or university before deciding to become geisha, therefore they are too old to become maiko and start training as geisha instead. The training period to be able to debut as a geisha now typically lasts from 3 years to 6 months depending on the hanamachi. Despite the shorter training period, the amount of discipline, skill and perseverance required to become an accomplished geisha is enormous. The challenge now faced by the geisha community in the modern age is how to attract both new geisha recruits to carry on the tradition and new customers. Geisha numbers across Japan peaked in the 1920’s with 80,000 registered geisha, however estimates place the current total at about 1,000 registered geisha. Some in the karyūkai are embracing new ways of keeping the geisha tradition alive even if it puts them at odds with the more traditional members of the community. Some venerable ochaya have partnered with travel agents to invite tourists groups to their establishment for a traditional banquet including entertainment by geisha. Others are using the Internet to provide online applications for young women to enter the geisha profession. One young maiko started a blog (available in both Japanese and English) describing her daily life as she trained to become a fully-fledged geisha. Another recent development that may help generate debate and interest in the geisha world is the admittance of a Western woman into the ranks. In the past the concept of a Westerner becoming a geisha would have been unthinkable. However, an Australian woman has done just that. Sayuki is an Oxford-trained anthropologist who debuted as a geisha in the Asakusa district of Tokyo in December 2007. After a year of training, living in an okiya (geisha house) and observing other geisha at work, Sayuki formally debuted as a geisha, visiting scores of local ochaya to pay her respects. Sayuki has been working as a geisha for the past year and filming a documentary of her life as a geisha in an effort to reveal the true nature of artistry, tradition and discipline of the geisha world and to dispel some of the misconceptions about the geisha profession that abound, particularly in countries outside Japan. Sayuki will also be presenting a talk at the Japan Foundation, Sydney in February 2009 about her life as a geisha (full details click here). The good news is that some of these new measures for rejuvenating the geisha tradition are succeeding, in 2008 the number of maiko training to become geisha in Kyoto reached 100 for the first time in over fifty years. Hopefully with increased interest in the geisha world in Japan through recent successful books, TV dramas and blogs written by maiko and geisha this trend will continue, ensuring the survival of the fascinating ‘Flower and Willow World’ for many years to come. Further reading: |
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| Books | |||||
| Geisha – Liza Dalby Geisha: The Secret History of a Vanishing World – Lesley Downer Geisha of Gion – Mineko Iwasaki A Geisha’s journey: My Life as a Kyoto Apprentice - Komomo |
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