The+Art+of+the+Geisha

The art of the Geisha began in the seventh century when the first people with Geisha like qualities emerged in Japan. As time passed and the culture of Japan changed the modern Geisha came to be.

__**Key Terms:**__ __**Hanamichi**__- Geisha quarters, or parts of the city that Geisha can be found __**Okiya (Geisha House)**__- the place where the geisha lives __**Shikomi**__- the first stage of becoming a geisha. The young girls are nothing more than servants.
 * __Minari-__** intermideate stage where a geisha observes a geisha at work.
 * __Maiko ("Dancing Child")-__** Apprentice geisha, will remain one for years while training to become a geisha
 * __Geisha ("Art Person")__**- a professional entertainer, trained in the traditional arts of Japan such as music, dancing and singing.
 * __Okaasan-__** owner/leader of the okiya

__**Rise of the Geisha:**__ The roots of the geisha can be traced back as early as the seventh century with people know as the Saburuko. These women were those who were forced totrade sexual favors as the social classes during the times were becoming more definitive leaving women with nowhere else to turn. They evolved again during the thirteenth century when the social classes were starting to break down. These women were call Shirabyoshi and they were aristocratic women who were highly prized for their dancing and poetic ability. During the seventieth century the pleasure quarters developed and any activity associated with a brothel had to be conducted within the walls of the hanamichi. By the eighteenth century the deterioration of the social status had seen the rise of the geiko, these male performers provided a new form of entertainment. Shortly afterwards shamisen players and dancers called odoriko became immensely popular. Eventually these performers became more popular than their male counterparts and the males lost customers and eventually their status. Leaders of the brothels feared that these new talented women would compete too much for their worker’s clients so they created strict rules the odoriko also known as the geisha at this time had to follow. The rules were as such, These rules were originally intended to limit and make the women less successful it accounted for the popularity of the geishas in the coming years. They were regarded as fashion leaders and the epitome of glamour.
 * The geisha were restricted to the pleasure quarter except for special days during the year.
 * They were required to wear specific types of clothing.
 * Geishas had to work in teams of at first threes and eventually twos
 * Working hours were strict and limited.


 * __Being a Geisha:__**

For centuries the traditional methods of training to become a geisha have change very little, training begins as a young child, known as a shikomi. Shikomi come into the okiya to nothing more than servants. They were expected to work for the Okaasan as well as the senior geisha and maikos. They cleaned, ran errands and generally did as instructed by anyone in the okiya older than her. During this time there was no formal education, she was expected to learn on her own through observation and personal study. Eventually she will graduate on to the next stage of her training where she is known as Minarai. In order to pass to this stage a shikomi must find an older geisha to sponser her and to act as her teacher this act is known as misedashi. Once a minarai she follows her mentor learning from her as they go from place to place. At this point the young girl is no longer a servant but she is still far away from being a geisha. The longest stage of training for a geisha-in-training is when she becomes a maiko. Typically a girl spends around five yearsas a maiko and it is during this time that a maiko goes through the final stages of training to become a geisha. Everything about a maiko, from her head to her toes is symbolic of her status. A maiko's kimono is different from her elders, typical more elaborate in the embrodary and style it draws the eye of the observer. The belt around her waist also known as the obi is tied different, a length of fabric is left out when tied for a maiko. The collar of her kimono is also symbolic of her status, as a Maiko a girl will wear either a red or decorated collar which will change once she is a geisha. The make-up a maik wears is typical of her age and experience traditionally however a maiko and a geisha have a white face and red lips which is the modern iconic symbol. Maikos go through many different hairstyles during this time, traditionally maikos go though five different styles however in certain areas more can be observed. Typically a haistyle is worn for a certain amount of time or worn for a special occasion such as the new year. Maiko haistyles Traditionally in order for a maiko to become a geisha she had to go through a right known as mizuage. Meaning "first water" mizuage is the act of selling a maiko's virginity to the highest bidder. Once a girl completed this she was considered a woman and she would then continue through the rest of the rights to becoming a geisha.After World War II, the tradition of mizuage was deemed inappropriate and eradicated, and the traditional geisha rapidly lost popularity. In modern day the ceremonial changing of a maiko's collar from red to white now stands in the place of the mizuage.

After all rights of a passage had been compeleted a maiko was considered officially a geisha. Her hairstyle changed again and so did her make-up. Her kimonos were much less flashy and her obi was completely tucked in. Despited changes in their make-up and style the work of a geisha changed very little. Both still performed the traditional japanese dances and played traditional insturments. These dances were meant to be done with precision and grace and some dances could take a maiko years to master. A geisha will continue to perform until she eventually decides to retire, becomes to old or becomes the okaasan of the okiya. Every geisha has a danna though which is her patron which can also be thought of as a husband. He pays for her lifestyle and training and often a geisha has a close relationship with this man throughout her life. Geisha performance More video links **__Historical Significance: __** When the various social structures collapsed and made way for the rise of the geisha, many very old traditions of Japanese performers were maintained. Though the entertainment culture was extremely importance, the true significance lies in the symbolism of the cultural and religious ideas were incorporated into geisha's performances and costumes. In Shinto and Buddhist culture, the color red symbolizes the expulsion of demons and illness. Later, the symbolism evolved to beauty and happiness and, in come cases, eroticism. Red clothing was used for many important occasions, and Japanese women often wore red undergarments to promote healthy function of reproductive organs. The colors was often used to line kimonos and is used in the make-up of both geisha and maiko. Geisha have white faces and and necks, but a portion of the neck is left as exposed natural skin. This part of the body has been viewed as extremely erotic since the earliest records of Japanese culture, and leaving it exposed creates a point of vulnerability, which is also considered to be extremely appealing. The arts of the Geisha has helped preserve Japanese culture for centuries. Although in recent years the number of geisha have decline they are instrumetnal in maintaining the tradional arts of Japan. __**What does this say about the time?**__ Geisha were heavily traditional in their behaviors, and those who were involved in the profession following WWII stuck even more closely to the traditions. Throughout history, when the Japanese people found that they were too heavily influenced by outside cultures, they would isolate the nation and purify the culture. It is still immensely difficult to become a geisha, and this is because the process is so strict and involved. The art of the geisha is reflective of Japanese pride in history and tradition. __**Modern Misconceptions:**__ The geisha has been shrowded in mystery for centuries and the secrecy has led to many misconceptions about the culture. Movies such as __Memiors of a Geisha__ have furthur damaged the truth and to this day the world of the geisha is unknown to many.
 * The Miyaki Odori and the cherry dances, for example, were both developed in the 19th century, but they were derived from the value of the cherry blossom, which was symbolic of the human spirit in ancient Japanese culture.
 * A common instrument used in Geisha-performed music is the shamisen, which is an instrument make of redwood, silk, and ivory that is much like the lute. The instrument was intoduced to Japanese Buddhists by Tang Dynasty China.

The geisha that can be observed today are not prostitues. Their lifes are about the arts not sexual favors. The only sexual act that geisha once had to perform was the mizuage but that tradition has been lost with time. The image of geishas as prostitutes came about during WWII when American soldiers came to Japan. Women would pretend to be geishas and have sex with these men. When the soldiers went home they spread the rumors about the sexual favors they had recieve from what they believed were geisha.
 * __Are they prostitutes?__**

The movie of __Memiors of a Geisha__ was an inacurate portrayal of the life of geishas. Sensationalized and based on ficiton the movie provided inaccurated accounts of geisha life. One main misconception is about the performances the geisha put on. At one point the main character's dance is extravagant which is opposite of the percision and subtly of traditional geisha dances. Geisha Dance
 * __Memiors of a Geisha:__**

Links: Geisha facts Geisha Infor