The West has felt a great fascination with the figure of Japanese Geisha. Those delicate ladies who were dedicated and dedicated to entertain in social gatherings and whose lives and activities, beyond the obvious, were in the mystery and secrecy of the Japanese society I did not want to talk about it. Come with us to know what the Life of a geisha and discover more about them and how their existence was.
Did you know that at the beginning they were men and their tasks were very similar, saving the distances, to those of the buffoons of the medieval European courts? Do not miss the amazing aspects of the existence of these women of the Nation of the Rising Sun who fascinate so much.
The life of a geisha
Kyoto It is traditionally the city of gheisas and where even today you can find them. The institution of the geishas had its maximum splendor between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries and from the eighteenth it became practically feminine although in its beginnings it was masculine. Gheisa literally means " person who practices the art " A geisha is a professional whose mission, after long years of study and training, consists in entertaining and accompanying in meetings and parties with the traditional Japanese arts such as singing, dancing, conversation, etc. This time we will focus on the life of a geisha and we will leave aside the history of the institution
Childhood and life of a geisha
Although currently young women who want to be geishas do so voluntarily and begin their training after adolescence, in past centuries, it was very common for them to start learning as children. On many occasions, the future geishas came from poor families who sold their daughters to geisha houses.
The first stage of their training was known as "shikomi" and in it they simply performed cleaning tasks and had to obey and do everything that was entrusted to them, so that little by little they were introduced to several traditional arts. The apprentices were practically bred of the most experienced geishas and had to observe and adapt them. There used to be a ceremony in which an apprentice was paired with a onee-san who would be her guide and mentor for several years, training her to become a famous and respected geisha, as a "big sister".
After a short time, the first step on the road to be a geisha was taken: from minarai to maiko junior. This supposed a change in the make-up and the girls went from painting only the lower lip to both of them. Over 20 years became veteran geishas in a ceremony called Erikae which means "change of neck" because in it the kimono went from having the neck from red to white and was considered completely finished learning stage.
Life of a geisha in an Okiya
The house in which the geishas lived It was an Okiya and they were in special neighborhoods called "hanamachi" or "city of flowers". In the okiyas almost no man entered and they functioned as a family. At the head was the mother or "okasan" and was followed by the older sisters and the apprentices. The okiya to which the geisha belonged was entitled to a large part of her earnings that she was left to pay the girl's debt for education, clothing, maintenance and even for the purchase of the girl herself as a child. In the okiya San Sanu ceremony was held in which the fraternal relationship between a geisha and her apprentice was formalized and often the applicant changed her name taking one with a root similar to that of her mentor.
The okiyas were transmitted as an inheritance and the okasan designated her own natural daughter as heir, if he had one, or a geisha of special qualities.
The Danna or protector in the life of a geisha
If a geisha wanted to increase her profits or even become independent, she needed to a protector, a "danna" . This man gave her gifts and joined her in a ceremony similar to the "san san ku do" that took place both in socially regulated marriages and when the girl had linked with her "older sister". Although it was not talked about, the geisha was supposed to have sex with her protector. The danna was not usually chosen by the young woman herself, but it was the okiya that chose him for his wealth and social prestige.
Prostitution and the life of a geisha
If the geisha had relations with other men, in addition to her danna, it was always discreet as it was not the function for which she had been educated and if she knew it would be considered a "bad behavior", damaging the reputation of her okiya .
Although the limitations to the activities of the geishas varied according to the times and it is known that in the Edo period the virginity of the future geishas was auctioned at the age of 14, in no case geisha and prostitute are synonyms. The prostitutes or Japanese courtesans they were "oiran" and because they sometimes dressed in similar ways it could cause confusion in Westerners. In general, different governments they strictly forbade geisha to trade with sex to protect the business of the oiran.
The end of a geisha's life
To end their geisha career, these women organized a farewell ceremony Known as Hiki-Iwai, they served rice boiled to their okasan (mother) and their onee-san (elder sister).
If you want to know more about the life of a geisha do not stop reading the magnificent book by Arthur Goldin Memories of a geisha (BEST SELLER) or watch the movie based on the novel Memories of a geisha [DVD] and also the autobiography of Mineko Iwasaki "Life of a geisha".
Did you know how it was the life of a geisha ? Do you have more information about how your existence was? Share it with us! If you want to know more about the customs in Japan, we invite you to read: The Japanese bathroom | A culture beyond hygiene