Geisha

The main centers of geisha culture are Kyoto , Osaka and Tokyo , where they first appeared in the XVII century . And if initially, men - actors and musicians of the Kabuki theater acted as geishas, ​​then later only women became representatives of this profession. There is still a connection between geisha and Kabuki actors: geisha attend performances, and actors go to banquets ^[12] . In addition, there is a December tradition for actors to sign the kanzashi students of geishas ^[12] .

The first geisha were men who worked as jesters at banquets in yukaku ^[13] . They inflamed prostitute clients with obscene jokes and folk songs. The first female geisha was Kassen from Ogiya's Yoshiwara house. Kassen worked as a prostitute, but managed to pay the debt under the contract and became free, moving to a geisha in 1761 ^[14] . Initially, geishas were divided into several varieties: a shiro-geisha ( Jap. 白芸 者 , “white geisha”) was engaged only in entertaining guests, and a koroshi-geisha ( Jap. « び « 者 , “tipping geisha”) could trade the body ^[15] . In 1779, the profession of geisha began to exist officially, an office "kemban" ( Jap. 見 番 ) appeared , which established the rules for them. Geishas in yukaku were forbidden to sleep and even sit next to yujo clients, wear bright kimonos , combs and kanzashi in their hair ^[15] . The geisha of the Miyagawa-cho district back in the 1960s had a dubious reputation due to the fact that in the past they practiced “double registration” ^[16] as geishas and as prostitutes. However, despite the fact that geishas were often convicted of violating the law on prostitution, in 1957, when prostitution was banned, the law did not apply to geishas.

The "Golden Age" of geishas came in the 1860s ^[17] , in those days they were real stars, muses for many poets and artists. At that time, the rigid traditions of their art were laid down, which have survived almost unchanged to the present day. Geisha were able to achieve popularity due to the fact that, firstly, they were more modern than the old-fashioned yujo; in addition, prostitutes only craved money, when geishas were famous for their good heart and responsiveness ^[17] .

After the Meiji restoration, the government, preoccupied with the country's image in the eyes of the Victorian world, issued a petition for the release of geishas and prostitutes. All debts of geishas and prostitutes were written off, it became possible to conclude training contracts for only seven years, and renew only by agreement of the parties ^[18] . All cities received the right to register prostitutes and geishas. All geisha could now return home, but many did not want to do this, and in 1874 the laws were changed. A tax was introduced that went to finance the Women's Workshop ( 工場 工場 ё ёко: ба ) , where the geishas were supposed to teach needlework, how to handle silkworms, music, dance, reading and accounting, which would allow them to find work if necessary. Training was compulsory ^[19] . Geishas were called to o-zasiki directly from the jokob, and if the banquet ended before the end of the working day, the geisha should have returned to classes. Seven years later, in 1881, the experiment was canceled, and all lessons, except dances and music, were canceled.

In 1886, geishas were ordered to charge a fixed fee for services, which led to the standardization of prices that were previously the subject of bargaining between the client and the tea house; basically, in the 19th century, the pay for different geishas remained approximately the same ^[20] . The Meiji government, however, unlike the shogunate , did not seek to prohibit excesses in yukaku and hanamati : the shogunate strictly enforced numerous laws regulating the style and color of clothes, hairstyles, jewelry and household items, and the new government decided to leave the karyukai as an island of freedom ^[21] .

In the 1890s, geisha began to be perceived by society as part of the bygone Edo period , as the guardians of the "real Japanese spirit" ^[22] . In 1898, there were about 25,000 geishas in Japan ^[22] . The militarists, gaining popularity, considered the geisha a worthy way to rest for the patriot, and the geisha themselves showed love for the homeland in a variety of ways; for example, in the Russo-Japanese War, an organized group of geishas refused to wear three kimonos at the same time, starting to wear only two ^[23] . In 1900, another law appeared on the organization of the work of “fun” neighborhoods, which finally divided geishas and prostitutes ^[24] .

In the 1920s, the number of geishas increased many times: since 1905, their number increased from 2300 to 10,000 ^[25] . Since the “traditional Japanese” began to be considered “obsolete”, and also due to the inertial perception of geishas as innovators ^[26] , geishas began to experiment with western clothes, western dances, hairstyles ^[27] , but this caused fierce debates in society regarding the role of geishas in new Japan. Journalist Iwao Tanaka wrote that geisha is the navel of society ^[28] , and in 1935 the book Reader of Geishas ( Japanese 芸 妓 読 本 geigi tokuhon ) was published , containing essays written by people of various professions, where they shared their thoughts on the future fate of geishas. Some authors portrayed a bright future for geisha as guardians of tradition, while others criticized the idea that geisha were illiterate and ignorant. Still others believed that the profession has outlived itself and should disappear.

In 1937, growing nationalist sentiment slowed Westernization of Japan; during the war, the geisha again experienced a slight upsurge, replaced by stagnation in 1944, caused by the ban on the operation of tea houses. The government ordered geishas to go to work in factories, but many agreed with their patrons to only record them as workers ^[29] . After the war, it became apparent that geisha should not be kept up to date. From that moment on, the word “geisha” began to mean “guardian of traditions” ^[30] . Post-war Kyoto experienced an upsurge: it was not bombed, so residents of the affected Osaka visited its tea houses ^[31] .

In the 21st century, geishas advertise goods and services, perform at charity evenings, and also look for new ways to increase the popularity of the profession: for example, geisha Kamishitikena serve beer in the summer garden ^[32] , and the workers of Gion pour the beer ^[33] ; geisha perform at the opening of the baseball season ^[34] . In the second half of the 20th century, the number of geishas was steadily decreasing, but in 2008 the number of students in Kyoto for the first time in 50 years reached 100 ^[35] . Pupils began to appear again in the closed hanamati ^[7] .

Nevertheless, in the near future, a serious crisis may be expected for the profession: for example, in Kyoto there are only three dressers, two of whom are elderly ^[36] ; there are only two hairdressers dealing with wigs ^[37] .

Daily routine

The day of the students begins at about eight in the morning ^[34] , and the geisha starts at 10 ^[12] . Then, both geisha and students go to dance, music, ikebana and other arts classes, the set of which depends on the specialization of a particular geisha and on the traditions of a given city or quarter (for example, in Anjo geisha play the Nokan flute). Upon their return, around six in the evening ^[38] , young geisha and students put on makeup and dress up in a working kimono, and then go to banquets. Due to the fact that neither the geisha nor the students eat at parties, they have a tight dinner before work. In Kyoto, before banquets, a geisha should go to every tea house where she worked yesterday and thank her mistress for yesterday’s care ^[39] . Geisha day ends in the late evening ^[12] - at one in the morning or even later.

O-zasiki

Important professional qualities of a geisha as a host are the ability to interest clients, allowing them to relax, forgetting about work, as well as the ability to keep clients' secrets ^[40] . Pupils and geisha are required to greet the client at each meeting, even if he was at the previous banquet with the same geisha ^[41] .

It should be noted that the image of a geisha as a “servant of men” is incorrect: geisha have economic freedoms and are much more independent than ordinary Japanese wives ^[42] . In addition, the ideal of a geisha is not a silent and submissive " yamato-nadeshiko ", but a flexible willow (hence the name Karukay ) ^[43] . Even on o-zasiki, not only the geisha pours the guest a drink, but he must pour her a glass in response ^[42] .

O-zasiki include high- kaiseki -style food , games, and dancing in the style of a dance school specific to a particular area . On o-zasiki, both clients and geisha consume a lot of alcohol, usually beer or sake, but the students do not drink, as this is considered inappropriate ^[44] . Geishas don't eat o-zasiki.

On o-zasiki, geishas also serve important guests arriving in Japan on business visits: presidents, kings, and emperors. President Ford and Queen Elizabeth visited o-zasiki in Gion ^[10] . The most important client is seated in a place next to the token , so that the geishas can quickly find who should pay more attention ^[45] .

Banquet games are usually a competition in dexterity, and the loser must drain a small glass of sake ^[46] .

• Stone, scissors, paper ^[45] .
• Compira fune-fune ( Japanese 金 比 羅 船 船 , boat-boat Compira (patron god of navigation)) - two players take turns touching a lying cymbal with an open palm, if one of the players takes a plate on his turn, the second should touch the place where lay, fist. Confused action loses.
• Tosenkyo (often they do not play for points by the rules, but simply for “knocked down a toy”).
• Goisitori ( Jap. 碁 石 取 り , take stones for go (with chopsticks)) .
• A broken stick is unwound in the hands. The one to whom the flying off half loses is lost ^[47] .
• Torah-tora ( 虎虎 , tiger-tiger) is a variation of the game “stone, scissors, paper”, in which the players must simultaneously leave the screen , taking the form of a tiger, hunter or old woman ^[48] .

Earning a geisha in a tea house is usually a fixed hourly fee. Counting the time was initially carried out using incense sticks that burned for a certain time. When the geisha was about to leave the party, the hostess counted the cinders from the sticks and entered them into the account of the person who invited the geisha ^[49] . In addition, geishas receive tips called "flower money." The kambukan organization (幹部 館) is in charge of the economic side of hanamati’s life, it calculates all the incomes of each geisha and publishes the names of the most successful of them. That is how the information about the income of Mineko Iwasaki , the highest paid geisha of all time, appeared.

Other jobs

In addition to o-zasiki, a geisha can be hired to attend a performance, a walk or a joint trip to a restaurant ( ご 飯 を 食 べ gohan o tabe , “eating rice”) ^[50] . The client can choose whether the geisha should come in full dress with makeup, in a simple kimono or even in western clothes.

The most talented and successful geishas demonstrate their ability to play musical instruments , sing and dance at periodically held festivals open to the general public. Each of the Kyoto geisha neighborhoods has its own festival: Gion Kobu - 都 を ど り Miyako odori , Kamisitiken - 北野 を ど り Kitano odori . Tokyo and other cities have urban geisha dance festivals. The first such festival was Miyako odori, whose purpose was to create the image of a city with a rich history and culture for Kyoto ^[51] . Such performances allow the geysha to become a widely known and popular personality, but they almost do not generate income ^[2] . In addition, due to the continuing system of emoto, geishas cannot choose either a repertoire, accessories, or even a venue for the performance.

Geishas and students participate in other urban events. After the Great East Japan Earthquake, geishas collected donations while standing in crowded places with alms boxes.

Holiday Calendar

• December 3 - the beginning of the working year ( 事 始 始 ох з ох начало дел,, ейш начало »» »» »» »»))) »)))))»)))))),) ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, )))))))))))))))))))) декабря декабря декабря декабря декабря декабря декабря декабря декабря декабря декабря декабря декабря декабря декабря декабря декабря декабря декабря декабря декабря декабря декабря декабря December 3 - the beginning of the working year ( 事 始 kotohadzime , “the beginning of business”) - the geishas pay visits to their teachers and owners, give presents and ask for help in the new year ^[39] .
• February 4 - the beginning of spring ( Jap. 分 分 Setsubun ) - maiko perform in temples and scatter fried beans into the crowd; it is believed that they drive away evil spirits. A ritual of dressing up obake ( Japanese お 化 け ) is also associated with Setsubun, geisha dress up historical figures, mythological characters and just comic persons during the celebration of Setsubun, for example, the elderly dress up as young students, and students can play men ^[52] .

The life and life of young girls, future geishas, ​​from an early age took place in the homes of geishas - okya ( 置 屋 屋 ) - where they were often sold by poor families ^[53] . Throughout their childhood, they were forced to work first as servants, then as assistants to older geishas in the house, who taught these girls the basics of their future profession and later helped to get an education. In Japan, this tradition has ancient roots: the student lives in the house of his art teacher , doing homework first, assisting him and becoming the master of his craft.

The course of study in specialized educational institutions includes various types of arts that a geisha should own: playing musical instruments: the Japanese lute - shamisen , - flute " fue " and drum " tsuzumi "; traditional types of singing, traditional dance , the art of conducting a tea ceremony , the art of composing floral arrangements - ikebana, poetry , calligraphy , painting - that is, those forms of art that will allow the geisha to further entertain their customers. While studying, the future geisha is registered in the kamban, which allows her to further have relations with tea houses. It should also be noted that attending classes is part of the life of a geisha until the end of being in the profession. Geisha, in addition, follow the press and world news. This is required in order to maintain conversations with clients on any topic, to relax them ^[41] .

Watching the eldest geisha in their home, the girls learned how to choose a kimono suitable for the desired purpose, put on it, and also learned the art of conversation: at the initial stage, the students are more silent, and more skilled geisha can have a casual conversation, including with foreigners and important guests ^[54] . However, it is not necessary that the eldest geisha of Okiya herself will deal with the future geisha: the student acquires the so-called “elder sister” (theoretically, this can be any girl who has become a geisha, or, in the Kyoto quarters of Miyagawa-cho , Gion Higashi , even only the elder maiko), who should teach her, her “younger sister”. Often, the eldest geisha in the house becomes the elder sister, but there are many exceptions to this rule. So, the elder sister of geiko Wakana jap. 若 奈 from Tama okiya yap. 多 麻 was a geiko from okiya Mikami yap. 三 上 named Nakako yap. 奈加 子 . Only one or two geisha often work in the Kamisitiken quarter in Oakia, so beginners do not have an “older sister” at all, and the Okya's mistress controls the training.

The “elder sister” should be appointed mistress of the oky; to create conditional ties of kinship, a ceremony similar to “san-san-kudo” ( 三 々 九 度 , literally “three to three to ten times”) is held , which is the culmination of a Japanese wedding ^[55] . The younger and older sisters take turns in three sips of three small cups of sake , making promises to take care of each other. Sisterhood is not a unique feature of geisha society, a similar approach is used, among other things, in sumo and yakuza ^[56] . The sisterhood institute has many allusions to the wedding, in particular, the younger sister is likened to the bride, and the older sister to the bridegroom, and the last family of the younger sister should give way to a new family in the world of Karukai ^[55] .

Becoming a Geisha

Despite the fact that Tokyo Shimbashi and Yanagibashi were the most prosperous and prestigious hanamati during the Meiji period ^[23] , in the 20th century Kyoto hanamati are. The city of Nara also preserves the traditional way of life of geishas; in small cities, such as Anjou , it has undergone significant changes. For example, in Kyoto to this day ^[34] , the rule “ no newbies ” ( Jap. 一 さ ん お 断 り itigensan okotovari ) remains - for the first time you can come to o-zasiki only at the invitation of a regular customer. In other cities, for example, in Nagoya this rule is no longer valid: the only condition is that o-zasiki is held in a traditional Japanese restaurant or hotel ^[57] .

In Kyoto and Nara

Since compulsory secondary education has now been introduced in Japan, a girl cannot become a geisha student until she receives a school certificate at the age of 15 ^[58] . Outside of Kyoto and Nara, students are allowed to become only 18. After reaching the required age, the applicant is free to negotiate with the owner of one of the houses of the geisha (okiya) and become a “sikomi”, a servant there. Sikomi does the chores, cleans the house and helps the older sisters get dressed. Sikomi attends classes just like geishas. Sikomi is forbidden to call home, she can only write letters. In Kyoto, before becoming a maiko , a student, Sikomi for a short time (two weeks) turns into a minarai (the word means a teaching method by observing elders). Minarai wears the same hairstyle as maiko, but her obi belt dangles only half the length, and her kimono is more colorful than maiko. Minarai attends banquets, but only as an observer ^[59] .

Six months later, according to the rules of Kyoto, after passing the exam, an initiation ceremony takes place, "misadashi" - from that moment on, applicants are called beginning geisha (maiko) and receive a working nickname "name for art" ( Japanese 芸 名 heimei ) , including, in the vast majority of cases , part of the name of his older sister, or a component common to this oky ^[60] . This practice is not unique to geisha; in Japan, artists often have several names ^[61] . An example of a “common component” can be the geisha of Okiya Tama in Gion Kobu, in which there is a “branch of mame”: Mameteru, Mameharu, Mamesuzu; “Branch ha”: Suzukha, Mayuha, Kotokha and others, and geishas of one “branch” may not be “sisters”. After misadashi, maiko always wears a traditional Japanese hairstyle on her own hair ^[62] and dresses in a kimono . During this period, the task of the older sister is to introduce the beginning geisha to their clients. That is why the experience of the elder sister is so important: the more popular it will be, the more chances there will be for a beginning geisha to have a good client base.

The next step of maiko used to be the loss of virginity - " mizuage " - a ceremony marking an increase in her status as a senior maiko and changing her hairstyle from vareshinobu to ofuku . Mizuage is not being held right now.

Maiko Kyoto and Nara change their hairstyle, symbolizing the steps leading to the formation of a geisha: first vareshinobu , then ofuku ^[62] . Before changing the kimono and hairstyle to the appropriate geisha status, a “collar change” ceremony, eri-kae, takes place. The collar of maiko is embroidered with white and gold threads, and the geisha wear smooth white. Maiko’s last hairstyle comes from a wedding hairstyle of the past, which is why Lisa Delby also calls the éri-kae ceremony “engagement”, “engagement”. At the “eri-kae” ceremony, a strand of a hair bundle of sacco hairstyles was symbolically cut to show the transition from a girl to a young woman as a more mature hairstyle. Maikos are now becoming geisha at the age of 20 or 21, depending on the success and desire of the mistress of Oky.

For geisha Kyoto, musicians ( Jap. 地方 jikata ) are at a lower level of the hierarchy than dancers ( Jap. Ат tatikata ) ^[63] , but this is not a universal rule, for example, in Atami, those who own the shamisen receive one third more dancers ^{[64] ]} .

In other cities

Although in Kyoto geishas have achieved worldwide fame, other Japanese cities also have okyi and geisha. In many cities, traditions differ from Kyoto. For example, in Tokyo and Yamagata, students wear wigs rather than hairstyles on their hair ^[65] . In Tokyo, the term for studying hanyoku (the local name of the student) is from six months ^[66] to three years. ^[67] There are six okiyahs in the city of Andjou , and female applicants skip the apprenticeship period, becoming a geisha from sikomi at once. Maiko cities of Nagoya wear multi-colored collars, instead of the usual white-red ones for Kyoto ^[68] . The widespread belief that geisha outside of Kyoto are less skilled due to the shortened training period is groundless. Geishas learn all their life, only in Tokyo the period of intensive training was moved to the first years of being a geisha.

Further career

From the age of 18, a geisha gets the opportunity to gain a “ data ”. Initially, “Danna” is a patron, sometimes a geisha's lover, and sometimes just acting as a philanthropist . Often, but by no means necessarily ^[69] , a geisha and dann are linked by close love relationships, including the birth of children. The duty of this data is that he must cover the numerous running costs of the geisha, whom he patronizes (for example, acquires a kimono for her), and also contribute to the growth of her popularity. The appearance of one or more data in the career of a geisha is not an obligatory element, however, without this, it is more difficult for a geisha to leave Oka and become a full-blown star in his profession. It should be noted that the given institution exists to this day; the geisha who filled out the questionnaire to the question “Why do you need this?” answered: “We need a loved one” (~ 50%), in order to have enough money (~ 25%).

Leaving the profession

A geisha must leave okya if she marries ^[42] . But some geisha, especially today, do not want to remain in the profession until old age and leave simply at their own request. Whatever the reason, a hiki-ivai ceremony is organized ( 引 き 祝 い , congratulations on leaving) : this tradition was borrowed from the neighborhoods of prostitutes and was organized if the prostitute paid her debts and could return to Japanese society ^[70] . A geisha who leaves Hanamati sends her teachers, clients, owners of the tea houses where she worked, special treats for mother Oka: a box of boiled rice . If she leaves due to marriage, or simply leaves the possibility of returning, red rice is put in the box, and if there is no question of returning, then white ^[14] .

Geisha and Oka

Okiya is a place where pupils and geisha live, who have not yet received independence. When applying for a job in Okiya (and studying for a geisha is also considered work), most often a contract is concluded from 5 to 7 years. After this period, the geisha continues to work or leaves oky. In Tokyo, a student can live in a rented apartment, while in Kyoto, all students are required to move to Okyia, even if they are indigenous to Kyoto ^[71] .

At many okiyah there are "tea houses", Otaya ( Jap. お 茶屋 ) . These are not ordinary “ tea houses ”, but special rooms where banquets with geishas and students take place. The name “o-tyaya” is Kyoto, in Tokyo , the word matiyai is used ( 待 合 , “(place for) an expected meeting”) , although it is more correct to call such establishments “restaurants” ( 料 亭 ryo: tei ) ^[72] . In Tokyo, Matiyai never happen at the same time and Oka ^[73] .

As already noted, girls, often sold there by their parents, got into the geisha’s house, while others were the daughters of the mistress of the house — the geisha, who, due to her age, stopped working and performed accounting functions in her house. If the hostess does not have an heiress, she can adopt any of her employees, which will allow the hostess to receive all the income brought by the adopted daughter. The adoption of a mistress allows a geisha to get the name of the community, she becomes an atotori ( 跡 取 り , heiress) , and also gets the right to inherit the property of Oky in the future.

The coexistence of the okiya and the geisha living in it is mutually beneficial for both parties: the okiya receives a steady income, while the geisha gets access to an extensive collection of extremely expensive jewelry, accessories and kimonos, without which she can not do her profession. More precisely, a geisha gains the right to order kimonos at the expense of oky, since every kimono in the life of a geisha is an inviolable property, picking up someone else's kimono without demand is equivalent to an encroachment on personal integrity. Often the older sister, wearing a kimono several times, passes it to the younger. Nevertheless, there are cases when the same kimono, owned by okya, is used for erichae of several geishas.

Oka are also called Yakata ( я 形 , "palace", "estate") .

Non-Japanese Geisha

From 1975 to 1976, the American anthropologist Lisa Delby worked in the Ponte- geisha hanamati without registration. Lisa acted as a geisha for a better understanding of their world: she worked on her dissertation .

In December 2007, Sayuki ( 紗 幸 ) , the first ever geisha of non-Japanese origin, made her debut in Asakusa , Tokyo ^[74] . Although initially, as an anthropologist, Sayuki became a geisha of academic interest, she continued to work in this area for more than three years ^[75] . Her book “Sayuki: inside the flower and willow world” (Sayuki: in the world of flowers and willows) is being prepared for publication in Australia; also scheduled to release a documentary about geisha.

In February 2010, Sayuki was forced to quit her job due to disregard for community rules and banquets without the knowledge of the kamban. She conducted o-zasiki without the necessary qualifications ^[76] .

On October 5, 2010, a geisha of Ibu of Ukrainian descent made his debut in Oki Ichikoma in Andjou ^{[77] [78]} .

Since April 2011, a Romanian, Isabella Onou, has been working as a geisha in the okiya onsen of Izunagaoka ( Izunokuni , prefect Shizuoka ) ^[79] .

Since September 2012, a Chinese woman, Zhang Xue, has been studying for a geisha in Shimoda ^[80] .

Geisha Kimicho ( Japanese 君 蝶 ) of American descent made her debut in Tokyo Hanamati Yoshinoya in early 2016 ^[81] .