May 21 Maiko and Geisha

PLEASE NOTE: I have not had the chance to watermark all of my photos, and it will take me a great deal of time, as I published this and my other blogs between 2010-2017. I ask you to respect my property. Feel free to use them as long as you credit me as follows: Photo by Jody McBrien, learningtheworld.org. Thank you.

Kyoto is the city in Japan associated with geisha, and as I watched the beautiful, stylized dance of the maiko at Gion Corner, I was especially fascinated with this lifestyle. With only about 100 geisha and 100 maiko currently working in Kyoto, I had to wonder, "What is it that attracts women to this occupation in modern-day Japan?

a geisha we came across going to a function

First, some definitions. Geisha are NOT prostitutes. The "gei" refers to the word "artist." They are highly trained performers of traditional Japanese arts -- dance, musical instruments, singing, flower arrangements, and tea ceremonies. They are also highly skilled in the art of conversation, particularly with men, and they attend and perform at expensive dinners, private parties, and special events. In Kyoto, geisha are also called "geiko." Maiko are young apprentices studying to become geisha. They are usually between the ages of 15-20, and they study for about 5 years in the arts to become geisha. When walking in Gion with Yoshio and Ando, Ando pointed out a special high school where maiko train.

You can tell the difference between maiko and geisha not only by age, but also by their clothing. Maiko wear colorful kimonos with the long, billowy sleeves and many colorful ornaments in their hair. Geisha wear more reserved kimono and less ornamentation in black wigs.

Maiko live in an okiya while they are training, under the watchful eye of a kami-san (house mother). When they become geisha, they are free to live on their own. Some start okiyas of their own. Some open bars. Others leave the profession or marry. There is some criticism that maiko high schools do not prepare the maiko for lives after their time as a geisha.

Entertainment by a geisha, or a geisha and a maiko, is very pricey - around $1,000 for an evening. You need connections to arrange this kind of an evening. They are masters of conversation, with the goal of making every guest feel special. They will play a few drinking games with the guests, give a performance, and then the guests will be ushered out.

So the question, "Why would a young woman choose this profession?" Answers I have found mostly center on a girl's fascination for the arts, much as a girl might choose to devote her life to ballet. One website suggested that the book Geisha, by Liza Dalby, offers an informative and accurate portrayal of the lives of geisha, though it is a bit dated. Arthur Golden, author of the more popular book, Memoirs of a Geisha, was sued by Mineko Iwasaki, the geisha he claimed to portray, as she was insulted at his suggestion that a geisha's virginity is sold to the highest bidder (see http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/japan/1336386/The-real-Memoirs-of-a-Geisha.html). Perhaps Mineko Iwasaki's own book, Geisha, A Life, is even better. She speaks of her desire to become a geisha, her success, and her ultimate decision to leave because of repressive aspects of the occupation. I want to get it!

Below are several poses from the dance performed by the maiko we enjoyed at Gion Corner: