| Thanks for looking |
The General Knowledge of Japan 17 |
Hanko & Kanji House
OREN |
|
___The word geisha (literally "art people") is well
known in the West, and the image of the large
hairpiece, heavy makeup, and elaborate kimono
are familiar. The real meaning of geisha,
however, is usually misunderstood by foreigners,
many of whom think s geisha is akin to a
prostitute. Although the line separating
geisha and prostitutes is a thin one in some
situations, the concept of geisha has a long
and honorable history. Dancing girls in the
13th century, during the Kamakura period,
were called shirabyoshi (literally "white rhythm"), probably
in reference to the heavy white makeup they
used.
___At that time there was no clear distinction
between artists and prostitutes. During the
Edo period, however, this concept changed.
The name geisha was adopted to designate
a professional entertainer at a licensed
establishment. These artists were not supposed
to be in competition with courtesans. They
grew up in a special world, surrounded by
other women devoted to traditional Japanese
song, dance, and music. |
___Modern women seeking to become geisha must
still take lessons in a number of traditional
arts, and most learn to play the shamisen (a three-stringed banjo-like instrument),
the tsutsumi (a small drum played on the shoulder), and
the kodaiko (a small drum played with wooden sticks);
some even study English. In Kyoto there are
apprentice geisha called maiko (dancing girls). In earlier times, prior
to the current compulsory education law that
requires everyone to attend middle school,
they would have started as young as thirteen
but even so these girls are young, between
sixteen and twenty years old. Like other
geisha they are trained in the traditional
arts of entertainment.
___The appearance of a geisha is fascinating
to the Western eye. To some she represents
the old traditional beauty of Japanese women,
and to some she is a garish circus clown.
Her hairstyle is fashioned after the leaf
of the gingko tree (icho) and has many ornamental hairpins (kanzashi) inserted in the topknot. Her lips are painted
red, and the rest of her face is powdered
white with a slight accent at the eyes. The
white face color has been a traditional symbol
of beauty in Japan for centuries. Many feel
that white symbolizes the willingness of
the geisha to be "dyed" to any
color her audience desires. She is supposed
to be sensitive in all respects to the entertainment
of those to whom, strictly speaking, she
sells her art. |
| ___A geisha's fee can be very expensive, depending
on her rank. A geisha party is a luxury few
people can indulge in. They are strictly
for the upper management class, executives
and politicians. These parties are occasionally
used as favors, and -depending on the class
of the geisha- the cost per person can start
at 50,000 yen. If you don't have an interest
in traditional music and dance, you could
find a geisha party a bit formal or even
boring. |
|