Geisha

(or  or  ) are traditional female Japanese entertainers. They are skilled at different Japanese arts, like playing classical Japanese music, dancing and poetry. Geisha are not prostitutes, despite what some people think.

The  *geisha* is made of two Japanese words,  () meaning "art," and  (), meaning "person who does" or "to be employed in." The most literal translation in English is "artist." Geisha are respected as artists and performers, and it is difficult to become one.

Kyoto is the city with the strictest geisha traditions. Geisha have worked there for the longest time. Becoming a professional geisha can take up to five years of training in Kyoto.

Apprentice geisha are called . The name comes from  (), meaning "dancing," and  (), meaning "child."  wear white make-up called  and long-sleeved kimono with many  colors.  in some places wear a belt, called an , that is up to  long. Many  wear fancy hairstyles made with their own hair, but in some places, they wear wigs instead. Full geisha wear simpler kimono and wear white makeup only for special occasions. Geisha also wear wigs and have a much shorter kimono belt.

There are also geisha in other cities, but there are differences. In Tokyo, becoming a full geisha takes from six months to a year. Geisha apprentices in Tokyo are called , which means "half jewel" or "half pay." Apprentice geisha in Tokyo are also called , which means "one who serves (alcohol)." Geisha in Tokyo are normally older than those in Kyoto.

Many geisha still live in traditional geisha houses called  in neighborhoods called , which means "flower town." Older geisha who are successful may have their own home. A geisha always needs to be registered to a geisha house to be allowed to work.

The world that geisha are a part of is called , which means "the flower and willow world." One very famous geisha, , said that is because a "geisha like a flower, beautiful in her own way, and like a willow tree, gracious, flexible, and strong."

Geisha are considered to be cultural icons of Japan.

## History 
 by artist , 1803.]]

Before geisha appeared, some women worked as artists and entertainers. In the Heian period (794-1185), women entertained people at the Imperial Court by singing and dancing and were known as .

Later, women who worked as prostitutes and courtesans entertained men in the red-light districts of Japan. In 1589,  authorized the building of a neighborhood in Kyoto that was closed from the outside with walls. Called , it was dedicated to pleasure.  was established as an official red-light district in 1640, and became one of three areas in Japan in which prostitution could be practiced legally. The other two were  in Tokyo, which had been established in 1617, and , in Osaka.

Male geisha were very low-class entertainers, but  were considered to be upper class. Every man who wished to be with an  had to follow difficult rituals and etiquette and to have enough money to pay for her time. That meant that only the richest nobility got to be entertained by .

The government  geisha from working as prostitutes and allowed them only to act as entertainers. One of the laws made them tie their  (sash) in the back, as  wore theirs at the front as a sign that they were available for sex. Geisha had to wear simpler hairstyles, less hair accessories, less makeup, and simpler kimono. If an  accused a geisha of stealing her customers, the geisha would be investigated.

Soon, the geisha became so much more popular than the  that in 1761, the last  of  retired. Though  continued to work in Kyoto and Osaka,  as a whole were seen as outdated, too traditional, and too expensive.  could not leave the red-light districts because they had a lot of debt to the owner of the brothel they worked in and were not thought of as celebrities or fashionable anymore. Most people could not afford to hire them. In contrast, geisha were cheaper and more fashionable, and could leave the red-light districts whenever they wanted. They sang popular songs and did not need several expensive meetings before they would entertain a client. New geisha neighborhoods () were created in Kyoto and other cities.

In the 19th century, geisha were in better position than common women,but they also had problems in Japanese society. Some poor people sold their daughters to a geisha house, but that was less common than some people think since many geisha came from families in which the mother or another female relative had once been a geisha. Geisha could not marry but could have a patron to pay for their expenses, and some retired when they gained a rich patron. Other men paid a lot of money to take the new girls' virginity (),

## Training 
 kimono and ]]
Traditionally, geisha began their training at a very young age. Although some girls were sold to become geisha as children, that was not normal practice in hanamachi with good reputation. Daughters of geisha were often educated as geisha themselves.

The first part of training is called *"shikomi"*. When girls first arrived at the okiya, they used to be put to work as maids, or do everything they were told. The work was difficult to "make" and "break" the new girls. The most  shikomi of the house had to wait late into the night for the senior geisha to return from work, sometimes at as late as two or three in the morning. During that stage of training, the shikomi went to classes at the hanamachi's geisha school. In modern times, that stage still exists, but it is less hard than before. Shikomi now become used to the traditions and dress of the *karyūkai* ("flower and willow world").

When an apprentice became skilled in the geisha arts and passed a final and difficult dance test, she was promoted to the second stage of training, the *minarai*, and not longer did housework. This stage still exists but is much shorter than before (only a month). The minarai learn in the field and go to banquets and dance with the geisha. However, they do not participate but just sit, watch, and learn from their *onee-san* (*older sisters*). Their kimono are more  than even that of a maiko, and it does the talking for them.

After a short time, the third and most famous stage of training begins, the *maiko*. The apprentice geisha stayed in this stage for years. Maiko learn from their senior geisha and follow them around to every  that she does. The *onee-san/imoto-san* ("older sister/younger sister") relationship is very important. The onee-san teaches her maiko everything about working in the hanamachi. She teaches her the right ways of serving tea, playing the shamisen, and dancing and everything about the art of *iki* (see below). Maiko wear heavy white makeup and elaborate hairstyle and have their lips painted almost all the time. Their kimono and obi have more vibrant colors and richer embroidery than those of full geisha. Like the minarai, maiko charge less money to go to parties or gatherings than full geisha.

After a period of only six months (in Tokyo) or five years (in Kyoto), the maiko is promoted to a full geisha and charges full price for her time. Geisha use kimono of fewer colors and wear makeup only for work or dance because they are more  than a maiko, and the simpler style shows her own natural beauty. Geisha remain as such until they retire. which started in the 18th century as a reply to the extravagant ways of the courtesans (*oiran*) and those who liked their style. Oiran wore very elaborate clothes, makeup, and jewelry. Geisha preferred to be , and more intelligent. They created iki as a style that gave more importance to conversation and wit. Instead of working with sex, as oiran then did and simple prostitutes still do, geisha try to be sexy. A geisha will flirt, , and joke with men but always with art and elegance. Japanese clients know that nothing more can be expected. Men enjoy the illusion of that which is never to be. Geisha do not have sex with clients for money.
Geisha give more importance to their reputation than prostitutes do, and they almost never enter a relationship with a client. Those who do generally act with care and usually get married. Normally, when a geisha marries, she retires from the profession. The most important quality of a geisha is her trustworthiness, especially to Japanese clients. Anything that her clients do or tell her must remain a secret. Anything said or done at a tea house will remain anonymous.

Becoming a geisha needs such :discipline. A geisha believes she must be a work of art in herself. She works everyday to improve everything she does. A geisha's movements and her way of walking, sitting, and talking are very important. She is a geisha all the time, even when she is at home or not working. An example of the  is the old custom of *kangeiko* ("lessons in the cold"). Until the early 1920s, apprentice geisha would put their hands in icy water and then go outside in cold weather to practice playing the shamisen until their fingers bled.

## Picture gallery 

File:Mamefusa.jpg|Make-up and hairstyle
File:Ayano.jpg|Make-up
File:Fumino misedashi eriashi.jpg|Make-up on the neck
File:Momoware kneeling.jpg|Greetings
File:Police officer and maiko Mameyuri.jpg|Everyday life
File:Wareshinobu back.jpg|Make-up and hairstyle
File:Toshihana tea ceremony.jpg| A maiko performing tea ceremony
File:Kimono lady at Gion, Kyoto.jpg|Everyday life
File:Maiko 2d day.jpg|Clothing and hairstyle
File:Kyouka walking.jpg|Maiko wearing *ume kanzashi*

File:Gobildalt.jpg|Ukiyo-e painting of geisha playing *go* (1811).
File:Mameyoshi and Fukunami.jpg|Two geisha playing the shamisen and the shinobue. 
File:Geiko Kimiha.jpg|A geiko.

## Related pages 
* Japanese tea ceremony
* Kimono
* Mineko Iwasaki
* Oiran

## References 
## Other websites 
* Geiko and Maiko Photo Gallery , by Lubomir Cernota.
* Geisha and Maiko, Haruyo Morita's art.
* *Coming of Age - Yukina: Japan*. Documentary about a modern young woman who wishes to train to be a geisha. BBC.com