Geisha are tradistional Japanese artist/entertainers who entertain the customers by performing the arts. The word "Gei" means arts of performances and "Sha" means people in Japanese. Some call Geisha as Geiko. They were very commom during 18th and 19th centuries, They are even still in existence today although the number is not that much as those in past.
There are basically two types of Geisha, one is called Tachikatawho who mainly does the traditional Japanese dance called Mai and the another is Jikata who mainly sing or play instruments. Tachikata are usually young Geisha called Maiko and Jikata are older ones.
The tradition of Geisha started from the Taikomochi/Hokan which is similar to court jesters. The very first Geisha were males who dressed like females and they were called Onna Geisha which means "Female form of Woman artist".
Traditionally, Geisha are trained from their young childhood. Geisha Houses bought young girls from poor families, then they raised and trained them to be a Geisha. During their childhood, they worked as maid at first, then assistants of the Geisha Houses' senior Geisha as a part of their training to contibute to the costs of their education. Such a long-held traditional training of Geisha still exists in Japan nowadays.
A Geisha usually belongs to an Okiya Houses (Same as Geisha Houses) where they are trained and worked. The head woman called Okami of those houses looks after Geisha who belong to her Okiya House. If a young girl wants to be a Geisha, she has to be introduced to Okami through someone who has a connection with her. This is usually a better way than going to Okiya houses to inquire. When Okami accepts the girl, that girls must stay in Okiya house for her training.
Once a girl becomes a Geisha trainee, she can't quit for 5 to 6 years. While helping with the chores and errands of the house, the girl learns customs and social skills and begins music and dance lessons. After about half a year, she becomes a Maiko (Young Geisha). The dressing of a Maiko is a colorful Kimono with long sleeves and hight wooden shoes which is not the same as the old Geisha whose is more elegant light color with shorter sleeves. As soon as she has become a Maiko, she has to accompany a Senior Geisha to learn all the things by helping and following her wherever she goes such as tea houses, parties and banquets which aer all Geisha work's enviroments. When a Maiko becomes a 20 year old, she has to decide whether she wants to quit or become a Geisha. But a Geisha must quit her job when she get married.
The course of the study of a Geisha starts from a wide variety of arts, including Japanese musical instruments called the Shamisen and tradional forms of singing, dancing, tea ceremony, flower arranging called Ikebana, poetry and literature. In their training, they can learn the skills of selecting the complex traditon surrounding, matching and wearing the precious Kimono flawlessly and the skills in the arts of conversation and in dealing with clients by watching and assisting senior Geisha.
The Geisha districts are called Hanamachi which are developed near temples and shrines where many Ochaya, commonly known as tea house, are located. Ochaya are small japanese style houses with wooden doors, Tatami floor, Japanese style garden, and so on. They are different from those tea houses which merely server only tea. It's a sort of banquet house which rents rooms for dinner parties, and Geisha entertain customers in those rooms.
Occasionally, a Geisha may choose to take a Danna whic is an old fashion word of Husband. Danna is typically a wealthy man who can support a Geisha mistress. Although a Geisha may fall in love with her Danna, the affair is contigent upon the Danna's ability to support financially the Geisha's lifestyle. The tradional conventions and values within such relationship are not well understood even by many Japanese. Labels: Posted by KHIN KHIN
