Geisha (or geiko) are professional entertainers who attend guests during meals, banquets and other occasions. They are trained in various traditional Japanese arts, such as dance and music, as well as in the art of communication.
The word geisha comes from the Japanese word “gei” meaning art and “sha” meaning person. Geishas are artisans and purveyors of traditional Japanese culture. Geisha women dedicate their lives to Japanese traditional arts and put their talents to use to entertain customers.
The rule of this profession is “being married to the art, not a man”. If they want to get married, they have to quit the job. Once they quit, it's usually impossible to come back, however they can debut from the beginning in a different city, under a different name and rules.
The main role of Geisha is to entertain and serve the guests, so they use the thick white make up to hide their feelings in order to keep the guests happy, entertained, and not offended. Although electricity was not exist in ancient times, Geisha culture; including the costumes, have existed since ancient times.
This is often the norm in places like Kyoto, but there are now a lot of places in Japan like Tokyo that allow married, divorced, and/or women with children to become geisha. Likewise, maiko are not allowed to have boyfriends.
geisha, a member of a professional class of women in Japan whose traditional occupation is to entertain men, in modern times, particularly at businessmen's parties in restaurants or teahouses.
Nowadays, there are just 1,000 geisha left in Japan, most of whom live and work predominantly in Tokyo and Kyoto. These modern geisha tend to remain within their district, where they're treated with the utmost respect by Japanese locals, and not approached for photos or conversation.
It was a tradition practiced mainly by married women and some men, almost always members of the aristocracy and samurai. In addition to Japanese society's preference for black teeth, it was also considered beneficial to health, as it prevented tooth decay by acting as a dental sealant.
Unlike Western make-up, the Beni is used for multiple areas of the face, which is more akin to a paste than a lipstick. It's dabbed onto the eyes for a soft effect but painted undiluted onto the lips to make them a bright red.
In Japan, geisha are very highly respected because they spend years training to learn the traditional instruments and dances of Japan. Although some western media portray geisha as prostitutes, that's just a myth.
At its worst, the geisha tradition involves force, fraud, and deception, and the horrifying practice of selling one's own children into slavery for purposes of sexual exploitation.
Part of the geisha's daily routine includes studying how to host traditional Japanese wedding ceremonies and also learning to dance, sing and play musical instruments like shamisen (a three-stringed instrument), koto (Japanese harp) and taiko (Japanese drums).
There is no point harassing the geisha, obstructing their daily routine, jamming cameras in their faces. It's rude, can get you in trouble, ruins every foreigner's reputation and it's a questionable style of photography. Instead, be mindful when taking photos and go beyond obvious portraiture.
For this reason, a Geisha sleeps with her neck on a small wooden support or takamakura. This can cause crippling pain and sleep deprivation, and keeping the head balanced on the stand is a difficult skill to master.
Mineko Iwasaki (岩崎 峰子/岩崎 究香, Iwasaki Mineko, born Masako Tanaka (田中 政子), 2 November 1949) is a Japanese businesswoman, author and former geisha. Iwasaki was the most famous geisha in Japan until her sudden retirement at the age of 29.
Now Sayuki, she is the only white woman to ever become a full-fledged geisha in Japan. Sayuki says it took her three years to perfect the art of geisha. "Everybody knows that to become a ballet dancer takes an incredible amount of training, and obviously a geisha is the same," she says.
To inflame a doctor's lust for Sayuri (for the impending bidding war for her virginity), Mameha intentionally cuts Sayuri's leg high on her thigh (off camera).
Purify: Removing makeup and environmental impurities from the face is the most important secret to mochi hada skin. Geisha must be diligent about this step because of their white makeup, so they use a tsubaki (camellia) classical cleansing oil to melt away the day.
Geisha still learn the art of seduction, which is quite different from the western conceptions: it is based on fascination and pleasure through conversation, arts and mysticism, and they still play the role of emotional confidante.
Some geisha would sleep with their customers, whereas others would not, leading to distinctions such as kuruwa geisha – a geisha who slept with customers as well as entertaining them through performing arts – yujō ("prostitute") and jorō ("whore") geisha, whose only entertainment for male customers was sex, and machi ...
There is no specific retirement age for geisha, so if they don't want to marry, they can continue being a geisha throughout their lives. Conversely, despite being unable to marry, it's still acceptable for geishas to have children – and it's relatively common.
Do Geisha Sleep with their Clients? No, as prostitution is illegal in Japan and the geishas are cultural performers who are deeply respected. Geisha never sleep with their clients as it goes against the rules of the organizations they belong to.
Geiko can choose either to specialize in dance or music. There are no age limits on the geisha, there is a geisha (geiko) in Gion who is 90. However, one loses the status of geisha whenever she chooses to marry. Geisha (geiko) must be single.
For instance, to keep their skin (and minds) clear, geisha maintain a conventional Japanese diet complete with things like antioxidant-rich green tea, rice, and seaweed, giving new life to the age-old phrase: You are what you eat.
Many of them were forced to work in factories to make munitions, vehicles, pharmaceuticals and electrical goods for the army. These women were called the “Comfort Women”. Moreover, they were treated as sexual slaves to the American military.