Geisha History

The Japanese term geisha literally means “person of art” as they were known as entertainers from the 16th century. The Japanese view geisha as professional entertainers. They are also known as geigi or geiko. However, the majority of the world perceive them as white faced, red-lipped prostitutes that wear their hair in a bun. Geisha are much more than women with too much makeup, they are an important part of the traditional Japanese social life. Even today, they are the definition of beauty and grace. Geisha are not prostitutes reflected in their history, appearance, skills and role.

This part of the story shows how helpless women are in this society, and how dependant they are. This, as a continuing tradition, could drag Japan down in comparisons of equality and individuality.

With the arrival of the Allied Occupation, the United States of America introduced many reforms to Japanese society. “Equality of the sexes, woman suffrage of 1946, all inequalities in laws was ended and high schools became coed” (Friedman). Since the 1950’s women have sought more individualized means to provide for themselves with a sense of well-being. The most evolving aspect of post modernization has been women’s attitudes toward marriage and the family system. Women have started to wait till later in life to marry and have placed education and or work as top priorities. Once married, however, many women now choice to continue to work especially after they work of child birth. The women’s role in the family is evolving and become more

Tsurumi says that only three options were given to most young women in Japan in the Meiji period: work at a textile mill, weaving house, or a house of prostitution. Tsurumi says that women in all three cases had effectively been “sold” by their parents into the workforce, and were without the ability to choose where they wished to work (Tsurumi, 187). To detail even further, Tsurumi says that girls working in any of these fields were effectively “purchased commodities” to their employers, and were treated as objects (Tsurumi, 188). This continues to support the idea that these women were victims of a society determined to society’s vulnerable populations for their labor and ignore their humanity. Despite this, the women of Japan’s textile mills worked tirelessly in harsh circumstances in an effort to support their families, and, as a result, also supported the larger local and national communities of which they were a part. In conclusion, Tsurimi says that a woman working in Japan’s textile mills “made [her contributions to the industrialized economy] for her family and herself, and not for the country or company” (Tsurumi, 198). Even if their contribution was not intentional, however, the impact the factory girls of Meiji Era Japan had on the industrialization of Japan’s economy is irrefutable, and showcases

Modern Japanese women were not allowed to speak unless they were spoken to and also they were to work without complaints. They were also supposed to keep the family intact and keep honor in the males’ reputation, in the play The Love Suicides of Amijima, Jihei's wife, Osan, was willing to do anything for her husband in order to keep his reputation, “It doesn’t matter if the children and I have nothing to wear. My husband’s reputation concerns me more (Puncher).” Furthermore, in modern japan, a man is supposed to abide his social status and be the head of a family. As a women, a geisha must follow rules until her contract is over.

This is mainly due to the fact that men were not restricted to be faithful to their wives and it is not a Shinto taboo to accept this sexuality. The exemplary wife in traditional Japanese culture was modest, a mother, and the one that managed the home. Men did not turn to their wives to fulfil their sexual desires and romantic fantasies. Instead, the males would rely on courtesans to meet these needs. There were yukaku, or pleasure quarters, constructed in the 16th century. In 1617, the shogunate designated these pleasure quarters to be the only establishment in which prostitution was legal. The women that made their living within these walls were referred to as "yujo" and they were classified and licensed. The yujo of the highest stature within this society was the Geisha's predecessor. They were called tayuu. These women were a combination of prostitute and actress. These women often performed erotic dances and

All around the world, there is the decimation of people for many reasons. Cultures have demeaned people for all sorts of reasons, even cultures rich in tradition, such as the Japanese society. We hear of the Japanese culture with their Samurais, their Geisha’s and their long-held traditions, but what we do not hear about it that of their “untouchables”, the people of Japan who are outcast because of their occupation, the Burakumin.

Memoirs of a Geisha is the story of a young girl named Chiyo sold into the life of a Geisha. Her tragedies overwhelm her until she decides to transform herself into the woman she needs to be in order to survive. Once she breaks free from the grueling life of a maid and is able to start her studies to be a Geisha again, things begin to change for the better. That is, until her life is again caught in the midst of destiny. She begins to realize that if she does what she must do, become Nobu’s mistress, she will lose the chance of ever having true love and happiness with the Chairman. In these two characters, two very separate worlds collide and cause Chiyo, now Sayuri, to make a choice between what is right and what is desired. In the end, after

The class system in Japan was divided into four castes from the 12th to the 19th century, and one of the few exceptions to the caste rule were the geisha. Merchants were the bottom tier, followed by artisans, then farmers, and finally, samurai. People such as actors, minorities, and criminals were not bound by the system, but were often below the lowest level, living off of what they could find, and were in a constant state of desperation. The unique quality of the geisha in this situation is that they were

Relatively calm and collect at all times, Masashi still know's how to have a good time. Being a geisha means that he must be able to adapt his personality to the person/ guest that he is attending. He can personify the most flirtatious girl or the most reserved, When he is in his everyday clothes and not around the watchful eye of his mother and the other geisha's he can be quite the sassy lad. He's quick to pass judgement on others and can be a bit of a smartass, saying rude statements about others to their faces. But when he's in a sticky situation that he will inevitably get into due to his foul mouth, he uses his practices as a geisha to work his way out of it. One of his favorite pastimes is manipulating people, as a geisha and out of

This reading response is to use the reading “Westernizing Bodies: Women, Art, and Power in Meiji Yo-Ga.” Written by Norman Bryson. The main idea of this article is to introduce the Rokumeikan and declare the role of women in the process of Japanese Modernization. Rokumeikan as a medium of communication between Japan and Western World. The purpose of constructing this building is to invite high-position foreigners to conduct parties, such as diplomats, politicians, and nobles. By touching Westerns, Japanese people will realize their shortages and incent them to learn to follow Europeans. The author emphasizes the dancing floor is one of the great success of Rokumeikan. Japanese women could dress beautiful western skirts, dance with different

The first definition of mizuage means the “total earnings” (Iwasaki 187) of what a geisha makes, which is different from the mizuage “ceremony” (205) that shows the maiko (apprentice geisha) is becoming a full-fledged “geiko” (205). The second definition Iwasaki provides is for women who were referred as oiran or tayu, meaning high-class prostitutes, who underwent the traditional ritual of mizuage (Iwasaki 253). According to Iwasaki, the role of oiran and geisha is “intertwined and confused” (162). Even though both the geisha and a high-class prostitute in Japan do traditional arts, high-class prostitutes live in Shimabara (licensed quarter). As an oiran or tayu, who is confined in Shimabara, they work under contracts, unlike geishas. In this context, the women (oiran or tayu) will be “deflowered by a patron who [pays]” (253) money. From the evidence, the way Golden uses the term mizuage fits under the second definition that Iwasaki provides: man pays for the mizuage, then deflowers the young geisha; as a result, the geisha will earn money. Golden’s explanation of mizuage makes it seem as if Sayuri willingly sells her body away to a rich and powerful man. If the word mizuage is interpreted inaccurately, it can lead to the assumption that the geishas are prostitutes based on Golden’s novel. Through the motifs and terms Golden uses, presentation of geishas are false

Jugun ianfu was a term used by Japanese people to describe prostitute women during the Asian Pacific War. Another name to describe it was “comfort women”. Unlike geisha who worked as courtesan and/or artist, the practice of jugun ianfu was a planned and brutal sexual enslavement and was considered

It is no secret that for centuries, the Japanese woman has been, to most observers, a model of elegance and graceful beauty. A picture of a kimono-clad, modest, and often silent woman has been plastered everywhere, allowing for the upmost passive subjection. If we look deeper into this image of woman, can we tell if this picture is complete? How do these women painted in representative images far in the modern world? The ideal woman in Japan is expected to be both a good wife, and a wise mother. Though these seem like reasonable expectations, there is a much deeper meaning to them that has shown signs of being outdated. During the 1800’s and 1900’s, women were subjected to society’s vision of them, and could not break free for fear of the

Power, prestige, personality, and a pleasing face: Chairman Ken Iwamura of the Iwamura Electric Company has it all. Undoubtedly, such a man would attract the great admiration of many. However, the Kyoto geisha, Sayuri Nitta, stands as an exception. She does not admire the Chairman. Instead, she is obsessed with him, so utterly entranced by his charm as to devote her entire life to having him become her danna. This intense love is the primary reason she transforms from a scared, reluctant young girl, Chiyo Sakamoto, into a manipulative and seductive full-fledged geisha. Analyzing Arthur Golden’s Memoirs of a Geisha through a psychoanalytical lens reveals that Sayuri Nitta’s fixation upon Chairman Iwamura emerges ultimately due to her