Favela,+Angelica.

=__The Lost Art of Geisha's- A Result of Western Intrusion__=



Throughout history, women within Japanese society have each been assigned a role to play. Typically, the role is that of a wife, mother and daughter with passive and respectful demeanors. But, as with any culture, the “other” and outsider will always exist. Geisha women have been prominent within Japan long before the Meiji era began, and this still continues on in the present. Unfortunately, geisha’s have become more of an idea or trend, devaluing their original meaning and trades. The word “geisha” translates to “person of the arts”, because geisha’s were trained from a very young age in many talents from dance, playing the shamisen and serving tea in a skillful manner. They are a cultural staple and can easily be identified from the white painted skin, cherry red lips, ornate hair-do’s and elaborate kimono. It seems as though the original art of the geisha world has been lost along with many other Japanese traditions due to the presence of western values impeding upon their culture.

So, why is it that people believe that these outsiders are nothing but risque women who sell their bodies? What makes a geisha so intriguing and mysterious? How has the modern culture reinvented the “idea” of the geisha world?

A Brief Overview: Who And What Geisha Women Used To Be
The history of geisha’s stretches as far back as the 7th century, but the most popular documentation, photographs and stories regarding the profession began to show up in the 17th to 18th centuries. Most people do not know that **males** were actually the first geisha’s known in existence. It seems that females gained more popularity in this line of work, thus their longevity. Up until the mid 16th century, geisha life seemed to become a blur of young teena gers working as geisha under the guise of entertainment, while they were really being sent out to perform sexual favors for the men. Perhaps this is where history misleads the perception of geisha women and how they evolved over time. The arts became the central focus of geisha as time went on. There are many ways in which a girl or young lady found themselves in the midst of the geisha life. Geisha training took many years and could begin very early in life, considering that there were multiple stages that each girl went through until she became a “professional” geisha.

An apprentice geisha is known as a **“maiko”**. A maiko has yet to make her debut and usually still a virgin. Here enters the controversial aspect of being a geisha. Prostitution is commonly deemed as the oldest profession known in history. For some high end geisha’s, their coming of age consisted of selling their **virginity** to the highest paying bidder. This is not applicable to all cases, but for most, it signaled their entrance to bigger and better things for their career.

**The Arts and Appearance:**

A geisha is often taught many **skills** so that they are not only visually pleasing to the eye because they are so pretty, but also aesthetically pleasing in conversation, dance, music and other popular forms of entertainment. Not just anyone can embody the social graces of a butterfly and hold an **intelligent** conversation with rich, old Japanese business men. Geisha’s on the other hand did so and made it appear effortless.

Most geisha learned to play the **shamisen**, an instrument that looks similar to a ukulele. Dance is also a popular form of entertainment, and many of these choreographed routines translates to a symbol of the Japanese culture. They were also trained in the ceremonious art of pouring tea while showing just the slightest hint of skin on their **wrist**, which was and still is considered to be slightly sexual. The only other place that skin could be seen other than the face and hands is on the **nape of the neck**. Everything that the geisha women do to entertain is **subtle**, yet strikingly forceful at the same time. Wit and skill were the two important qualities needed to become successful as a geisha.

The appearance of a geisha is one that has remained the most stable over time. The skin that is visible is painted **white**, while the lips are painted **red** with safflower extract. The costume consists of a three layer kimono with the outer over coat being made up of hand painted silk. In a way, each geisha resembled the next physically, and it is their personality that makes them unique from one another.

The History and Art of Geisha:

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Real, Modern Geisha in Japan:


//Real geisha’s still exist within Japan//. The old ritual of selling a geisha’s virginity ceased long ago and now these women are trained and used for the sole purpose of entertainment. They are fully clothed, as always, dressed in traditional garb. Sex trade is never a part of their daily lives. For modern Japan, the practice of keeping the geisha tradition alive (there are reportedly only about 800-1000 still working, as opposed to 8000 during their rise) is a way of holding on to one of their unique social constructs.

Westernization and Misconception of the Geisha:
Japanese culture as a whole has such a rich history that most Westerners seek out bits and pieces of it so that they too can be a part of it. Although much beauty comes from the imitation and interest in geisha, there are some things that are lost in translation. The quick fall of authentic geisha’s happened due to the presence of Americans in Japan just after **WWII**. Americans had heard of the infamous entertainers, and many Japanese women were more than eager to imitate geisha’s and deliver what they thought these men would enjoy- **sex**. This in turn created the idea that geisha’s and tea houses were equivalent to prostitutes and brothels.



The **“idea”** of a geisha has become a key subject and inspiration for fashion, tattoos, decorative items and is depicted in many other ways. In fact, not only do Americans objectify geisha’s, but the Japanese also market the concept of the geisha in products as well.

Geisha’s have become so idolized that it is hard to stop and think about the fact that a geisha is in fact a real woman. The importance of the skills it took to be a geisha are forgotten and all that remains is a brand.

As seen in the photo to the right, a young woman who is not Japanese, has tattooed an image of a geisha on her back, along with other Japanese themed images. The face of the geisha is not traditional and it seems as though the placement of the tattoo and positioning of this woman in the photo is meant to be sexy. The shocking image looks as though it is straight from an adult magazine, yet it could also be coined as very “American” to some because of this. Is this blatant sexuality reminiscent of the traditional Japanese geisha? Or can a melding between the two cultures be seen here?

It could be speculated that the traditional values of a geisha might still be in tact had it not been for the western intrusion in Japan. But, if they had not, where would the culture of Americans be pulled from? It is true when people say that America is the melting pot of the world, because there is such a variety in race, culture and values. Western society seems to make it its job to take the flavors of other locations and turn it into something completely different. The modern idea of a geisha is eccentric and over the top, often pictured with either sexuality or violence.



Regardless of how interesting it might be to see what the western translation of a geisha might be, it is still more important to go back to the roots in order to truly understand the social role these women played in their country.



Links, Credits and Sources:
**All images courtesy of Pinterest.com**

Bardsley, Jan. "Teaching Geisha in History, Fiction and Fantasy." The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2010. Web. <[|__http://www.asianetwork.org/exchange/2010-spring/anex2010-spring-bardsley.pdf__]>. Miller, Laura, and Jan Bardsley. Bad Girls of Japan. Houndmills, Balsingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005. Print.

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The History and Art of Geisha:

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