Gion houses two hanamachi, or geisha districts: Gion Kobu ( 祇園甲部) and Gion Higashi ( 祇園東). The two were originally the same district, but split many years ago. Gion Kobu is larger, occupying most of the district including the famous street Hanamikoji, while Gion Higashi is smaller and occupies the northeast corner, centered on its rehearsal hall. Despite the considerable decline in the number of geisha in Gion in the last century, the area is still famous for the preservation of forms of traditional architecture and entertainment. Though apprentice geisha appear in their most formal dress when attending engagements all of the time, this appearance is not static, and the seniority of apprentices can generally be distinguished visually by changes to makeup, hairstyle and hair accessories. When an apprentice becomes a full geisha, her style of kimono changes from a long-sleeved one with a typically long obi to a short-sleeved one with an obi of the same length worn by any woman who wears a kimono; she may not wear a kimono with a trailing skirt to every banquet, and may choose not to wear white makeup and a wig at all as she grows older. Apprentices wear either zōri or okobo with their kimono, with okobo being worn (in Kyoto at least) with all formal kimono. [15] For training and in everyday life, zōri are worn, even when wearing casual short-sleeved kimono such as komon and yukata. Appearance [ edit ] Mature geisha (center) ordinarily wear subdued clothing, makeup, and hair, contrasting with the more colourful clothing, heavy makeup, and elaborate hair of maiko (apprentices; left and right). The geisha in Kyoto do not refer to themselves as geisha, instead using the local term 'geiko'. While the term geisha means "artist" or "person of the arts", the more direct term geiko means essentially "a woman of art".

Geisha of Gion | Book by Mineko Iwasaki, Rande Brown

Geisha ( 芸者) ( / ˈ ɡ eɪ ʃ ə/; Japanese: [ɡeːɕa]), [1] [2] also known as geiko ( 芸子) (in Kyoto and Kanazawa) or geigi ( 芸妓), are a class of female Japanese performing artists and entertainers trained in traditional Japanese performing arts styles, such as dance, music and singing, as well as being proficient conversationalists and hosts. Their distinct appearance is characterised by long, trailing kimono, traditional hairstyles and oshiroi make-up. Geisha entertain at parties known as ozashiki, often for the entertainment of wealthy clientele, as well as performing on stage and at festivals. Nonetheless, in the decades after the war, the profession's practices still underwent some changes. Following the introduction of the Prostitution Prevention Law in 1956, geisha benefited from the official criminalisation of practices such as mizuage, a practice that had at times been undertaken coercively or through force by some maiko in mostly pre-war Japan. Despite this, the misconception of geisha being on some level prostitutes and of mizuage being a common practice continues, inaccurately, to this day. [28] Though relatively uncommon in previous decades, geisha parties are no longer understood to be affairs for male guests exclusively, with women commonly attending parties alongside other male guests. Though geisha will still gracefully flirt and entertain male guests, this is understood to be a part of a geisha's hostessing and entertainment skills, and is not taken as a serious sign of personal interest. [ citation needed] Geisha and relationships [ edit ] Minarai-jaya During the minarai period, an apprentice will receive training through one specific teahouse, referred to as the minarai-jaya. [11] Mizu shōbai ( 水商売, lit. 'water business') A euphemistic term used to describe the entertainment and red-light districts in Japan, including the worlds of kabuki actors and geisha. [9] Ochaya ( お茶屋, lit. 'teahouse') Though geisha may entertain at their okiya, restaurants or inns, they will usually entertain guests at a teahouse. Okiya ( 置屋) A geisha lodging house. All geisha must be registered to an okiya, though not all geisha live in their okiya day-to-day. Okiya are usually run by women, many of whom are ex-geisha themselves. [9] Geisha may entertain guests within their okiya. Ozashiki ( お座敷) A term for a geisha's engagements, which may take part or the whole of an evening. The term ozashiki combines the name for a banqueting room, zashiki ( 座敷), and the honorific prefix o- ( お), changing the meaning to a term exclusively referring to the engagements a geisha takes. Shikomi ( 仕込み, ' preparation ' or ' training ') The typical first stage of a maiko's training. Shikomi wear kimono, though they do not wear the elaborate outfit, hairstyle and makeup of fully-fledged maiko. Tōde ( lit. 'distant outings') Geisha engagements not held in licensed restaurants, teahouses, or a geisha's own hanamachi. [7] History [ edit ] Origins [ edit ]Gion ( 祇園) [a] is a district of Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto, Japan, originating as an entertainment district in the Sengoku period, in front of Yasaka Shrine (Gion Shrine). The district was built to accommodate the needs of travellers and visitors to the shrine. It eventually evolved to become one of the most exclusive and well-known geisha districts in all of Japan. Gion is the Japanese translation (via Chinese Qiyuan) of the Buddhist term Jetavana. [1] [2] Yasaka Shrine, located in this district is the center of the Gion faith. [3] Before debuting as a maiko, apprentices may live at the okiya as shikomi – essentially a trainee, learning all the necessary skills to become a maiko, as well as attending to the needs of the house and learning to live with her geisha sisters and within the karyūkai. By watching other geisha and learning from the mother of the house (known as the okā-san ( lit. 'mother')), apprentices learn how to speak with guests, the mannerisms necessary to be a geisha, and the traditions of the karyūkai. Apprentices also learn how to comfortably wear kimono. [55] [34] Gion retains a number of old-style Japanese houses called machiya, which roughly translates to "townhouse", some of which function as ochaya, or "teahouses", where geisha entertain guests at parties, involving singing, traditional dance performances, drinking games and conversation. Both geisha and maiko can be seen travelling throughout the district to attend parties, lessons and various other engagements. A number of dressing-up parlors, known as henshin studios, will dress tourists up as maiko or geisha for a fee, allowing them to walk through the streets of Gion and have their photo taken; by law in Kyoto, these tourists are required to dress inaccurately, so as not to impersonate geisha or maiko. [ citation needed] Seeing a Geisha, or in this case, a Maiko, made my time in Kyoto. Not only was it a dream come true, but the electric atmosphere the Maiko’s presence created was something that will stay with me always. Iwasaki later gave public interviews stating that many established geisha had criticised her actions and decision to be interviewed by Golden, the result of which ruptured the unwritten traditions of secrecy within the geisha community. [ citation needed] Furthermore, Iwasaki stated that she had lost friends and relationships due to the scandal of being associated with the book, along with certain inconsistencies and fallacies about Gion.

Gion Kyoto: 20 Must-See Highlights of the Geisha District

At the Western end of Gion, between Shijo-dori and Sanjo-dori, on the other side of Kamo-gawa River, Pontocho is a narrow but famous street of Kyoto. It is known to be the home of many restaurants of Japanese and international cuisine, and is especially lively in the evening. Training process [ edit ] Kyoto geiko Fumikazu with her minarai imōto Momokazu, and a shikomi from the Odamoto okiya Maiko hikizuri tend to be colourful and highly decorated, often featuring a design that continues inside the kimono's hem. The style of this kimono varies throughout different regions; apprentices in Kyoto tend to wear large but sparsely-placed motifs, whereas apprentices elsewhere appear in kimono similar to a regular furisode, with small, busy patterns that cover a greater area. Unlike geisha, who almost invariably own the kimono they wear to engagements, apprentice geisha tend not to own their own kimono, and instead borrow those of their okiya.Walled-in pleasure quarters known as yūkaku ( 遊廓/遊郭) were built in the 16th century, [16] with the shogunate designating prostitution illegal to practice outside of these "pleasure quarters" in 1617. [17] Within the pleasure quarters, yūjo ( 遊女, "[women] of pleasure") – a term used to refer to prostitutes as a whole – were classified and licensed, the upper echelons of which were referred to as oiran, a category with its own internal ranks, the highest of which being the tayū. At the Kitano Tenman-gū shrine there is an annual open-air tea ceremony ( 野点, nodate) during the plum-blossom festival ( 梅花祭, baikasai ) every February 25. During this ceremony, geisha and maiko from the Kamishichiken district in northwest Kyoto serve tea to 3,000 guests. [48] [49] As of 2010 [update], they also serve beer in a beer garden at the Kamishichiken Kaburenjo Theatre during the summer months. [50] [51] [52] Another geisha beer garden is available at the Gion Shinmonso ryokan in the Gion district. [50] These beer gardens also feature traditional dances by the geisha in the evenings. Self-described geisha fanatic Avi Lugasi is the founder and managing director of Windows to Japan, a high-end travel company based in Kyoto.

Memoirs of a Geisha - Wikipedia Memoirs of a Geisha - Wikipedia

In Japan, to see Geisha in Kyoto within the old streets of Gion is a special sight. Here’s how you can see this renowned and beautiful figure. Gion, with its many traditional machiya buildings, is probably the most popular place for photographing geisha in Japan. Later, at the teahouse, Okimi tries to directly persuade the recalcitrant Miyoei to accede to Kusuda's proposal. Miyoei manages to remain aloof and promises to think on it. While Miyoharu entertains Kanzaki, Kusuda forces himself on Miyoei, causing Miyoei to bite him off to defend herself.

Things to do in Gion Kyoto

She left home at the age of four to begin studying traditional Japanese dance at the Iwasaki okiya (geisha house) in the Gion district of Kyoto. [2] She was legally adopted by the okiya's owner, Madame Oima, and began using its family name of Iwasaki. Fukutarō – (Isabella), a Romanian national who worked in the Izu-Nagaoka district of Shizuoka Prefecture. She began her apprenticeship in April 2010 and debuted a year later in 2011. [63]

Book Review: Geisha Of Gion By Mineko Iwasaki - Feminism in India Book Review: Geisha Of Gion By Mineko Iwasaki - Feminism in India

Though women in the lower ranks of yūjo did not provide as much artistic entertainment as they did sexual, oiran, whilst still prostitutes, also included the traditional arts as a key aspect of their entertainment, their practice of which differed considerably from those of geisha. As oiran were considered to be low-ranking members of the nobility, the instruments they played and the songs they sang were often confined to those considered "respectable" enough for the upper classes. This typically meant that oiran sang long, traditional ballads ( nagauta ( lit. 'long songs')), and played instruments such as the kokyū (a type of bowed shamisen) and the koto (a 13-stringed harp). Juri – (Maria), a Peruvian geisha working in the resort town of Yugawara in the Kanagawa Prefecture. [70]While traditionally geisha led a cloistered existence, in recent years they have become more publicly visible, and entertainment is available without requiring the traditional introduction and connections. Shirakawa is characterized by its sumptuous promenade along the eponymous canal, its restaurants whose rooms are directly over the river and that can be reached by crossing charming small bridges. The banks of the river are lined with cherry trees and are therefore even more pleasant to discover in spring during the sakura 🌸 blossom season, and in autumn 🍁 when the foliage turns orange and red. Contrary to unsavory myths, geisha – or “geiko” as they’re called in Kyoto dialect – are actually professional entertainers hired to perform and interact with guests during dinners and other occasions. The first female geisha appeared in 1751, with geisha before that time being male performers who entertained guests. Only later did the profession become mainly characterised by female workers. [3] [a]