Top 12 Fascinating Facts about Japanese Geisha

A geisha apprentice dedicates several years to study the perfected behaviors and learn arts she couldn't in the classroom. Her mentor takes her to gatherings where she won't sing, tell stories,...she will stay silent, observe, understanding how geishas interact with men, and how they employ their femininity, attention, and cleverness to keep everyone entertained. However, her attendance at a gathering is not just a learning experience.

A senior sister's job is to introduce a maiko to the geisha community, ensuring everyone knows who she is. This way, when a maiko debuts as a geisha, she already has relationships with clients and tea houses that will sustain her. The ceremony marking the transition from maiko to geisha is called eriage, meaning 'changing the collar.' At this point, the maiko swaps her distinctive red-patterned collar for a solid white one, symbolizing her debut as a geisha entertainer.

All the skills of a geisha ensure a successful and vibrant party, and everyone has a good time. The job of a geisha often involves parties with the participation of businessmen trying to negotiate deals with each other. A man organizes a geisha party to show his potential associates a good time - and to impress them with his wealth, culture, and good relationships, as geisha parties are exclusive and expensive.

Today, a party with geisha can cost from $200 to $300 per guest for every two hours the geisha are present. What happens in a geisha party is private, and a professional geisha will not share anything about her clients. In a culture known for societal preservation and work-centric habits, geisha parties are where men can be loud, drunk, and flirtatious without societal backlash.

Many foreigners unfamiliar with Japanese culture often confuse geisha with prostitutes. Those who understand the intricacies of Japanese culture explain that geisha are not sex workers. A successful geisha creates a sense of unattainable perfection. When men hire a geisha for entertainment at a party, sex has nothing to do with it.

A geisha entertains through singing, music, dance, storytelling, attentiveness, and flattery. She can discuss politics as easily as she can explain the rules of a drinking game. In a time when Japanese wives, in general, were excluded from public life, geisha were women who could play gracious hostesses at business gatherings. Geisha were initially men because societal restrictions dictated that women couldn't sing, entertain at a party.

Geisha are highly regarded individuals trained in the arts of Japan. A regular girl cannot become a geisha in a short period. She needs to be educated over several years. To achieve the goal, one must work diligently, and here's what a girl does to become a geisha from a maiko.

According to current Japanese law, a 16-year-old girl can become a maiko, and she must learn everything about Japanese arts and culture, including traditional singing, playing musical instruments, traditional Japanese dance, tea ceremony etiquette, the art of wearing a kimono, flower arranging, and more. So, how is a maiko educated and then becomes a real Geisha at the age of 21? You might watch a very famous movie based on the life of a Geisha. The film is called 'Memories of a Geisha,' shot in 2005 and won three Academy Awards (Oscars).

Booking a geisha isn't a simple task. When someone wants a geisha to organize a private party, they have two options: either call the okasan of the geisha house or contact a teahouse where geishas work. The okasan or teahouse owner then calls the central office responsible for geisha affairs, handling all geisha bookings and service fees for clients. Each geisha must register with the central office to work in their district.

A geisha never dines with her clients while on duty. She must always carry herself with grace, making every guest feel welcomed and entertained, having the perfect story to tell when the conversation slows down, and paying attention to each sake cup to ensure it never runs dry. She might be invited to perform a dance, sing a song, or accompany another geisha on the shamisen. If conflicts arise between two men, she'll discreetly resolve it, preferably without anyone knowing. A party is not a leisurely experience for a geisha. It's her workplace.

Kimonos are T-shaped, straight-line robes, worn so that the hem falls to the ankle, with attached collars and long, wide sleeves. They are wrapped around the body, always left over right (except when dressing the dead for burial) and secured with a sash known as an obi, tied at the back. Kimonos are often worn with traditional footwear (especially zōri or geta) and split-toe socks called tabi.

Today, kimonos are typically worn by women, especially on special occasions. Traditionally, unmarried women wear a style called furisode, with almost floor-length sleeves, on special occasions. Some older women and even fewer men still wear kimonos daily. Men commonly wear kimonos at weddings, tea ceremonies, and other special or formal events. Professional sumo wrestlers often wear kimonos as they are required to don traditional Japanese attire whenever appearing in public. Geisha always wear handmade kimonos, often crafted from silk.

Before becoming an apprentice, a young woman would grow her hair very long to be able to create the elaborate hairstyles of a maiko. She wears at least five different styles, each style representing a different stage in her apprenticeship. For example, a new maiko has a hairstyle called wareshinobu, with two red ribbon strands symbolizing her purity. A mature maiko wears a style called ofuku. This transition used to be defined by mizu-age, or a maiko's first sexual experience, but now it's simply a matter of time.

The transition often occurs when an apprentice turns 18 or has been working for three years. When a maiko becomes a geisha, she switches the red collar to a white one and her maiko kimono to a geisha kimono. A geisha's kimono is simpler and easier to handle. It has shorter sleeves and doesn't require high wooden clogs to keep it off the ground. A geisha wears zori, similar to flip-flops, and a shorter obi tied into a simple knot.

For a geisha, getting ready for work involves hours. Her distinct appearance is part of her allure, not just about beauty and exclusivity. It's also a way to distinguish between a maiko and a geisha, and between a young and mature geisha. You can learn a lot about a geisha just by looking at her. Unlike regular kimonos, a geisha's kimono reveals the neck - in Japanese culture, this is considered the most sensual part of a woman.

The white makeup, originally made of lead and poisonous, is now harmless. If a maiko follows the traditional way to achieve the desired look, she first applies oil and a layer of wax to her face. This makes the skin smooth and creates a base for the white powder to adhere to. Then, she only applies red lipstick to the bottom lip. This is a sign that she is an apprentice. Apprentice geishas spend hours at the hairdresser every week to maintain their hairstyles. They sleep on special pillows with a hole in the middle to avoid damaging their hair while sleeping.

Oiran refers to the highly esteemed 'courtesans,' primarily valued for their beauty, within the pleasure quarters of Yoshiwara in Edo (Tokyo). During the Edo period, prostitution was conducted in specific areas, known as yuukaku, such as Yoshiwara, and was legal. A Yoshiwara courtesan was often called a yuujo. There are no modern-day oiran in Japan as prostitution is now illegal. There are some red-light districts around the borders, but women working there are not referred to as oiran or yuujo.

Geisha, geiko, are trained entertainment artists with skills in singing, dancing, playing musical instruments, and other forms of entertainment for guests. While primarily not prostitutes, some have slept with clients, and many have successfully 'retired' by becoming the mistresses of clients, being sponsored by one or more, etc. There were also male geisha during the Edo period.

Tayuu is a term used specifically in Kyoto and Osaka for highly regarded and popular geiko and yuujo. Initially, this term was also used for similarly ranked women in Edo, but oiran became a more widely used term. The term tayuu is also used in various contexts for both males and females, essentially meaning the most skilled or respected in a particular field, such as in noh theater.

The initial step for a young woman to become a geisha is to apply and be accepted into an okiya, a house where the geisha lives owned by a woman, and the geisha pays for her training. This woman is the okami or okasan. Okasan in Japanese means 'mother.' The training to become a geisha takes a time equivalent to training to become a doctor. Typically, a young woman will have to dedicate about six years to learn arts such as music, dance, tea ceremony, language, and etiquette.

During this time, and sometimes throughout her career as a geisha, she lives in the okiya, somewhat like a dormitory for geisha and geisha apprentices. Geisha contribute a percentage of their income to maintain the house and support those living there who are not geisha, including apprentice geisha, retired geisha, and household help. Geisha learn their art at the kaburenjo - specialized geisha training schools. The most prominent geisha districts in Japan are in Kyoto and Tokyo. The tea houses, inns, and restaurants where geisha work are concentrated in these areas.

When it comes to iconic figures in Japan, nothing is more emblematic than a geisha. Shrouded in myth and misconceptions, there's much to discover about geishas, but one of the more intriguing truths is the existence of taikomochi - also known as male geishas. Female geishas didn't even exist until 1751. At that time, known as geiko, meaning 'child of the arts' (a term still used in Kyoto today).

Geisha females became so popular that it took only 25 years for their numbers to surpass the taikomochi. At their peak, there were an estimated 500-600 active taikomochi. As the demand for female geishas increased, the reality is that World War II brought significant cultural changes, and taikomochi quickly became an endangered 'profession.' Today, it is believed that only five taikomochi are working in Japan, four in Tokyo, and one in the geisha capital, Kyoto.

Geishas undergo training at kaburenjo, a specialized school for geishas. This school may also have a theater where geishas occasionally perform in front of their rare audience. Throughout their training, a geisha learns to play the shamisen, a three-stringed musical instrument plucked with a large pick. Geishas play the shamisen during parties and performances, often accompanied by another geisha singing.

Geishas may also learn to play other traditional Japanese instruments, including shimedaiko, a small drum, koto, a large string instrument, and a type of flute. Musical instruments are just one aspect of a geisha's artistic repertoire. Geishas also learn singing, traditional Japanese dance, and the art of tea, all of which they incorporate into their role as entertainment artists.