Become a Geisha
The growing interest in geisha have gained interest most recently due to the recent fictional novel and western movie Memoirs of a Geisha, There are many misconceptions of a Geisha, the main one being, that they are or were prostitutes. This is far from the truth.
Steps
- Begin your training at about a middle-school age. Most new maiko have their misedashi, or debut, around the age of 15. But first you must be introduced to an okasan of an okiya so she can decide whether she will accept you. Some of the skills maiko are trained in are dance, traditional instruments, vocal arts, and tea ceremony.
- Begin your work as a shikomi-san, a girl in training, for the okasan. You will have to attend your classes and also do daily chores as well as help out the other geisha in this time. The shikomi period lasts around 4 years if you enter the okiya at the correct time.
- Complete your shikomi training and prepare for your misedashi, or debut.
- Have your formal debut as a maiko. You will still daily attend the same classes to keep up with your skills. Around this time your okiya will begin searching for an onee-san, or "older sister" for you who acts as your mentor or teacher.
- Learn as a minarai. Once you find an onee-san, you will be a minarai for a while. This is the "watch and learn" period. In this time you will wear a kimono similar to a maiko's but this will have dimmer colours, shorter sleeves and a shorter obi. You will be wearing make up and painting your lower lip red.
- Participate in hanamachi-wide dances and festivals. These will include as the Miyako Odori, Setsubun, and Haasaku so you can build a good reputation for you and your okiya so you can be successful.
- Around the age of 20, prepare for your erikae, or "turning of the collar", to become a geiko, or full fledged geisha. Your appearance will change quite a bit, as you will wear kimono with shorter sleeves, less flamboyant patterns, more discreet hair ornaments, more discreet make up and you will no longer need to use your real hair for the hairdo's but you will wear wigs. During this time there will be celebrations just for your erikae, so be sure to enjoy it.
- Work your way up. Your period as a maiko will last for about 5 years, while you still wear bright makeup and flamboyant kimono. Then you will begin your time as a geiko, and will wear more discreet makeup, more demure kimono and you will start wearing wigs, amongst other changes. You will now be charging full price for your time.
- Congratulations! You have climbed the ladder of becoming a geisha!
Tips
- Lack of interest in the traditional arts, and the expense of being entertained by Geisha have been the reason that the tradition is declining.
- There remains some confusion, particularly outside Japan, about the nature of the Geisha profession. This issue has been complicated by Japanese prostitutes, who wish to market themselves as Geisha to tourists.
- Geisha entertainment, never did involve sexual activity, nor is geisha paid for sex...although there was a tradition known as "Mizuage" where the Maiko was richly deflowered in order to pay off some of her debts...but this is no longer practiced due to strict Prostitution Laws in Japan.
- They never were prostitutes, as is sometimes thought. They entertained their guests with their many talents, learned during their growing up.
- The first two steps were the traditional way of learning how to become a Geisha. This dates back to 1800's.
Things You'll Need
- Okiya （置屋、おきや）
- Kenban （県版、けんばん）
- Oneesan （お姉さん、おねえさん）
- Okaasan （お母さん、おかあさん）
- Ochaya （お茶屋、お茶屋）
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Sources and Citations
- Wikikpedia.org - Article on geisha and source of much of this article
