What is Geisha?
“Gei”
means accomplishment or performance and “sha” means person.
This word coined in the
“Edo” period. “Edo” is the former name of Tokyo. This period started
about 400 years ago and ended around 1860.
Geisha were the people who
displayed their accomplishments. For example, they played Shamisen (Japanese guitar)
or Tuzumi (small drum). Or they gave dance performances and sang songs.
In this period, only men
joined formal parties, commercial dining establishments or banquets. Men needed someone
to make them feel relaxed. At first, Geisha were men and after a while, female Geisha
come info being. They were called “On-na-geisha.” “On-na” means
woman.
Today, at Japanese
banquets in hotels or commercial dining establishments, Geisha chat with guests,
perform classical Japanese dance, and sing songs (with Karaoke Have you heard of
this?) or play games.
Sometime
Geisha are confused with the “Yu-u-jyo” of old times. It is necessary to
explain about Yu-u
jyo and some Japanese traditions.
“Yu-u”
means play and “jyo” means girl.
In
Japan, there use to be entertainment areas for "men only.. In the Edo period,
these area were called "Yu-u-kaku." These area are tended to be separated from other
areas of the town.
Many girls worked and
lived in this area. They were known as "Yu-u-jyo." They each had their
own room in the inns (They are also restaurants) that they worked. Men
could have dinner or hold parties in these inns and afterwards, men could spend
the night with the girl of their choice in the girl's room.
The
Edo period was a very peaceful era. For 300 years, Japan did not engage in any wars with
foreign countries or experience any domestic disputes.
Most
high class “Yu-u-jyo” were called "Oiran". Having a highly
developed sense of culture and refined manner were prerequisites for the Oiran. To
spending the night with an Oiran was a proof of a man's success. This is not
only reason why they were so expensive. Oiran had the right to refuse a man’s request. When
an Oiran thought the man
who wanted to have dinner with her was not refine enough or lacked cultural
aoareness not have culture enough, she
could refuse to have dinner with him.
In
such times, Geisha were also brought into being in order to refine parties or dining
ever further.
Yu-u-jo
could not venture the outside the “Yu-u-kaku” area. This is because most
Yu-u-jyo were bought by agents from poor local villages and were then in debt to
their agents. Therefore they had to work at Yu-u-kaku until all their debts had
been paid off.
However
Geisha did not live in these area and were free to go as they pleased. They were
in the business of
entertainment. If a rich merchant wanted to have dinner in a commercial
restaurant, he could call a Geisha to provide a reception for the guest.
At
the end of the Edo period, Japan began opening it's ports to foreign
trading ships, and many foreign people came to Japan. They were invited out to
due by Japanese traders. They met Geisha
and Yu-u-jyo. Thus “Geisha girl” became one of the keyword of Japanese culture
for foreign countries along the name of the beautiful mountain, “Fuji yama.”
This is because their very refined manners for reception and their culture had a very
strong impact on foreign guests.
Some foreign people (and some Japanese) still think (mistakenly) that the services of today's Geisha are the same as those of the Yu-u-jyo of old times. However, it must be stressed that this is a misundrestanding.
