Sumos and geishas , 2 , Geishas

Geisha tea ceremony …

Sumos and geishas , ​​2 , Geishas

Geishas
At the 18th century geishas appeared in the dissolved Japanese society, as opposed to the courtesans , with which it is often confused
After centuries of domination by samurai warrior , they are now merchants , new citizens , who govern the cities
They will establish a new moral code full of aesthetic and artistic
Japanese have a strong sense of hierarchy and even prostitution responded to specific structures
Until the mid of 18th century , prostitution was practiced in the streets , in specific districts
Queens of this period were the great courtesans or tayu
They outperformed the others by their fine manners and luxury which they were shoplifting
But against their expensive cost , they have to train women and even some men , who would combine the artistic sense of beauty , to please to bourgeois
Receptions become more appealing with these kind of people who can dance , sing , play several instruments , tell stories , do acrobatics or give small shows
Geishas give all these pleasures in one person
The gei : art , sha : person , would now embody the most aesthetic manifestations of pleasure and entertainment
Organized as a corporation , geishas have their activities regulated by fixed hours of work , uniforms and strict code of ethics
The painted face in white kimono silk strapped to perfection , the mat under his arm , geishas however , are not for sale , they are not prostitutes

But many prostitutes have claimed the status of a geisha to attract men
This usurpation has greatly damaged the reputation of these great artists
A geisha is foremost an artist , capable of performing in public
She serve sake to men , she never goes accompanying for food
Her servants manage her dress , and everything of each day life , as she is even not able to clean her room

Today , few of them still hold this job and their number decreases each year
Soon they will no longer exist out of geishas to entertain the tourist …

Geikos
Kyoto geishas are called geikos and their apprentices , maikos

They are part of the Japanese tradition
All geisha must study dance
They must also practice singing , Japanese guitar : the shamisen , traditional drums : tsutsumi , okawa and taiko
They also study chanoyu : tea ceremony , the ikebana : floral art , poetry and Japanese literature

Gion
Gion is a district of Kyoto built in the Middle Age at the side of the Yasaka shrine
The district was built to serve as a stopover for travelers and visitors to the sanctuary
It later evolved to become the geisha districts

The danna
Sometimes a Geisha gives herself to a man she finds attractive
But they remain discreet as his reputation and his wealth are at stake
The danna is for a man who wants to engage himself in a long liaison

It is an honest proposal that geisha willingly accept
She do not win lot of money by having a danna …
If the geisha binds to a danna , she will do a ceremony accordingly
This link takes six months , sometimes more
The danna settle some of the debts of the geisha to the okiya for expenses since her arrival
It reimburses a portion of its expenses , her makeup , her lessons , her medical expenses , registration fee , meals , and so on …
He pays jewelry , kimonos and sponsor for her dances
Besides its maintenance which will cost huge sums of money , the danna continue to pay its hourly geisha , like other clients whenever he spent time with her
It will even pay more than the usual fare , to show his passion
But in return , he is entitled to certain privilèges

O-hanas
When one enters a geisha tea house , the mistress of the house lights a stick of incense which takes about an hour to burn
This is called an o-hana or flower
Geisha fees are based on the number of incense sticks consumed at departure
The price of an o-hana is fixed by the Gion Registry Office
In 1930 , ohana cost the price of two bottles of sake
Geishas could claim o-hana every 5 minutes
It remains to geisha just over half of what she earns , the remainder goes mainly to the dresser , to the okiya and the teahouse

Maiko
When a girl wants to become an apprentice geisha , she must undergo a more experienced geisha : the big sister
The big sister is not necessarily older than the future geisha but she provides training
For two girls to be sisters , they must perform a ceremony resembling to a wedding

After that , they are relative and are called “big sister” and “sister”
Big sister teaches her how to respond to younger gritty joke : a subtle mixture of pleasure and embarrassment
She tells her how to choose wax as a makeup base , and so on …
But her role goes beyond
She must ensure how it is useful to know for the novice to attract people’s attention
Big sister takes the youngest in Gion
She has to master tea houses that would be good to go , the wig , the heads of great restaurants , etc …
Evening , bringing his younger sister in the tea houses to present to clients and protective
So they will probably end up enjoying her company and become one of her patrons

If the sister is misbehaving , the responsibility falls on his sister
A geisha bear all these hazards , because when an apprentice geisha is successful , the whole community do benefits
Apprentice benefits : it can pay its debts
As the big sister , it affects a part of the fees for her younger sister
All the Gion district benefits , because it brings in new customers , who let prosper business
The fate of any future geisha is in the hands of his sister
A geisha will not risk its reputation by taking a little sister if it deems likely to displease his patrons.

The mizuage
The mizuage , the final stage of the formation of geishas , ​​marks the end of learning for the maiko
Mizu-age , means deflowering
This ceremony is symbolic and marks the transition from the apprentice to geisha
When the geisha who trained the maiko judges she is ready , she cut the symbolic tuft of the maiko
It is done on a party given in her honor and the former apprentice is then allowed to change the pass , that is to say she can wear the white collar of geisha instead of the red worn by a maiko

The mizuage, which means raising water, is the rite of passage to adulthood
This translates into reality by buying the virginity of a maiko by a man
This purchase does not always imply a sexual relationship and may remain symbolic
When an apprentice geisha is ready for her mizuage , she offers to men : ekubo , a rice cake with a red circle in the center , to let them know
Her virginity is then put up for auction and it is the highest bidder who gets it …
In the Edo period , circa 1600 , maiko’s virginity was auctioned to the age of 14
By the 1950s , the practice was still alive , but the auction does triggered only after maiko have celebrated his 18th birthday
Their virginity is priceless and often reaches are so important that only large industrial bosses can afford
Prestige reflects on their company …

The kimono
The kimono is the essential element of the wardrobe
Kimonos are stored in a room full of shelves 2 sides of the wall , from floor to ceiling
They are wrapped in tissue paper and boxed in red lacquer
At each end of the room , there are vents with fine strips
On each box , ideograms indicate who owns the kimono
All kimonos are the same length , regardless of the woman who wears it
It is rare that a geisha kimonos lends his personal collection

Geishas fear fire because of the very high value of some kimonos
The most valuable kimonos are stored in a safe at the bank

Under the kimono, geisha wearing a suit:
The ro silk gauze light for the summer
The hitoe for autumn
When a geisha dance on stage or walking in the street, she raises slightly her lower left hand kimono
Its combination appears between the ankle and below the knee
The pattern and fabric combination should remind those of kimono
The neck of the combination exceeds the shirt collar like a man who wears a suit
Each day , a neck silk is sewn on the combination , the next day pass is disjointed , then washed

The obi
The belt of the kimono, the obi is a node that is attached in the back
An obi can measure twelve feet long by two feet wide
It is wound around the waist and the sternum is navel
Padding gives its peculiar shape node

A mature woman bear his obi tied in the back shaped box : node of drum

A girl under twenty years saw a flashing obi
An apprentice geisha obi will like trolling or Darari boi , tied at the shoulder blades and the ends hanging almost to the ground
When an apprentice geisha walking down the street you will see only her obi as it covers most of his back
The weight of the obi makes difficult its port

The difference between a geisha and a prostitute is seen in the port of obi
A prostitute attached to the obi in front of her

Hairstyle
Geisha goes to the hairdresser once a week to make the wareshinobu : the split bun fishing
The hairdresser grease hair with camellia oil to give them a nice shine
Then wax the hair
Then he made a big bun as a pincushion , split rear into two equal parts , hence the name of fishing split , given to this hairstyle
To make this bun hair , it is wound around a piece of tissue and place the bun to be split , so we can see this tissue
It can be any tissue , of any color , but for a maiko it is red silk

Geisha must learn to sleep in a particular position to not uncap

The pillow of the geisha , the takamakura , which looks like a small bench with a padded , with wheat straw for the neck
This is not really a pillow but a support for the neck
This is the only way for a geisha to keep his hair intact while sleeping

Makeup
A stick of dried paulownia used to draw the eyebrows
A pale yellow cream based nightingale droppings used as face cream , this concoction is supposed to regenerate skin
A piece of wax is mixed and applied to the face , neck and chest
Sticks are used to apply pigments of red on the cheeks
Red for the lips make-up : in the past , it was only for the lower lip , which seemed so more luscious
The decoration of the neck is very important because in Japan a bare neck is very erotic
A Japanese woman who discovers her neck is like a miniskirt in Paris
On the neck, draw a pattern called sansbon-ashi: three legs

Shoes
Geisha shoes zori or okobo
The geisha wears the zori sandals lacquered
The okobo are wooden shoes , pointed high enough , with lacquered strips
The geisha wears also white socks called tabi
These socks are buttoned on the side of the ankle to perfectly fit

Stay tuned for new travel …

See you soon

Douglas Moonstone