What I’ve learned about the Geisha culture in Japan
The lifestyle of a geisha, is a part of an old traditional Japanese culture. Geishas are female entertainers, they act as hostesses, dancers and companions mainly for a particular group of men.
Geishas were common in the 18th and 19th centuries, originally were all male, mainly court jesters to Taikomochi where the geisha culture evolved from, in today’s times male geisha is extremely rare. As women started to take over the role they became known as onna geisha meaning “women artists”. It was customary for females to start their geisha training in early childhood.
Geisha is the most common term to English speakers, and most commonly used within Japan as well. The phrase “Geisha girl”, was common during the American occupation of Japan, it carried an association with prostitution. Geisha households buy young females from their impoverished families, and raise and train them to become geishas. As young geishas are developing in life they worked as maids, and as assistants to senior geishas as part of their training. This is a way for upcoming geishas to earn …show more content…
This training can last for a long period of time. This type of study traditionally begins at a young age and consist of a large variety of arts, containing Japanese musical instruments (mostly the shamisen) and, original forms of singing, traditional dancing, tea ceremonies, flowering arranging, poetry and literatures. Through assisting and watching senior geishas they became tremendously skilled in the complex traditions surrounding, choosing, matching, and wearing valuable kimono, and in different games and the art of conversation and also dealing with