The living tradition of geishas has been prominent in Japan’s history since the 1600’s. Yet, when geisha’s are mentioned in western societies, I am sorry to report that many people have a poor understanding of what it means to be a geisha. From those of you who associate geisha with prostitutes, a dressed up performer who is a geisha as a ‘hobby’, or even the movie Mulan, you are not alone, as the world of geisha has been a very reserved and traditional way of life that has only recently begun to allow foreigners to explore this fascinating culture hiding behind the ochiya walls. (Geisha book).
Geisha exist in all regions of Japan, however, you will most likely come across one in the ancient city of Kyoto where many geisha (known as geiko
…show more content…
The ceremony consisted of a young woman losing her virginity to either her danna (a financial supporter of a geiko), or to the highest bidder known as a mizuage-danna or erikae-danna. The girl would then no longer be a maiko, but a geiko who would wear a white neck band instead of red, and style their hair in a different way to distinguish themselves as geiko. After world war two, the mizuage ceremony was no longer practices, and sexual relationships for geisha are now a free choice. (geisha book)
Another reason for the misconception may come from the foreigners who were present in Japan after world war two to help assist in the reconstituting of the Japanese government. The foreign soldiers were considerably interested in the fascinating culture of the geisha, causing many prostitutes to imitate the geisha appearance in an attempt to gain the foreign soldiers as customers, and many foreigners returned home to tell stories about the sexual activities that the ‘geisha’ supplied them with. (http://www.mcisf.com/2014/misconceptions-about-the-geisha/
Some were as young as fourteen while some were mothers who were forced to leave their child behind in Japan, but for these women the sacrifice will be worth it once they get to San Francisco. Yet, the women desired a better life separate from their past, but brought things that represent their culture desiring to continue the Buddha traditions in America; such as, their kimonos, calligraphy brushes, rice paper, tiny brass Buddha, fox god, dolls from their childhood, paper fans, and etc. (Otsuka, 2011, p. 9) A part of them wanted a better life full of respect, not only toward males but also toward them, and away from the fields, but wanted to continue the old traditions from their home land. These hopes of a grand new life was shattered when the boat arrived to America for none of the husbands were recognizable to any of the women. The pictures were false personas of a life that didn’t really exist for these men, and the men were twenty years older than their picture. All their hopes were destroyed that some wanted to go home even before getting off the boat, while others kept their chins up holding onto their hope that maybe something good will come from this marriage and walked off the boat (Otsuka, 2011, p.
In Arthur Golden’s Memoirs of a Geisha, Sayuri demonstrates that when the forces of fate and free will come into collision, the lack of determination to grasp control of one’s life will lead to a
The language they obviously speak is japanese but for the sake of the reader it was in english. As a student, an intensive study of the language was necessary. They placed a great importance on language though, at least for a geisha, it always had to be completely proper. Names also had a great importance since they had to be changed when becoming a geisha. In combination with checking the almanac, they made sure to choose the name that would bring success in the coming years so for Chiyo her new name was Sayuri
Tanaka, Toshiyuki. Japan's Comfort Women: Sexual Slavery and Prostitution during World War II and the US Occupation. London: Routledge, 2002. Print.
Musui’s Story is the exciting tale of a low class samurai’s life towards the end of the Tokugawa era. Although one would normally imagine a samurai to be a noble illustrious figure, Musui’s Story portrays the rather ignominious life of an unemployed samurai. Nonetheless, this primary account demonstrates the tenacity of samurai values and privileges present at the end of the Tokugawa shogunate. The social status of samurai had been elevated to such a state that even someone like Musui was easily able to gain influence in everyday affairs with his privileges. Not only that, but he had retained his values as a warrior and still kept great pride for his arts in weaponry.
Culture can be defined as “the customary beliefs, social norms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group that are transferred, communicated or passed along” (Webster). Culture is the glue that holds people together in times of peace and war, and can eventually lead to the emergence of cosmopolitan civilizations. In the book “Memoirs of a Geisha” by Arthur Golden, we experience the life of geisha-in-training in an okiya in Gion, Kyoto’s geisha district, during the 1930’s and 1940’s. The path of becoming a geisha is very hard, and takes a long time. In the end, the geisha grow up to know various forms of entertainment, which aid her in the entertainment of mainly male guests. Though
As we first get into the book, we find out that the origins of comfort stations i.e. military brothels are unknown, but official documents strongly suggest that the Japanese Imperial Forces created comfort stations roughly around 1931-1932 for Japanese sailors. In the introduction we get some of Tanaka’s personal opinions and thoughts, and a vivid account of what it felt like to be a comfort woman by a Filipina. “Twelve soldiers raped me in quick succession, after which I was given half an hour rest. Then twelve more soldiers followed. I bled so much and was in such pain; I could not even stand up” (p.1). During the war, the Japanese could see that their soldiers were committing mass rape toward civilians. That led military leaders to ask the Japanese government for comfort stations to be made in order to prevent such crimes. This is a quote from a Japanese Lieutenant-General in 1932. “Recently I have heard a lot of scandalous stories, including that some of our soldiers wander around seeking women. Such a phenomenon is hard to prevent as fighting becomes less frequent. Therefore the establishment of appropriate facilities must be accepted as a good cause and should be promoted” (p.10). They were also created to boost soldier morale and to prevent the spread of VD among fellow troops. In the first couple of chapters Tanaka explains how women from different countries were procured into working as sex slaves and how they were brought into such dealings. The women used for comfort houses were at first professional Japanese prostitutes, and poor Japanese and Korean women. They were usually recruited by an agent who would go to a specific town and look for girls to recruit. Of course deceit was used to get these girls to come in that they were promised a nice paying job, food, and shelter if they came along. The recruiting of Korean women was a way of the Japanese to colonize their newly gai...
...practicing foot-binding and peasant Japanese women not being secluded to the home but working fields.
Some Japanese women joined United States to reunite with their husbands while others journeyed as newlyweds with their husbands who had gone to Japan to get wives. Also, others came alone as brides to join Issei men who avoided excessive travel costs or army conscription. After settling down, these women were met with uncommon food, clothing, c...
The Japanese warrior, known as the samurai, has played a significant role in Japan's history and culture throughout the centuries. Their ancestors can be traced back to as far as can be remembered. Some stories have become mysterious legends handed down over the centuries. In this report you will learn who the samurai were, their origins as we know them, how they lived and fought and their evolution to today. It will be clear why the samurai stand out as one of the most famous group of warriors of all times.
Denison. B. (2002, January 1). A Basic Overview of Japanese Culture . . Retrieved May 3, 2014, from http://www.mizukan.org/articles/culture.htm
Geisha, shrouded in mystery, is an understandably fascinating subject. However, it is precisely the elusiveness of geisha that makes their image vulnerable to misconstruction. Geisha have been romanticised in much of Western literature to become for “male entertainment and pleasure” (Foreman, 2008, 2). I argue that the popular portrayals of geisha as being the Oriental feminine ideal, which has been “fetishized as the embodiment of perfect womenhood and genuine exotic femininity” (Le Espiritu 1997, 96-7 cited in Foreman, 2008, 10) are not only inaccurate, but highly problematic as well.
The geisha of Japan were more than entertainers they were a part of the bigger picture of the Japanese society from the early 1600s to today, their role as an entertainer for men was respected at a point in which man that had time with geisha were praised and they were even respected by the wives of the clients. One of the most significant historical contexts of geisha in Japanese society is the empowerment of women, they were the only women in the history to create a set of norms and social tradition for themselves, and the group of women to have control of men. Geisha are the representation of Japanese tradition and
“Whatever our struggles and triumphs, however we may suffer them, all too soon they bleed into a wash, just like watery ink on paper” (Golden pg.428). The novel, Memoirs of a Geisha, by Arthur Golden, is about a world where deception is prominent, where the main character Sayuri faces many hardships before she is able to achieve success as a Geisha. This is shown through multiple events in the novel such as, Mr. Tanaka selling Sayuri into slavery, which leads to something better as she finds love and eventually benefits from the betrayal. This is also shown through Hatsumomo, as her constant deception throughout the novel leads to Sayuri becoming the most popular geisha in Gion, eventually rendering Hatsumomo powerless, and through the betrayal
The Kojiki and Nihongi are the two original Japanese written records that illuminate the first documented Japanese attitude towards women (Lu 3-4). These documents facilitated the discovery of a feminine presence that is renowned and worshipped. The Nihongi holds i...