Geishas: Courtesans, Prostitutes, or Neither?

664 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Memoirs of a geisha cultural analysis

Geishas: Courtesans, Prostitutes, or Neither?
Geishas have been around for nearly five centuries and the earlier ones were male, believe it or not (Knight). These people are entertainers however they have been perceived as something else bit more provocative. The women, especially, choose linens that are vibrant and attractive. Hence, they have a mystical aura while teetering to and from appointments.

The term “Geisha” has been tainted in this 21st Century. Many people have the misconception geishas are prostitutes during a time when soldiers were stationed in Japan. A lot of military men prefer to enjoy their time off with the opposite sex. It is understandable why men would partake in this taboo. Soldiers undergo life or death situations not knowing whether he will survive today or tomorrow naturally he would want to seize the moment at any given chance. Ultimately looking to relieve some stress. Insert geishas.

The Japanese have cultivated the very definition of entertainment. A geisha’s foundation is to entertain. The translated term “geishas” means person of arts. Japanese investors introduced the soldiers to geishas, in all their glory, as company but were misconceived as courtesans. Word spread rapidly tarnishing their grace and purity when soldiers began seeking these fascinating women of Japan. Fortunately for them, they did find the rumor to be true because many women were disguised as geishas in desperation for survival. The “oldest profession” surfaces, catches wind, and takes off soaring. Dozens and dozens, if not hundreds of women copied the geisha dress code alluring men who want to sack these tantalizing women not knowing what they have done.

The truth is, these classy and highly articulated women spent yea...

... middle of paper ...

... nothing because it is transparent. Patrons and escorts can deny time and time again but outsiders will deduce what happens behind closed doors differently. Escorts are hired for a variety reasons but it all boils down to one cause, men covet companionship but without any strings attached. A prime example would be dodging of a long-term commitment. However, geishas typically are called upon frequently for their company but are restricted from having any relationship. Furthermore, if she also chooses to get married, she has to resign from the industry (Knight).

It is important to fully appreciate the grace and beauty of geishas. These women dedicate much of their time to train, honing on various skills and trades for the benefit of the public. Not as a pendant to be worn by any particular person. She is a symbol of a rich culture and deserves our greatest respects.

Show More
Related

  • The Go Masters And Turtleback Tombs And Japan's Impact Of War In Modern Japan

    1467 Words  | 3 Pages

    Much of what is considered modern Japan has been fundamentally shaped by its involvement in various wars throughout history. In particular, the events of World War II led to radical changes in Japanese society, both politically and socially. While much focus has been placed on the broad, overarching impacts of war on Japan, it is through careful inspection of literature and art that we can understand war’s impact on the lives of everyday people. The Go Masters, the first collaborative film between China and Japan post-WWII, and “Turtleback Tombs,” a short story by Okinawan author Oshiro Tatsuhiro, both give insight to how war can fundamentally change how a place is perceived, on both an abstract and concrete level.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Fate In Memoirs Of A Geisha

    1374 Words  | 3 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • The Role of Women in Greek Mythology

    429 Words  | 1 Pages

    In considering the relationship between the meanings of myths and their representation of women, we learned that the major role in shaping the narratives was played by men. Myths reveal to us the experiences of women living in the patriarchal society and we gain the symbol value accorded to women and we come to realize what the term "Woman" meant to the ancient Greek man. Reading through the various stories on Goddesses and queens, monsters and more. Princesses, we learn that there are three major levels of women in Greek mythology. The first level is composed of the divine beings known as the goddesses.

    Read More

  • Japan’s Comfort Women Book Review

    560 Words  | 2 Pages

    In 2002 Yuki Tanaka published a book titled, “Japan’s Comfort Women. On the military use of women during the Japanese war. The subtitle, “Sexual slavery and prostitution during World War 2 and the US occupation,” gives a short description on what the book will be about. In the introduction to the book Tanaka starts with how sex is a beautiful thing that is shared by two people. That is suppose help bring life into the world, but as soon as someone involves sex in wartimes it becomes ugly and “exploited” (pg. 1). It shows the dominance of a conquered country. Sex becomes a twisted organized system that was used as a way to control the VD rates of Japanese soldiers. Even though this was seen as a way for women to support their country. The fact that there was comfort houses and comfort women during the war was secretive, “My father and my uncles were particularly silent about the issue of comfort women” (pg.2). The morale these men followed seemed to be correct to them. Just like his father and his uncles Tanaka believed that Japanese soldiers, “adhered to high moral standards during...

    Read More

  • Arthur Golden's Memoirs of a Geisha

    681 Words  | 2 Pages

    The job of a geisha is to display perfection, quietness, passive and demure qualities. Since a geisha’s beauty is half of what will determine her success, some have to work harder than others. Some geishas took...

    Read More

  • Female Emperors In Ancient Japan Research Paper

    1100 Words  | 3 Pages

    Joan Scott, an American historian in gender history and intellectual history, argues that gender is the key category to analyze history, and Joan Piggott and Akiko Yoshie point out the incontrovertible fact that women did rule in ancient Japan. Scott argues that it is crucial to study how culture constructed femininity and masculinity. She applied theory to the study of the relationship of gender roles in different societies, and also linked this history approach to poststructuralism. The examination of the category women must be carefully analyzed in terms of the process of how gender created the difference in male and female identities. Therefore, it is vital to study historical female sovereignty, in order to understand the political significance, in this case, of female emperors in ancient Japan.

    Read More

  • Warriors of the Amazon

    423 Words  | 1 Pages

    They are a culture of hunting and gathering. The men are warriors that help to defend the tribe from other tribes, hunt for meat, and attack opposing tribes. The women stay home and cook, raise the children. Many people stay in the shibono, or community complex. The children are raised for a rough life, to be warriors. They learn that every injury suffered must be repaid. Men are the powerful gender, with all the rights. The relationships created by having in-laws are the basis for their power. If a favor is granted, it must be returned. A person is always supposed to be loyal to their family connections.

    Read More

  • Sayo Masuda’s Autobiography of a Geisha

    750 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...en from the perspective of the geisha elite and hold true for the upper echelons of the geisha world alone. Readers should enjoy Masuda’s book while keeping in mind that her experiences do not hold true for all geisha, only for the hot-springs geisha, the dregs of the geisha world.

    Read More

  • Commodore Matthew Perry and Trade with Japan

    1012 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Japanese had lived in isolation for over two hundred years. They had prevented any foreigners from entering or any ships to land at Japanese ports. “In 1850 they had no steam engine, no factory, or no modern firearms. And, amazing to relate, the ladies and gentlemen of Japan adopted no new fashions in wearing apparel!”

    Read More

  • Life of a Sensuous Woman and A Vindication of the Rights of Woman

    1844 Words  | 4 Pages

    Saikaku, Ihara. Life of a Sensuous Woman. The Norton Anthology of World Literature. 3rd Ed. Volume D. Ed. Martin Puchner. New York: Norton, 2013. 591-611. Print.

    Read More

  • Life of a Sensuous Woman, by Ihara Saikaku

    1099 Words  | 3 Pages

    Saikaku, Ihara. Life of a Sensuous Woman. The Longman Anthology of World Literature. (Vol. D) Ed. Damrosch. New York: Pearson, 2004. 604-621. [Excerpt.]

    Read More

  • Bound For Beauty Essay

    1339 Words  | 3 Pages

    Under the guise of making themselves attractive to men, Chinese women endured painful foot-binding rituals that left them scarred for life. We may view such a cultural practice as extreme but are twenty-first century women any less bound to androcentric ideas of what is attractive than our forebears? Foot-binding in ancient china was designed to make women dependent on their men and proved to be a symbol of male ownership that restricted women to their homes, since women whose feet were bound could not venture far from home without an escort or the help of servants.

    Read More

  • Strippers and Stripping

    6630 Words  | 14 Pages

    This sweeping remark on the life and times of female strippers was extracted from a popular Washington, D.C. magazine called DC One, which focuses on the dining, entertainment, and nightlife featured in D.C. This particular issue was dubbed "The Men's Issue," and contained an exposé on stripping in "gentlemen's clubs." The quotation above demonstrates the tension that exists in the world of stripping, both within the private world of the strippers themselves, as well as in the public perception of this occupation. Is stripping empowering for women? Or, is it purely objectifying, and does it serve only the interests of the men who are the viewers and the consumers? The comment above would suggest that the money and accolades that these women receive creates a mutually exploitative situation; one that is beneficial for both parties involved, albeit in a different manner. But then the writer second-guesses herself, forging ahead to say: "But how far will it stretch before they fall victims to their own universe?" (DC One, 37). What is this "universe" and is it ultimately as damaging as the author might imagine? Although the article does little to respond to this issue, many decades of researchers have attempted to look at this and other questions surrounding the occupation of stripping. The results of the studies have been varied and suggest that there is no one way to view either the strippers themselves or the clients who access this service.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Bamboo Cutter And The Moon Child

    1594 Words  | 4 Pages

    In a study done by Robert J. Adams he noted in one of his work on Folktale telling and storytellers in Japan that “Folk religion, costume, art, crafts, and all other facets of folklife contributed to the different version of stories.” (Adams 79) not one story was the same people changed them to have different hidden meanings in them and to teach children different value. Like in this story it teaches you that just because you are a women you should still be able to make your own decision in life. Because during the Meiji restoration the men of the household were losing their power because of Japan going the transitions of industrialization and urbanization. This can be portrayed in the story that women have the power to make their own decisions. But also in today day and age, storytelling has become less and less common though out Japan. Many people would settle to the city to raise families, being separated from the influences and the constant storying telling of the old tales, because they were be to busy taking care of the children and going to

    Read More

  • The Role Of Beauty Pageants In James Joyce's Ulysses

    2278 Words  | 5 Pages

    699) and her "nainsook knickers, the fabric that caress the skin, better than those other Pettiwidth, the green" (XIII. 724 - 725). By showing Bloom her underwear, she completely transforms into the beauty queen. This is because the beauty queen 's "costuming is augmented by the beauties eroticize poses, which instruct viewers on the social position for which she is the icon: a corporal other for male consumption" (Garland Thomsen 188). However, unlike the beauty queen, Gerty’s poses are not passive and she is not only a thing to be consumed, but she consumes,

    Read More

More about Geishas: Courtesans, Prostitutes, or Neither?

Open Document