The Misunderstandings of the Geisha Profession
I remember being fascinated with the Japanese culture at an early age in my life. I would study how to prepare Japanese food, learn short phrases of the language, and read more about the culture. I learned so much about the culture and its traditional value and I felt like I was connecting with the culture as I grew older. I can recall when the movie Memoirs of a Geisha was released and being that I am interested in the Japanese culture, I decided to look more into the movie. The reviews I read about the movie were interesting. One of the reviews went along the line that the movie did not capture the essence of who geisha really are. In fact the leading roles of the movie were Chinese actors and
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A geisha is a Japanese word used to describe females who are well-versed in dance, song, conversation, and games while providing companionship to entertain men. Most Japanese citizens will never meet a geisha in their lifetimes. Nevertheless, geisha is considered to be a symbol to many foreigners. I discovered that in the 1600s that geishas were actually all men. Though by 1780, female geishas began to outnumber males greatly, which led to the people to assume that geishas were females. The term geisha loosely references to these women as prostitutes, however; geishas are not prostitutes. Japan has outlawed prostitution since 1957, whereas geishas are acknowledged as a legal profession because it was deemed an important practice of the Japanese culture. Apparently after WWII, Japanese prostitutes started to dress as geishas to attract American clients, leading to their misconception. I figured that geishas are not necessarily prostitutes but are highly skilled artists. The prefix “gei” translates to the arts, and “geisha” means an artistic performer. The arts that geishas are expected to learn include classical dance and music that each girl masters throughout her life. This research is to assure anyone, mainly foreigners, who has a misguided view of the actual profession of a Japanese geisha and that their image viewed poorly because of distorted information given over the …show more content…
The author recounts her time researching geishas and how they contribute to the economy and culture. The geisha industry has thrived in Japan for nearly 350 years. During that time. The author explains the transitioning of the geisha culture overtime. The article also explains the decline of geisha in the mid-1950s, but it has started to balance itself within the last decade. It also goes into depth about the tourism industry, but the teahouses where geishas work are still unavailable to uninvited guests. A good sum of money and being welcomed to sit and converse with these talented ladies is the only route to see
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.
The samurai were the warriors of the Heian period. samurai means “a person who serves a noble” because the samurai weren’t related to the daimyo but they were payed by the daimyo to help them control their domains. Each samurai had to swear an oath of loyalty to his own daimyo. The samurai and the daimyo were a part of the warrior class along with the shogun (Military leader who ruled japan).
Throughout History, there have been many different groups or events that are still widely known today. Groups of people such as the Indians or Vikings are popular groups which are referenced constantly in today’s society. However, none of these groups is more known or referenced than the Japanese Samurai. Originating in 646 AD, these Japanese warriors developed from a loose organization of farmers to the dominant social class in Feudal Japan. Along with their dominant military and political standing, the samurai brought with them a unique code or moral belief that became the core of Samurai culture. Because of this, the Samurai and their principles still affect modern day Japanese society with social customs today deriving directly and indirectly from the beliefs of the Samurai.
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...
Savas, Minae. "Feminine Madness In The Japanese Noh Theatre." Electronic Thesis or Dissertation. Ohio State University, 2008. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. 11 Mar 2014.
The term samurai was first used in the 10th century and means “those who serve”. In the beginning it stood for men who guarded the capital for the Emperor, some where used as tax collectors. Later the word grew to include any military man who served a powerful landlord, almost like a police force for that time. They would go around the countryside on horseback collecting taxes from the peasants, often this was in the form of rice. This money helped the Emperor pay for his lavish life style. The word, samurai, quickly spread and was respected (and maybe feared a little) for the men it represented.
The samurai are a type of warrior class in Japan similar to the European knights. They were not only used as soldiers for combat in war but they also replaced the court government in terms of managing the local government. They pledged to keep the peace and stay loyal to their master. This is how they were used for most of history until the end of the Tokugawa period. Their rise all begins in the Kamakura period.
Denison. B. (2002, January 1). A Basic Overview of Japanese Culture . . Retrieved May 3, 2014, from http://www.mizukan.org/articles/culture.htm
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
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
At the center of Japanese and Chinese politics and gender roles lies the teachings of Confucius. The five relationships (五倫） of Confucius permeated the lives of all within the Heian and Tang societies.4 However, the focus here will be on the lives of the courtesans. The Genji Monogatari provides us with an unrivalled look into the inner-workings of Confucianism and court life in the Heian period. Song Geng, in his discourse on power and masculinity in Ch...
When most people think about Japan they come up with two opposing images. One image reflects the busy day life of this island; filled with salary man and companies. While the second image features an explosion of colorful LED lights and clubs that are common within the nightlife. Today in present day, Japan has evolved and flourished to become one of the top growing economies and industries in the world. Making Japan a prime and excellent area for jobs to prosper. One of these modern jobs that have flourished is the Hostess lifestyle. Known in modern society as the elegant young women who entertain men, this lifestyle can be traced to many other types of jobs residing in Japan. While a subtler job career opposing the hostess lifestyle are the Office Ladies. Known as the office flowers of a company, these women are the ones that make Japanese companies run like a well-oiled machine. With these two different career paths in hand, one can see how each reflects the polar opposite images of Japan; the day life and the nightlife. By studying their history, the way female gender roles play apart in each, and the ways Giri, Ninjo, and Communitas interact with them, one is able to see the importance of these careers within Japanese society.