Geisha (芸 者), or Geigi (芸 妓), are traditional Japanese entertainers. They are educated in various Japanese art forms, such as music, dance and poetry. The vast majority of today's geishas are women. A common misconception in the Western world is that they are prostitutes, but that is not true. The term "geisha" is derived from the two words 芸 (gei) meaning "art" and 者 (sha) meaning "person doing" or "being employed within". The direct translation would thus be "person who makes art", but today the translation "artist" also works. Geishas are well respected and it is complicated to become a geisha.
Another term used for geishas is Geiko (芸子), which first began to be used in Kyoto. The geisha tradition in Kyoto is still very strong, and even today the geishas in Kyoto are called Geikos. To become a profesisonal geisha (geiko) in Kyoto, a five-year training is required. many of the girls who wants to become a geiko are in their fifteenth year, when compulsory schooling in Japan ends, but they might also be slightly older. She starts off as a so-called Shikomi and gets to help with washing and cleaning in okiyan, the geisha house, and starts with lessons in dance and playing instruments. She is then a Minarai for a short period, and starts wearing white makeup, kimono and han-dara obi, a shorter obi than darari-obin worn by maiko. Shortly afterwards, she becomes a geisha apprentice, a Maiko (舞妓), and accompanies the other geiko and maiko who live in okiyan when they work, that is, go to ochayas, tea houses, to dance and entertain.
The typical image of the geisha with white face makeup and a colourful kimono represents a maiko. full-fledged geishas wear more simple kimonos, and only wear the white make-up on their faces at special occasions. There are also geishas in other cities, but they are different from the geishas in Kyoto. In Tokyo, it takes from six months to a year to become a professional geisha. Geishas in Tokyo are also usually older than in Kyoto.
Modern geishas still live in traditional geisha houses in neighboorhoods called Hanamachi (花街, meaning "flower towns"). However, older and more reputable geishas often settle in their own apartments or houses.
Mineko Iwasaki is one of the most famous geishas of the 20th century. She has even written a book about her life, with both image and text, which gives a great description of how real geisha life was lived at that time in Japan. Make sure to give it a read if you're eager to learn more about a Geisha!
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