"The Geisha" who is really a geisha?

GEISHA WHO IS REALLY A GEISHA (Geiko in Kyoto and Geigi in Kanto and other regions) AND MAIKO?

Geisha are refined entertainers in traditional Japanese arts (dance, singing, musical instruments, games, wit, etc.), and maiko are their "apprentices," a figure that was widespread in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and is now gradually disappearing. Geisha are women particularly skilled in music, singing, and dancing. The apprentice geisha is called maiko. The maiko from the Gion district (Kyoto's "geisha district") are also often called geiko. The 2005 film Memoirs of a Geisha, itself based on Arthur Golden's novel of the same name, helped popularize this figure in the West, often in a stereotypical manner.

The usual image of a geisha is of a woman with very pale skin, black hair tied in elaborate hairstyles, and a flamboyant kimono. In realtà, questo tipo di abbigliamento, più che della geisha, è quello proprio della maiko.

The story

The first true geisha appeared around 1600, when courtesans dedicated to the entertainment of nobles began attending high-society parties. Often, men were also called upon to fulfill this role. When prostitution became legal in Japan in 1617, brothels and pleasure houses began to spread throughout major cities, and the terms geisha and prostitute began to blur. In the nineteenth century, specific laws were enacted prohibiting geisha from engaging in prostitution, and in major cities, especially Tokyo and Kyoto, certain neighborhoods were designated for teahouses and geisha houses.

Tradition dictates that training to become a geisha begins as a child. Typically, girls who decided to become geisha were the daughters of other geisha. As soon as they arrived in the okiya, the "geisha house", the girls learned household tasks (often very demanding). Later they learned entertainment activities, such as playing the shamisen and the shakuhachi (a bamboo flute).eseguire la danza tradizionale, cantare e servire correttamente tè e sakè.

After passing a dance exam, one entered the second level of apprenticeship: assisted by older apprentices, one learned the complex selection and technique of wearing a kimono and how to entertain customers. One attended banquets where the older sisters served, without actively participating, but wearing flashy makeup and flamboyant clothing. The third level of apprenticeship was that of maiko. At this stage, the aspiring geisha followed her onee-san (the "older sister") in all her duties, learning in particular the art of conversation. The maiko could then choose a stage name to practice her geisha profession.

After a maximum of five years, the maiko finally became a geisha, a title she held until her retirement. The geisha could then begin repaying the debt owed to the okiya, which, during the apprenticeship, covered all of the apprentice's expenses. To this day, traditional Japanese geisha follow roughly the same training process established in the kenban, a sort of professional register, which requires them to follow precise rules regarding dress and lifestyle.