The ultimate goal of a geisha is the find a patron, a danna. The patron frees a geisha to pursue her art, to live outside the okiya, and even help start a business. The key to snagging a patron is in the geisha arts: dance, music, and cultural enrichment. The root gei means art. Sha…
Category: Culture
Geisha: Kimono
Kimono is one of the defining characteristics of a geisha. Geisha wear kimono with a neckline that dips low on the back to show off the nap of the neck. That part of the neck is as sensual for Japanese men as the breast is to Western men. Geisha have a formal kimono (called de)…
Geisha: Hair and Kanzashi Styles
It costs around $500,000 to train a geisha. Most of this cost is found in hair styles and kimono. Until an apprentice (called maiko) becomes a geisha, she has to visit a hair dresser each week. Hair styles vary based on the geisha’s rank. Full geisha wear wigs for banquets and special appearances. The rest of…
Geisha: Beginnings
Geisha are an icon of Japanese culture. Mystique and stigma surrounds the profession. Being a geisha is a profession, just as librarianship is a profession. Geisha are not prostitutes. Although, prostitution has marred the profession. Becoming a geisha was one of the few means a girl in the Edo period could gain an education and…
Sake, Fire, and Mayhem: the Nozawa Onsen Dosojin Matsuri
Nozawaonsen is a village of about five thousand people about an hours drive from Nagano City. It is famed for its hot springs, which according to legend were discovered when an injured bear led a hunter to them, its skiing, and for hosting part of the Nagano Winter Olympics in 1998. It is also famous…
Kimono in a Mono Cultural World
The kimono is Japan. At least it is one part of Japan the West instantly recognizes. The kimono is mostly relegated to special occasions like weddings, funerals, coming-of-age days, and tea ceremonies. Kimono provides a contrast to the sharply westernized modern lifestyle of women and men. Originally the word kimono meant “a thing to wear.”…