Geisha

Geisha in Japanese means is “actress”. Geisha must appear beautiful, elegant, have artistic talent, polite, and use polite words. Their job is to entertain guests with variation shows in tea house named “ochaya”. To entertain guests, geisha dancing a Japan’s traditional dance, singing, play music tools like shamisen, ikebana, chanoyu (tea ceremony), shodo (Japan calligraphy), etc.

Geisha only serve a guest who known so long with the tea house and usually the tea house will not accept new guest without introducing, that means, someone who want to be new guest, he must have a friend which already being permanent guest in the tea house, and his friend will introduce him to the tea house owner.

To be a geisha, in past time, she must geisha’s daughter. But if tea house owner accept her, she can be geisha too. Usually, beautiful uncared girls or from poor family sell them to o-kiya and o-kiya will teach and make-over them with bright color kimono. After finish their basic study, they will become “Maiko” (about 15-20 years old) that will be geisha. A Maiko always accompany a geisha in every event to study (keep attention to what geisha do) and to be introduced to her job. If they’re already 20 years old, Maiko will be geisha. But if she gets marry, she must quit from her job.

A geisha, suggested to have a “danna”, that is a man who ready to live her emotionally, economically, and sexuality.

Geisha’s relationship with danna’s wife was good. Geisha - in danna and his wife’s relationship - not as a destroyer of that relationship. Usually, the wife knows who is their husband’s geisha is. In some event, geisha will come to visit danna and his wife, and give a present to danna’s wife.

Nowadays, demand of a geisha was decrease, because the education levels were very hard and waste much time, and girls who want to be a geisha must study in geisha school, not teached by o-kiya anymore.