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Geisha can retire whenever they want, and many do so with the financial support of their danna (sponsor) with whom some maintained close relationships.
Unlike the colorful maiko, geisha opt for more subtle kimonos. Their makeup also becomes a lot lighter, and they only paint their faces white for specific performances.
As of 2023, it’s estimated that there are only about 1,000 working geishas in Japan.
Sources: (History Collection) (Unseen Japan) (Vice) (CTN News) (Encyclopedia of Japan) (Japan Centric) (Slate)
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Once they have paid the entire debt to the okiya and become geisha, these women start earning their own money. Income comes from a variety of sources, including attending events at tea houses, banquets, and receiving generous tips from customers.
As the popularity of the geisha look rose among westerners, women dressed as geisha began to approach Allied troops to make money. These, however, were sex workers and not actual geisha, tainting the reputation of the real geisha for years to come.
It’s estimated that there were about 80,000 geishas in Japan before WWII. Many geisha districts were destroyed, and tea houses and okiya were closed down. As a result, many geisha had to look for work elsewhere, including factories. But geisha were back in business after the war, even if they had to adapt and serve cocktails to Allied forces, instead of sake.
Rumor has it that the transition from maiko (apprentice) to geiko (full geisha) is a lot darker than just a simple ceremony. It’s believed that the maiko’s virginity was bid to gain the patronage of a danna, a lifetime sponsor. The money would then go to the okiya.
At around age 20, a maiko is experienced enough to become a geiko, aka geisha. A ceremony called erikae (“turning of the collar”) now marks the occasion, but in the past the rite of passage was called mizuage. The maiko would remove a red collar and replace it with a white one to indicate her new status. She would then visit the tea houses and hand out gifts to her benefactors.
Whether this is indeed true or simply a rumor is still up for debate. Some former geisha have come forward to the press and confirmed it, but others have said otherwise. Japan did outlaw prostitution in the 1950s, so trading a woman’s virginity for patronage would be illegal.
Sleeping with such an ornamented hairdo is not easy, so maiko had to sleep in hard, raised pillows, called taka-makura. The girls trained not to move at night, because if they slipped their heads off the pillow, their hair would be crushed.
Painting their teeth black was also common among older maiko. The whole makeup routine could take up to an hour to complete.
A maiko’s look would not be complete without their signature makeup, particularly the oshiroi (white powder makeup). Maiko would also apply rosy eye accents and wear a red lipstick known as beni. How a maiko wears lipstick is an indication of status. New maiko would only paint their lower lip, whereas upper level maiko would paint both lips.
A maiko’s kimono and maiko obi (a large fabric belt that forms a kind of bow at the back) are beautiful pieces. Their colors reflect the seasons, and the fabric is quite thick and heavy. A maiko’s outfit is then complemented with sandals called okobo.
Oshiroi makeup, the white powder maiko used to achieve their distinctive look, contained white lead, making it highly toxic. Headaches, cramping, and high blood pressure, among other symptoms, were common, and the skin damage after years of use was considerable. The Japanese government banned lead-based face powder in 1877, but it was not until 1904 that a lead-free powder was introduced in the market.
A maiko’s hair, a bun called the miokuri, is a rather complex hairstyle and can be quite painful to style. Floral decorations such as kanzashi, or silver fringes called bira ōgi, are used to adorn the hair. The style of hair also indicated the maiko’s ranking.
Maiko would have to pay a visit to the stylist at least once a week and spend long periods of time without washing their hair. Because the maiko’s hair is pulled very tight, over time this leads to bald patches. These, however, are seen as badges of honor in the geisha community; a sign of hard work and dedication.
When a minarai turns 15, she has her misedashi, a ceremony that marks her transition to maiko, an apprentice geisha. The girl gets her hair sculpted into the special maiko style and puts on full makeup for the first time. She also wears a kuromontsuki for the first time, i.e. a black kimono embroidered with the okiya crest.
This is when the real work begins. Apprentice geisha need to pay their debt, so any money earned goes to the okiya. The maiko was only given an allowance by the okiya.
Training as a geisha was very demanding. The girls had to lose their accent and dialect and learn how to speak in an old dialect from their okiya’s district. They had to learn how to sit, walk, and pour sake perfectly, all while wearing a restricting kimono with very long sleeves. They also had to communicate the geisha way, gracefully and diplomatically, and never respond emotionally.
Geisha learned about the arts, how to entertain, and social etiquette in schools called nyokoba. They’d learn how to dance, how to play an instrument (often the shamisen or shimedaiko), and how to sing.
Students also learned how to entertain, how to interact with guests, and how to conduct themselves in ritual tea ceremonies. They’d also study arts such as ikebana (flower arranging) and shodoh (calligraphy).
The following stage of geisha training in the nyokoba was the minarai period (“learning by watching”). In addition to the household chores and being a servant to working geisha, the girls would form a special relationship with the higher-ranking geisha, who would then become her onēsan (mentor). Minarai observed the onēsan working and even dressed similar to them, though in less elaborate clothing, indicating their lower ranking.
The okiya covered all expenses for a girl, including geisha schools, housing, food, clothing, etc. None of this was free, though. The debt started to be paid back to the okiya when the girl started working as a maiko (apprentice geisha).
Girls started their training as shikomi. Their role was to observe and serve for the okiya and the geisha of the household. They were given household chores and had to be “on call” for whatever the working geisha needed. They were taught how to stand, sit, kneel, speak, and control their emotions and expressions. Discipline was everything at this stage of geisha training.
Odoriko were often young girls, but as they aged they refined their craft to the highest level. The older performers became known as geisha. Geisha eventually became Japanese high society’s choice of entertainer. Unlike the oiran, however, the geisha did not become intimate with their clients.
By the 1830s, the geisha had established themselves as Japan’s entertainers of choice. These elite performers formalized their training in geisha schools and training centers.
Women started to dominate the entertainment business around the 1780s. Women were primarily odoriko (dancing girls), but they also served as assistants to the oiran (highest-ranking courtesans).
Training as a geisha started at a very young age. Parents would sell their daughters as young as six to an okiya (a female lodging house), where they’d become affiliated throughout their career. Okiya were operated by an okāsan (a “mother”). Today, training as a geisha is voluntary and starts when the girls are in their teens. Young girls are no longer sold to okiya.
These were performance artists who entertained guests. From musicians to storytellers, dancers, and jesters, male geisha were a constant presence in noble and high-society parties, and later in brothels.
Training and living as a geisha was not easy, nor cheap. Their level of training, experience, and popularity started to dictate a hierarchy among geisha. The top ones were highly sought after to work in tea houses and entertainment venues.
During the Edo period (1603-1867), "geisha" was a term used for professional entertainers. The male geishas of this period were called taikomochi or hōkan.
The geisha is a quintessential symbol of Japanese culture. For centuries, these women have gone through years of rigorous training to master a number of skills and become premium entertainers. But how well do you know the history of the geisha? Who are these women, and what do they do, really?
In this gallery, we travel back in time and take you on a journey through the fascinating (and dark) history of the geisha. Click on to learn more.
The dark history of the geisha
Did you know that the first geisha were men?
LIFESTYLE Japan
The geisha is a quintessential symbol of Japanese culture. For centuries, these women have gone through years of rigorous training to master a number of skills and become premium entertainers. But how well do you know the history of the geisha? Who are these women, and what do they do, really?
In this gallery, we travel back in time and take you on a journey through the fascinating (and dark) history of the geisha. Click on to learn more.