Onsen geisha

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The term onsen geisha refers to geisha who do not fall into the tradition of the most famous geishas in the cities of Kyoto , Tokyo and Osaka , but are mainly active in the suburban seaside resorts. Onsen geisha are often equated with prostitutes , although this is not the truth. The place Atami plays because of its popularity and the high number of workers geishas in the 1960s and 1970s a major role and was instrumental in the formation of the name and image of the Onsen Geisha at. Today the term is rarely used.

Onsen geisha and how it differs from other geisha

In contrast to the geishas in large cities such as Kyoto , Osaka , Tokyo and Nara , onsen geisha often work in hotels and conference rooms and usually entertain large groups of customers, often over a hundred guests at a time. At such events there are often more than 60 geisha present at the same time.

Before the Second World War and into the 1950s and 1960s, onsen geisha entertained their customers in traditional teahouses in small groups that rarely numbered more than 15 people, just like their better-known colleagues in the big cities. When the interest of the Japanese population in the traditional Japanese arts began to decline and with it the number of geisha also dwindled, this business model was increasingly turned to, as it was economically more lucrative and in order to be able to maintain the traditions of the geisha.

Onsen geisha are also more accessible to tourists and first-time customers than the famous geisha in, for example, Kyoto and Tokyo. There you have to be recommended by someone who is already a customer in the tea houses in order to book geisha yourself. In many seaside resorts, the onsen geisha can also be booked by first-time customers and even tourists. Tourists can book them through certain agencies or hotels, and translators can also be ordered. While this ensured the onsen geisha's survival, it also accounts for their reputation for being less exclusive than their metropolitan counterparts.

Onsen geisha and prostitution

Onsen geisha have a reputation for being prostitutes and being less educated in the arts than the famous geisha of Kyoto and Osaka. There are several reasons for these prejudices.

On the one hand, there was "double registration" in some smaller bathing resorts before the Second World War. Geisha in these places were often registered and active as both geisha and prostitute. Large seaside resorts like Atami or Beppu had a steady influx of visitors and a large, wealthy group of merchants and politicians who were able to support them financially. In small seaside resorts there was often a lack of both regular visitors and enough wealthy residents. In the struggle for their own survival, many geisha in these places were forced to work as prostitutes. This is where the derogatory term makura geisha ( 枕 芸 者 , "pillow geisha"), which was used to describe onsen geisha, was used in the Edo period . In large or more popular seaside resorts such as Atami or Beppu, this double registration did not take place, because it was simply not necessary there.

In these small seaside resorts, the mizuage ceremony (水 揚 げ, “Rising Waters”), which was a simple ceremony in the large geisha districts, included the growing up of a maiko (舞 妓, "dancing girl", a geisha in training ) symbolized, often the ritual deflowering of the maiko. Bids were accepted and the highest bidder was then allowed to deflower the maiko. This was necessary to pay off the debt the girl had accumulated on her okiya (置 屋, "house location", a geisha house) for her Japanese arts classes and cost of living, and to pay for her early promotion To collect geisha, for which she needed a complete set of expensive new kimono , obi and hair accessories ( kanzashi , か ん ざ し / 簪, "hair accessories "). This also did not take place in the geisha districts in large cities or in most of the seaside resorts.

On the other hand, it is probably due to the idea that the onsen themselves are a bit disreputable. In ancient Japan bathing in onsen was mostly naked and not gender-specific, and many Westerners found this obscene. The onsen geisha did not work in the onsen themselves, but in the nearby tea houses, which were mostly even in their own district ( kagai , 花街, "city of flowers") or hanamachi (alternative pronunciation of 花街). This image nevertheless stuck in the minds of not only Westerners but also Japanese people.

Another important reason for this misunderstanding to arise applies not only to onsen geisha, but also to geisha in general. When Japan was occupied by the USA after the end of the Second World War , the country was largely destroyed, the people were poor and starved, many men had died in the war or were thought to be missing. In order not to starve to death and often also to feed their families, many women felt compelled to prostitute themselves at this time. The most common of their customers were American soldiers, as they were among the few in the country who could still afford to pay a prostitute. Even then, the geisha were a symbol of Japan and known to most American soldiers. However, they rarely knew how to distinguish geisha from normal women in kimono; so many soldiers thought that the women in kimonos they slept with were geisha, and the women soon found that they fetched higher prices for introducing themselves to soldiers as geisha. When the occupation ended and the American soldiers returned home, they said they had had a (sexual) relationship with a geisha in Japan, and the rumor spread. This is one of the main reasons why so many Westerners still believe that geisha are noble prostitutes .

Onsen geisha and the traditional arts

On the other hand, onsen geisha have a reputation as less well-trained artists. This is mainly due to the fact that onsen geisha were mostly not bound by contracts before World War II. They could move to another city at any time and look for work there, so they had no "history" or professional background that could be traced back. In Kyoto , Tokyo , Nara , Gifu , Kanazawa and Osaka in particular , the geisha working there were and are very proud of their personal traditions. There were and still are okiya and name lines (in said cities every maiko or geisha has an "older sister" who inherits part of her name) that have existed for over a hundred years. Geisha also always work there with an okiya or a tea house that arranges their bookings for them. This was not the case in most seaside resorts: once the geisha had paid their okiya debts, they managed their appointments themselves. Onsen geisha were also viewed by their colleagues as "the lowest kind of geisha". That has changed today; the various geisha districts have good relationships with each other and even regularly perform together at a large dance festival.

In addition, geisha in large cities are mostly trained by teachers from the most famous and prestigious dance, music and singing schools. In Kyoto alone, the geisha of the five different hanamachi that exist there are taught in five different, time-honored and famous dance schools. The dance and music schools in which onsen geisha are trained are often comparatively small and young, so they have significantly less prestige. This is one of the main reasons onsen geisha are considered less than perfect artists.

In fact, every hanamachi has its own history and traditions, including the seaside resorts. Onsen geisha mostly wear different hairstyles, different hair accessories, and even different types of kimono and obi compared to geisha from big cities. They have developed their own music and dance styles and have even invented their own songs, which have now become classics. They have an equally strenuous routine and learn as many different arts (including shamisen , singing , dance , different types of drums and flutes , calligraphy , the tea ceremony and ikebana ) as geisha in big cities. The biggest difference to other geisha is their openness and easier accessibility.

The meaning of atami for the onsen geisha

The place Atami

Atami is a city ​​located on the Izu Peninsula , about 70 km from Tokyo. With numerous hot springs, it developed in the Edo period from a stopover on the Tōkaidō commercial street to a popular destination for relaxing holidays.

Atami and Geisha

Atami flourished as a health resort in the 1960s and 1970s. At that time there were more than 1,000 registered geisha there. Unlike the geisha in large cities such as Kyoto , Osaka , Tokyo and Nara , the geisha of Atami, and onsen geisha in general, often work in hotels and conference rooms and usually entertain large groups of customers, often over a hundred at a time. Due to the economic recession and falling visitor numbers, the number of Atami Geisha (also Atami girls ) decreased . In 1991 around 800 geisha are said to have been active. In addition to the economic situation, another reason for the decline in the Atami Geisha is the declining interest in traditional arts such as dance or playing the shamisen instrument among the Japanese population. Many former geisha turned to new, "normal" professions. For about a decade now, interest in Atami Geisha and geisha in general has been rising again. Geisha have launched high-profile projects and have started to break down prejudices in documentaries and TV appearances. The Internet is an important factor here; Atami Geisha are also looking for new applicants via their own websites - with success. Around 2005 there were only just under 100 geisha working in Atami, at the beginning of 2017 there were 120 again according to the Atami Geigi Association.

literature

  • Liza Crihfield Dalby: Geisha . University of California Press, Berkeley / Los Angeles / London 2008.
  • Lesley Downer: Women of the Pleasure Quarters: The Secret History of the Geisha . Broadway Books, New York 2001.
  • Sayo Masuda: The Last Geisha , Insel Verlag 2012
  • Mineko Iwasaki: The True Story of the Geisha , Ullstein Taschenbuch 2004
  • Kyoko Aihara: Geisha - A Living Tradition , Carlton Books Ltd 2005

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Liza Dalby: Geisha . Ed .: University of California Press. 25th Anniversary ed. Ed. University of California Press, 2008, ISBN 0-520-25789-8 , pp. 374 .
  2. ^ Sayo Masuda: Autobiography of a Geisha . Ed .: Columbia University Press. Columbia University Press, 2005, ISBN 0-231-12951-3 , pp. 216 .
  3. ^ Mineko Iwasaki, Rande Brown: Geisha of Gion . Ed .: Washington Square Press. Washington Square Press, 2003, ISBN 0-7434-4429-9 , pp. 297 .
  4. ^ Sayo Masuda: Autobiography of a Geisha . Ed .: Columbia University Press. Columbia University Press, 2005, ISBN 0-231-12951-3 , pp. 216 .
  5. ^ Sayo Masuda: Autobiography of a Geisha . Ed .: Columbia University Press. Columbia University Press, 2005, ISBN 0-231-12951-3 , pp. 216 .
  6. ↑ Kyoko Aihara: Geisha - A Living Tradition . Ed .: Carlton Books. Carlton Books, 2005, ISBN 1-84442-302-6 , pp. 128 .
  7. ↑ Kyoko Aihara: Geisha - A Living Tradition . Ed .: Carlton Books Ltd. Carlton Book Ltd., London 2005, ISBN 1-84442-302-6 , pp. 128 .
  8. ↑ Kyoko Aihara: Geisha - A living tradition . Ed .: Carlton Books Ltd. Carlton Book Ltd., London 2005, ISBN 1-84442-302-6 , pp. 128 .
  9. ^ Sayo Masuda: Autobiography of a Geisha . Ed .: Columbia University Press. Columbia University Press, 2005, ISBN 0-231-12951-3 , pp. 216 .
  10. ↑ Kyoko Aihara: Geisha - A Living Tradition . Ed .: Carlton Books Ltd. Carlton Books Ltd., 2005, ISBN 1-84442-302-6 , pp. 128 .