Virtual Geisha will be making an appearance at one of the largest Anime Conventions in the US. Anime Expo or AX will be held July 1-4th at the Los Angeles Convention Center. We will be tracking down any form of traditional styled cosplay regarding geiko and speaking to fans on their thoughts and interests in Geiko culture!
Geisha (outside of Kyoto) offer vacationers lessons to keep age-old profession alive
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| Drumming up business: A geisha teaches a tourist how to beat a "taiko" drum in the hot-spring resort city of Arawa, Fukui Prefecture, on Jan. 30. KYODO PHOTO |
Geisha offer vacationers lessons to keep age-old profession alive
FUKUI — Thirty years ago, the hot-spring resort city of Awara in Fukui Prefecture, along the Sea of Japan coast, prided itself on having about 250 geisha entertainers.
Now there are only 15. So the 130-year-old spa city is offering vacationers the chance at a hands-on geisha experience, to help keep alive the world of the traditional entertainers.
In Kyoto's popular Gion entertainment district, as well, geisha hold mock tea ceremonies for ¥500 per person, while those in other parts of the country have organized events to attract visitors hoping to receive a firsthand look at the geisha system, which some say dates back to the second half of the 1600s.
Geisha have traditionally been regarded as entertainers skilled in singing, dancing, playing musical instruments and conversation, and patronized by wealthy people and politicians.
But the number of geisha has been on the decline due to deterioration of the economy and reduced opportunities for them to demonstrate their talents. Traditional inns are also steadily disappearing.
The geisha in Awara give guests a chance to meet them for ¥3,000 in a season-limited program. The meeting includes "janken" rock-paper-scissors play equivalent to tossing a coin to decide the winner in a game held in a dance training room of the "kemban," or control office.
Men take off their jackets behind a folding screen set up as a partition and step into the room to the accompaniment of a shamisen played by geisha. Geisha and guests then play the roles of a mother, a tiger or other characters as part of the program.
The low fee compares with the going rate of ¥60,000 clients pay for service provided by a group of four geisha over a two-hour period.
The visitors get a rare opportunity to look at the backstage of the kemban, which also sends geisha to teahouses and restaurants. Normally, the place is off-limits to visitors.
The Gion district, where the program of pseudo tea ceremonies debuted, is known as an area that shuns first-time visitors without a letter of introduction.
During one visit, geisha appeared in kimono and heavy white makeup. One gracefully wiped tea utensils with a square "fukusa" silk cloth. A "maiko" apprentice geisha brought a cup of tea and placed it in front of a guest.
Tea ceremonies were held three times a day attracting 2,000 people in three months and tickets sold out within 20 minutes.
Shamisen-playing geisha in the Arima hot-spring area in Kobe
The tradition-bound mansion Enkikan of the Meiji Era
Osamu Ito, a counselor at the Kyoto Traditional Musical Art Foundation called Ookini Zaidan, terms it "necessary" to create places that "protect our culture."
Please join at 1pm SLT for our monthly tree viewing. This month of June we will be viewing the Willow tree. Enjoy an outdoor tea ceremony, dancing, and a reading of the tale "Under the Peony Lantern" on voice. Hope to see our patrons there!
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Bangu/17/75/24
Summer is here and Tenran presents wonderful cotton kimono called Yukata to wear for these hot months! Available in 4 styles, these garments can be worn within any summer occasion. Includes sculpted collar, obi, sleeves and uchiwa (fan) $100L modify/copy/no trans
Summer is here! It is time to bring out the Willow and Hydrangea kanzashi for our Minarai, Jr. Maiko and Sr. Maiko! Fully sculpted with various rank styles and comb options! 100L Trans only.
Pontocho has made it to SLs Destination Guide, a place for the coolest and best places to visit!
http://secondlife.com/destinations/real/2
Visit Pontocho for an in-depth look at Japanese geisha culture. Set in an attractive build modeled after modern day Kyoto, the staff holds classes on how to conduct your own tea ceremony, as well as staging traditional performances of the classic geisha arts like singing, dancing, and shamisen music in the theater.
Yoshiwara's last geisha dies at 90
Minako, renowned as the last geisha of the Yoshiwara district of Tokyo, died Monday of cancer. She was 90 years old.
A Hokkaido native whose real name was Mitsu Nagao, Minako started to work as an apprentice at a geisha dwelling in Yoshiwara at the age of 11. After Yoshiwara went defunct as a red-light district following the enforcement of the Anti-Prostitution Act in 1958, Minako continued to entertain customers mainly at teahouses in Asakusa as the last Yoshiwara geisha, playing traditional games with them, playing the samisen instrument, and dancing and singing.
Minako also lived a life dedicated to handing down the traditional Yoshiwara art of entertainment, focusing on teaching younger geishas and filming performances in her later years. Last year she published her autobiography "Hana yori Hana."
Minako's funeral will be held at 10 a.m. on Friday at Chokoku-ji Temple in Tokyo's Taito Ward.
Yukata season has fallen upon us again, time to whip out those fresh cotton kimono for the upcoming summer months! Below are video tutorials from Ichiroya on how to properly dress a Yukata, enjoy!
Geisha Chikako Pari
Chikako Pari, whose stage name is Ichizuru, is the last geisha, also known as geiko, of a small town in Kyoto Prefecture. Her unusual last name, Pari — written in kanji — refers to the city of Paris and her French ancestry, although the details of her French great-grandfather's life were never revealed to her. Pari's happy childhood came to an abrupt end at age 12, when she was sold to a geisha house to pay off her father's debts. Though thrown into a vicious cycle of suffering and drama, both in her private life and as an entertainer, the ravishing and exotic Ichizuru managed to turn her situation into art and laughter. Today, she has plenty to smile about: She recently married a police officer who stole her heart 43 years ago, and the couple are still captivated by each other's charms.
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| Geisha Chikako Pari JUDIT KAWAGUCHI PHOTO |
Tears are useless. For a week after I was sold, I did nothing but cry. I was in shock at being torn away from my mother. I was just a little country bumpkin who spoke with a thick Osaka dialect, who was dragged and dropped into a gorgeous teahouse in Kyoto and left among cultured women who spoke eloquently, even when they were making fun of me. The ochayasan (teashop master) showed me how to clean the geishas' rooms. I didn't need a bucket of water: I had two waterfalls streaming from my eyes. I could have washed the room with my tears as I moved around, scrubbing and wiping those hard floors.
It's tough for a woman to make it in this world. Women are discriminated against, mistreated and discarded. One needs guts and brains to survive. If a woman has those, she'd better use them to find a strong, wealthy man to stand by her side.
Teaching styles change. I was hit a lot. All the sensei (teachers) carried long sticks with them and would whip us when we made mistakes. I'd get a sudden hit on my left wrist when I missed a chord on the shamisen, or a speedy slash on my right foot if I made the wrong move. They were hardest on those who had potential.
Never do anything half-baked! I was 15 when I had my first show performing the Komori, a dance full of humor. Being on stage was fun, so I decided that if I were to become a geisha, I'd be a good one.
If you owe someone money, they own you: Even if they treat you well, you're their slave. I began accumulating debts at the age of 12. The daily arts lessons, the gorgeous kimono and the beauty regimen were extremely costly. I owed a lot to the ochayasan, and it took me till I was 25 to break even.
Once ties are severed, even when we reconnect, we can never be whole again. After I paid off my debts and was free, I met my parents for the first time. I didn't think of them as my family anymore. I didn't feel any affection for my father. I couldn't respect him. But my mother was lovely. Still, in a distant way, I couldn't help but admire such a beautiful creature.
A woman never asks a man to marry her. When she's fun and attractive, he simply can't help but marry her.
Men who have money are all married — to someone else. I was popular, so I took my time to pick the man I wanted to be with. He turned out to be the president of the best Chirimen kimono company. Of course, he had a family. He spent most of his time and money on me though, so after a few years, it was over. It's always the money that gets in the way.
Once a man takes care of us financially, we like it and feel we owe him. Eventually we love him, as he is good to us. That's how the feelings of a lover are born.
A geisha may sit down on the tatami mat with a client, but it takes a lot more than just words and alcohol to get her into bed. Having sex before a lengthy courtship and many gorgeous presents is not proper for a lady. A man can be close to the prize yet still so far from the goal.
Men will pay more for a woman who doesn't have sex with them. Ojorosan were beautiful prostitutes, yet men were willing to pay three times more for a geisha, who wouldn't have sex with them. Of course, the hope was there.
Prostitutes deserve respect, as they do jobs few people can. On the street, we'd walk behind them, out of respect.
All men are single for a geisha. We never ask about our clients' families.
Humor is the greatest art of a geisha. We make men laugh, and since all our clients are smart, it's not easy to put them into stitches. A woman who can bring about laughter is loved and respected, because to get a repartee going she has to be smart and quick.
Having a very high price tag means picking your own customers. Anyone can pay for a cheap thing. But geisha are a luxury for the superelite. In other words, we geisha pick our own clients and we want the top 1 percent of society. If I am to sit with a man for hours, I want him to be witty, elegant and polite. The rich used to be that way.
Working will help you live a long and healthy life. I love my job so I'm alive and well.
When the time is right, do it right. My husband and I always loved each other, but when we met he had a wife. She lived in Kyoto and he stayed with me here. For 40 years! We didn't want him to get a divorce because his wife deserved a respectable, good life. When she passed away three years ago, we got married. He was 90 then, but still very handsome!
Marriage is better than living alone. I feel happy now. When I was young, I worked hard and things went well, but the war interrupted everything. Now we have enough to eat well and we have each other.
We can't argue if we use polite language. My husband and I use keigo together, it's the most polite form of Japanese expression.
Every story can have a happy ending. You just have to wait it out!
By JUDIT KAWAGUCHI
http://juditfan.blog58.fc2.com/ Twitter: judittokyo
Today Geiko Koneko modeled for the Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art School in Second Life. The two hour event included an hour of posing in Maiko and Geiko atiire.
For those interested in costuming for this portion of modeling, kimono and accessories are from Tenran store.
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