Geisha from Japan

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the difference between the Western image of a Japanese geisha and who the geisha actually were and are and what they do. The author provides a definition of the word "geisha" and describes the traditional life of a geisha, from her entry into a training establishment to her duties as a full-fledged entertainer. The paper concludes that after World War II, the geisha's way of life became obsolete due to the influx of Western influences in Japan, and that the geishas who perform today are preservers of tradition.

From the Paper:

"To attain such a degree of refinement and level of performing art close to perfection, a geisha spent most of her childhood and teenage years inside a okiya. During her first years there, a young girl aspiring to become an exquisite woman meant to entertain powerful wealthy men, would do all kinds of household chores only to be able to be around the maikos and the geishas. These female children were known as "tamago"(meaning eggs) and usually, at the age of puberty, they were starting the real training into the art of entertaining, by learning the art of singing, dancing, making conversation, and other arts."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Downer, Lesley. Madame Sadayakko. Gotham Books. New York. 2003.
• Iwasaki, Mineko. Geisha: A Life. Atria Books. New York. 2002
• Stages of Geisha's Working Life. Retrieved: Mar. 8, 2008. Available at: http://www.whatever.net.au/~amaya/geisha/stages.htm

More papers on Geisha from Japan:

• Essay # 1876 : "The Culture and Decline of the Geisha"
• Comparison Essay # 147243 : "Japan and Japanese-Americans"
• Analytical Essay # 139146 : "Snow Country" by Yasunari Kawabata"

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