Japanese culture has always fascinated people from  around the world. Quite possibly due to Japanese  

customs and traditions that are beyond foreign  people’s understanding or that are far removed  

from their own. Some of Japan’s current rituals  and festivities date back to hundreds or thousands  

of years in the past, preserving their roots with  the passing of time and the evolution of society.

Amongst these traditions are Japanese  geishas. Contrary to popular belief  

geishas were not ladies who had fallen  to sin but had a much deeper history  

and preparation hidden behind their  elaborate makeup and beautiful clothing.

Today we will delve into the history of a  tradition that has been in practice for centuries  

and we will follow the long journey that these  young women took to receive the title of "Geisha".  

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Geishas - Ladies of Sin?

Centuries before geishas existed,  there was a group of women called Oiran  

who were dedicated to selling their favor. These  women wore quite high shoes to avoid dragging  

the long kimono they wore along the floor. They  wore endless ornaments in their hair and a sash  

in front of their body which was tied in such  a way which made it easy to dress and undress.

Oiran women’s popularity increased in the  17th century. As they became more famous  

and successful, they eventually moved to their  own neighborhoods. As a result, the value of  

their services skyrocketed, which meant that not  everyone could hire one of them since they were  

sought after. These women were quite impressive  as they knew how to dance and play instruments  

to entertain their clients and their services  went beyond just offering them pleasure. Despite  

their efforts, within a society governed by strong  morals, men began to seek more refined services.  

Forcing the Oiran to be accompanied by men called  "Geisha" which meant "person who knows art".

Over time these geisha men became women, whose  clientele sought better and more sophisticated  

services. They became independent, forming their  own neighborhoods and thus the geisha houses  

or "Okiya" were born, striking Oiran with  the final blow. This meant the beginning  

of the golden age for geishas, between  the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

The main difference between Oiran and geisha  women was both in the services they offered  

and in their dress. Geishas are considered  artists in the strict sense of the word  

as they are skilled and learned people. They  are knowledgeable about the tradition of Japan  

and their own trade. Their clothing is  considerably simpler than the Oiran’s,  

with flat shoes and their "obi" tied at the back.  Unlike the Oiran, they were hired to accompany  

their clients to various meetings and perform  authentic Japanese rituals. In fact, during the  

20th century, geishas were viewed as highly  respectable people and a symbol of elegance.

In the early days, geisha apprentices  normally came from poor families,  

either of their own free wills or sold due to the  misery and famine that existed at the time. These  

women were under the tutelage of an older geisha,  usually the owner of the Okiya, who they had to  

call “Okaasan”, which means mother in Japanese. Their training began from the moment they arrived  

at the geisha house until they reached the age of  15. During this period, their role involved doing  

housework, and they attended singing, dancing,  elocution, ikebana and tea ceremony classes,  

just like in school. Throughout this period  of their life, they were called Shikomi.

Once they turned 15, a special ceremony was  held where they would be promoted to "Maiko"  

and placed under the care and guidance  of their "Oneesan" or older sister,  

a completely trained Geisha who would be  in charge of continuing their training.

When the Okaasan deemed it prudent, the  Maiko's "purity" would be put up for sale,  

marking her transition from girl to young  woman, and a new ceremony was held where  

her kimono was substituted with a less  striking one which consisted of a white  

collar instead of a red one. They were also  given a different makeup look and hairstyle.

Is it true that the Geishas sold  their "purity" to the highest bidder?

Although an encounter with a geisha rarely ended  with her offering her favors, this did not mean  

that they were pure and chaste beings. Geishas  might have had lovers whom they called "Dannas"  

who paid for the outfits and the lessons of their  protégé. In some cases, property was even bought  

for them, and those who supported a geisha were  seen as people of high status in Japanese society.

However, in ancient times it was customary  that the "virtue" of a 15-year-old girl,  

aspiring to the title of geisha, was  auctioned off to the highest bidder.  

Whoever offered the most to consummate the  act was granted this unique opportunity  

as they usually never saw each other  again. This transition from Maiko to  

Geisha was called "mizuage" and was  practiced under a veil of discretion.

During this transition, the girl's  hairstyles become more flamboyant  

and had to be done by a professional from time  to time. These hairstyles had to be maintained  

by the new geishas by resting their necks  on a wooden board so as not to damage them.  

Their companions congratulated them  and their clothes were less flashy,  

but no less expensive, even reaching what would be  today the price of 30,000 euros per silk kimono.

In the rare case that the amount offered was  not enough by bidders, a professional man  

dedicated to bidding higher would be hired. This  was done to prevent the young geisha’s value from  

falling and complete the ritual that marked  the transition from the girl to a young woman.  

This task was vital since the ritual  of "mizuage" and the "Dannas" were the  

main sources of income for the geisha houses. Apart from this, the most sought-after geishas  

could afford to reject any customer they disliked  regardless of whether they offered a fortune for  

their company. In addition, the most cunning  knew how to make men fall in love with them  

and view them as unattainable, making the  obtaining of their favors an extremely  

complicated task. They also never offered  such a service before the third date.

Unfortunately, the Second World War  affected the geisha business significantly.  

Although sometime after the war ended  the geisha neighborhoods flourished again  

with the prohibition in 1958 of the sale of  favors by any lady, nothing was the same again.

The creation of the neighborhoods of sin.

Desire and sin have always been lucrative  businesses which many have tried to take  

control of. Within this realm, manipulation  and double-dealing have always been rife and  

the benefits have always been one-sided.  The history of this business has always  

been the same in every part of the world. It  is only the circumstances that have changed.

These red-light districts began  to flourish in Japan in 1589  

when Saburoemon Hara requested permission from  the then governor of Japan, Hideyoshi Toyotomi,  

to open a business dedicated to sin under  the pretense of monitoring these women  

who up until now offered their  services without control.

Obtaining permission, Saburoemon began to  construct a small neighborhood close to  

the Nijo Yanamigachi area in Kyoto. This  neighborhood emulated those that already  

existed in China during the Ming dynasty  and were the first of its kind in Japan.

This neighborhood of sin began to be known as  “Shimabara of Kyoto” and was so successful that  

in the following years' many other cities in  the country opened their own of which the most  

prominent could be found in Shinmachi in Osaka  or Maruyama in Nagasaki. But by far the most  

famous was Yoshiwara in Edo in what is known  today as Tokyo. These were established in 1618  

after an owner of one of these premises called  Shoji Jimenon asked the government to create an  

area assigned specifically to anything  related to the business of passion and sin.

Its construction was actually completed  in 1626 since the surface area approved  

by Edo’s government was 48,000  square meters. As a result,  

the government was able to control the  uncontrolled expansion of this business,  

making it possible to increase prices as  long as certain rules were adhered to:

- The existence of premises of sin was prohibited  outside of the neighborhood nor were their  

workers allowed to work outside its borders. - Guests were prohibited from staying in the  

neighborhood for more than 24 hours continuously. - The women who offered their services were not  

allowed to wear dresses embroidered with gold or  silver instead they had to wear modest clothes. 

- The neighborhood buildings were not permitted  to have an attention-grabbing appearance and  

their inhabitants were expected to fulfil the same  duties as the normal residents of other areas.  

Sin in post-war Japan As always, war affected all  

sectors of the countries involved. For better  or for worse, an armed conflict brings with it  

important changes. Changes which profoundly  hit the various red light districts of Japan.

During the American occupation  in the Second World War,  

the Japanese government created the  Association for Leisure and Recreation.  

This was nothing more than an organization aimed  at pleasing foreign soldiers with favors from  

selected young ladies to avoid foreigners touching  the rest of the Japanese female population.

In the meantime, these actions as well as the  warlike conflict shook the foundations of the  

delicate geisha business. They did not dedicate  themselves as such to selling their ‘purity’  

and were obligated to abandon their roles as  geishas to work in ammunition or weapon factories  

for the greater good of their country.  This meant that they were finally able  

to scatter and mix with normal people or flee  the U.S occupation with many never returning.

The geisha’s reputation was significantly  damaged as the American soldiers would call  

any woman willing to sell themselves for even  a piece of chocolate geisha. This situation was  

possibly where the myth that geishas would sell  themselves in exchange for money originated. 

Just 4 months after the premises of  sin for the soldiers began to operate,  

General MacArthur at the head of the American  occupation ordered their closure in January 1946  

in fear that his subordinates would contract  some venereal disease such as syphilis or  

gonorrhea. Leaving many women on the street and  forcing them to continue offering their services  

illegally. These women became  better known as "panpan girls".

Thanks to the 1958 legislation which  prohibited the selling of favors by women,  

the geisha business was able to resurface  and they were not considered as part of the  

category of sinful women. However, it proved  extremely difficult for them as almost no  

geisha was willing to work and many of the tea  houses had been destroyed by American bombers.  

Further to this, they began to be symbols of  tradition which did not represent the pace  

at which civilization was advancing, ultimately  limiting their clientele to men of advanced age.

Debunking Myths: Geisha's role in the modern world

Sad but true, technological and  social advancement continues to  

devour the different traditions of different  areas. One by one they are disappearing,  

overshadowed by globalization while fighting  with all their strength to remain in existence.

One of these traditions on the brink of extinction  is the art of geishas. These women have become  

over time bearers of tradition into the modern  age, being the very few that still know how to  

perfectly carry out a tea ceremony or play the  shamisen, a traditional Japanese instrument.

To date, there are approximately only  1000 Japanese women who do this job.  

The circumstances today are very different  as financial transactions are not involved  

between poor families and geisha houses nor are  rituals performed to sell one’s ‘virtue’ to the  

highest bidder. But the few geishas that do  exist, take on the role of geisha voluntarily.

The only reason that geishas have not become lost  in time is thanks to tourism. Foreigners are still  

fascinated by the beautiful kimonos and makeup  that these women wear. So geishas make the most  

of this fascination to make an income since the  traditional entertainment they once offered is  

much less sought after nowadays by men who now  prefer to go to a karaoke bar than pay between  

12,000 and 20,000 yen for a sophisticated banquet  in the company of one of these educated ladies.

In addition thanks to the difficult  life that these women lead and the  

countless hours of studying which are required,  

fewer women are attracted to this type of  life. The few that do attempt the geisha  

life do not last very long and this has led to a  shortage of apprentices and professional geishas.

A country which represents technological  and social advancement such as Japan  

hides behind its neon lights and bullet trains  one of the richest and most enigmatic histories  

of tradition and culture on the planet. For  some, they may be captivating and others bizarre,  

depending on your point of view but these  roots should not be forgotten and we take  

the responsibility of preserving  them here, in Copernicus Galaxy.