Memoirs of a Geiko

In Kyoto, even the swaying of leaves in the summer breeze is as graceful as its geishas or geikos, as they call them there. It is a city renowned for four things: geishas, universities, temples and a tradition in handicrafts.

The ladies are called geikos in Japan’s old capital. The geishas are well respected in Japan, especially in Kyoto which has several geisha districts, most famous of which is the Gion Corner.

The word geisha is made up of two characters: meaning art and person. Loosely translated, geisha means "beauty person" or someone "who lives by the arts."

Faces made up with white foundation, lips painted stark red, some parts of the back of their necks left exposed as a form of seduction, geishas are professional entertainers famed for their grace and charm, their mastery of traditional Japanese dance, music, poetry, calligraphy (once associated with high-minded Chinese men) and the art of sado (tea ceremony). Geishas are known to be good conversationalists, which a cynic might say is partly due to their proficiency in flattering guests, but seriously, this comes from their years of training in the arts.

The geiko’s movements are graceful and flawless. Her dances, coming from imperial traditional culture, are unlike the dances geisha ladies do in other cities. In Kyoto even the way the geiko walks in her simple wooden geta clogs seems like a lost art. After all, this is a country for which the word "contrast" was invented, what with its ancient culture and modern ways. But for the most part, it seems, the balance is tipping — fast and furious — toward modernity.

There used to be thousands of geikos and maikos in Kyoto. Today, there are only about 60 apprentices or maiko girls. The geisha no longer sets the trend in fashion (leave that to Hanae Mori and the numerous fashion magazines) and taste in Japan, though people still appreciate her artistry and talents. And because most Japanese men today prefer modern, western-style hostesses, and the women prefer to work in corporations, the number of geishas has dwindled dramatically, even in places famous for geishas like Kyoto and Osaka.

Commonly mistaken as prostitutes by the western world and in this part of Asia — it doesn’t help either that they are trained by "mothers" or mama-san, a term that means "pimp" in our own language — geishas are simply hostesses who entertain guests in tea houses and restaurants.

This is the kind of hierarchical relationship they have: a mother responsible for the girls’ conduct and training, older geishas passing on their knowledge to younger ones, and young geishas taking a maiko under their wing. There is no rivalry, no competition between the women — they are "not related by blood but they are like sisters," insists the geiko we talk to.

The girls often start out before they reach puberty and live together in a maiko house. The maiko would accompany a geiko as she entertains guests, making sure their cups of sake are always full and good conversation keeps flowing.

Unlike the geisha who wears a wig, a maiko wears her own hair arranged in split peach style and the sleeves of her more elaborate kimono almost reach the floor. At one time, when a geisha or maiko would give up her virginity, she’d change the color of her collar from red to white and the "honor of deflowering a young maiko would be bought by a patron."

When one is in Kyoto — a city with 30 universities, 1,600 Buddhist temples, 270 Shinto shrines, and a long tradition in handicrafts (from ceramic to doll and sword making) — one must not miss a walk through Gion Corner, one of Kyoto’s geisha sections. Here you will see old tea houses, the front decorated with curved bamboo slats, an architectural feature of old palaces to keep the dogs from peeing on the walls; the bridge where Arthur Golden’s geisha meets the man she falls in love with; beauty salons with geikos being made up as early as three in the afternoon for their evening rounds.

At Gion Corner, one minute you are standing before a centuries-old structure and the next minute you are inserting coins in a vending machine for a pack of Marlboros (for seven days we tried looking for a machine dispensing chocolate bars, but, alas, only soft drinks, coffee, beer and cigarettes are deemed necessities).

Over a shabu-shabu dinner in Kyoto, we meet Sato Chika, a geiko, and her apprentice Sato Suzu. They are dancing to music from a three-stringed instrument called shamisen which is played by an older woman who is also dressed in a traditional kimono.

With the help of a translator, we are able to talk to Sato Chika (a stage name). The 23-year-old geiko started her maiko training when she was 15 years old. She was a maiko for six years and a geiko for two.

"The young generation, they cannot sit still or seiza. It took half a year for the very basic traditional training, like folding the legs and sitting for a long time." This is more important than it sounds since tea house guests sit on silk cushions and dine on low lacquered tables.

The earliest geishas were said to be men but by the 1700s, women dominated the trade. Although some believe that early predecessors of the geisha were women of noble birth who created a new dance to entertain the warriors in the 11th century.

During the 18th century, as the theater became popular entertainment, many tea houses, usually located around the theaters, would serve not just tea but also food and drinks and sell tickets for the shows. Patrons of these tea houses would hire independent performers called geisha: singers, dancers and shamisen players.

The government, however, was not very happy since the geishas were not paying taxes from what they earned. A registry office was created to control their activities and regulations were formulated. A code of professional conduct was established covering details such as their dress (only plain, configured materials were allowed), their hair (uniform in style with a single comb, a large pin and a small pin). In the 1940s, geisha entertainment was outlawed and the women were forced to work in industries.

Sato Chika, on the other hand, has always wanted to be a geiko because she liked Japanese traditional dancing. And the future, what does it hold for a young girl like her? "I have no idea for the future. I am only 23, I can change jobs any time," she says. "I don’t know if I want to be a geiko forever, but I want to do it for as long as I can."

Our guide says it’s certainly not poverty that drives the girls to become geishas, though at one time young girls would be bought in poor villages and when they became geishas they’d pay off the maiko house where they trained and the mother that spent for their education and training. There are also girls who become geishas because their mothers were.

"My parents are happy for me," says Sato Chika. "They do not oppose my being geiko as long as I like the job."

Asked what she likes about being a geiko, she responds, "It’s a very good chance for me to meet some very prestigious people like foreigners or even royalty. Nomo or ordinary girls cannot meet these people."

Discretion is also a very big part in the life of a geisha. Whether the guests are big businessmen or occupy high position in government or ordinary people, geishas are not allowed to discuss them. "We have been to many restaurants entertaining many kinds of guests but we are not supposed to say anything about whom we meet, not even from where they are or what they do for a living."

She hasn’t fallen in love, she says. She has very high standards: The man she would love must be the right age, have the right income, and he must be very handsome. "I have very strict conditions."

Geisha training — fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you look at things — is strictly confined to social graces and the performing arts. No self-defense courses for these girls, which is why when a guest tries to make advances, Sato Chika "just runs away."

Both the geiko and maiko we meet have traveled extensively abroad, all over Asia and America. They wear western clothes and their faces are bereft of makeup when they are not performing. They have been exposed to western ways, either from foreign trips or from foreign guests.

Still, when I ask Sato Chika what her ultimate ambition is, she reinforces the traditional gender roles that have allowed geishas to exist for centuries.

Her very red mouth breaking into a giggle, she says: "My dream in life is marriage."