Guest Author - Melanie Shintaku

While most people will never have an opportunity to meet a real geisha, many of us are curious about who these women are nontheless. Many books have been written on the topic of Geisha, most recenty the book Memoirs of a Geisha has captured our imagination. I'd like to take a moment to clarify the life of Geisha, who they are and who they are not.

Gei, in Japanese, means "art." Geisha are keepers of art, highly educated and trained in the classical arts of Japan. Geisha study music, singing, dance, tea ceremony. They also study the art of conversation, stay abreast of current events and are skilled in making guests feel special, as if they are the only person in a room. Geisha are NOT in any way, prostitutes, and men are NOT allowed to set foot in Geisha houses. The misperception of geisha, confusion between prostitutes and geisha, has unfortunately been propogated by the uninformed. Maybe it is because in the west, we do not have a tradition that is similar to Geisha -- a tradition where women are educated in the arts instead of usual school programs, and represent the ideal of feminine beauty to a culture. We have models, speakers and artists, but I can't think of an example that combines these traits.

Geisha houses take in young apprentices (maiko), pay for their education in the arts, their kimono and living expenses. Geisha will spend their day rising early to study classical Japanese dance, go on to music lessons, spend time reading up on current events. Their evenings will then be filled with parties or events at which they will entertain guests for a brief time, go on to another party and eventually return home late in the evening. This is not a career for those not seriously interested in studying the classical arts of Japan. Each art studied requires dedication and a serious mindset towards learning.

Maiko (apprentices) learn from their "older sisters" who are full-fledged geisha, to one day become geisha themselves. Once becoming a geisha, they will work for the geisha house as an employee, returning the money that had been invested in their education.

I strongly suggest reading the book "Geisha: A Life" written by Mineko Iwasaki. This is a first-hand account of life as the most famous Geisha in Kyoto. At a young age Ms. Iwasaki, by choice, went to live in a geisha house at a young age and her story has not been tainted in order to appeal to those not truly interested in learning about Geisha. I believe all cultures can appreciate her writing. Another notable expert on the life of Geisha is Liza Dalby, the first American geisha. Ms. Dalby has written a book on Geisha simply titled: "Geisha." Her book is not written as a novel, but instead written from her personal observations and experiences.

Sadly today the numbers of geisha in Japan are diminishing. I believe it is very important to preserve this cultural jem of Japan. One step towards helping preserve this tradition might be to understand the true way of Geisha - Keepers of Art.