Who are Mysterious Geishas: Experts Know

Refined, mysterious, beautiful, and exciting geishas are one of the most famous symbols of Japan. Their lifestyle and skill gave rise to more than one myth, but the whole truth has never become finally clear. Let’s open slightly the mysterious veil behind which these amazing virgins were hiding all the time.

Who are Geishas?

Did you know that in the medieval period in Japan, only men were geishas?  They came from impoverished aristocratic families. Only much later the role of geisha passed to women. Most people associate geisha with femininity and beauty. The qualities that she possesses correspond to the prevailing stereotype. Some of them are:

• Plasticity of movements
• Patience
• Obedience
• Magic of a smile and a look
• Sophistication
• Accuracy
• Delicacy of touch
• Tact Restraint

Japanese geishas make a guest open up fully, and get the maximum pleasure from communicating with them. Here men stop being just males and become samurai.  Communication with these “priestesses” never passes unnoticed. Only the best memories remain of them, and many visitors become regulars at tea houses.

Geishas: Top 5 Myths

If you want to know who are geishas actually and what they do, then these five common myths will answer all your questions:

Myth 1: Geishas are prostitutes

No, they are not. Geishas serve as the “jewelry” seduction of guests. If the courtesan satisfied the physical needs of the client, then the geisha’s task was to create a pleasant mood in the client and maintain a benevolent mood throughout the entire time of communication and ideally until the next meeting. Sexual contact during working hours can’t occur. A woman can only flirt with a client and arouse desires, that is all. The Japanese characters that create the word “geisha” symbolize “human” and “art”.  Therefore, the main task of geisha is the ability to dance beautifully, sing, hold a tea ceremony and maintain any conversation. When expecting the arrival of a particular guest, they even study his interests, hobbies, and subtleties of work.

Myth 2: Their school is a brothel

It is called okiya. Here, still, little girls began to work as maids, then they became assistants to older geishas, ​​and only after that, having mastered the intricacies of the craft, they become real geishas. Men could not come into such house. This requirement applied to both guests and relatives. The father of the young student could only appear in the living room of the okiya. Entertainment and ceremonies occur in special teahouses.

Myth 3: Geishas always have bright makeup

Geishas do not dress too brightly and rarely paint their faces white (only for special ceremonies). All this is typical for female students who, due to their youth and inexperience, try in this way to attract the attention of the opposite sex. Modern geishas have an education. In their school, they learn various types of art, traditions, features of applying makeup and choosing clothes, the secrets of seduction, and erotic massage. To support any conversation, a girl should be comprehensively developed. Simply put, she has to follow world news and political events.  Psychology understanding is also an essential skill in a geisha’s arsenal. She must quickly understand the desires and needs of her guests, realizing when to speak and when to be silent, when mysteriously hide under a kimono and when accidentally expose a hand or ankle.  All of this requires hard learning and tremendous experience.

Myth 4: Geishas can’t have a personal life

Contrary to popular myth, a geisha can have a personal life. She has the right to fall in love and have intimate relationships, but only outside of working hours. She can have a financial patron, who supports her, but without intimate relationships. This form of patronage is very honorable in Japan, so you can meet geishas in the company of a wealthy businessman or prominent politician even today.

Myth 5: Geishas can’t leave the profession

A geisha is not a slave; hence she is not obliged to stay in this profession until old age. Before, a woman left the okiya after marriage, but today she can leave the “position” at her request as well. This departure is always accompanied by a special ceremony called hiki-iwai. The girl is obliged to send to everyone who was associated with her “at work” (residents of the okiya, clients, owners of tea houses, and others) a box of boiled rice. Rice could be of two colors: red or white. The first was used if the geisha reserved the opportunity to return to the industry, and the second if she burned all the bridges.

Summing –up

Japan’s sex industry attracts visitors from all over the world who saw charming geishas in films or in photos. They are often disappointed because of the wrong idea of who geishas are and what they actually do.  Now you know the truth, so feel free to discover Japanese culture without being disappointed.