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Geisha Distinctissima
{{Culture of Japan, Traditions, Geisha {{nihongo, Geisha{{efn, {{IPAc-en, lang, ˈ, ɡ, eɪ, ., ʃ, ə, {{IPA, ja, ɡei.ɕa, ɡeː-, lang{{cite book, script-title=ja:NHK日本語発音アクセント新辞典, publisher=NHK Publishing, editor=NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, date=24 May 2016, lang=ja, 芸者, also known as {{nihongo, , 芸子, geiko{{efn, {{IPA, ja, ɡei.ko, ɡeː-, lang, {{citation needed span, in Kyoto and Kanazawa, date=May 2025 or {{nihongo, , 芸妓, geigi{{efn, {{IPA, ja, ɡeꜜi.ɡi, ɡeꜜː-, -ŋi, lang , are female Japanese performing artists and entertainers trained in traditional Japanese performing arts styles, such as dance, music and singing, as well as being proficient conversationalists and hosts. Their distinct appearance is characterised by long, trailing kimono, traditional hairstyles and {{transliteration, ja, oshiroi make-up. Geisha entertain at parties known as {{transliteration, ja, ozashiki, often for the entertainment o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ponto-chō
is a district in Kyoto, Japan, known for its and , and is home to many of the city's and traditional tea houses. Like Gion, Ponto-chō is famous for the preservation of forms of traditional architecture and entertainment. Etymology The name "Ponto" is believed to come from the Portuguese word (bridge), and is written in kanji used for their sound only (''ateji''). The Japanese word means town, block or street. District Ponto-chō as a district is for the most part constructed around a long, narrow alleyway, running from Shijō-dōri to Sanjō-dōri, one block west of the Kamo River. This location is also known as the traditional location for the beginning of kabuki as an art form, and a statue of kabuki's founder, Izumo no Okuni, stands on the opposite side of the river. The district's crest is a stylized water plover, or . Cultural features ''Geiko'' and have existed in Ponto-chō since at least the 16th century, as have prostitution and other forms of entertainmen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shirabyōshi
were Japanese female entertainers in the Heian and Kamakura periods who sang songs and performed dances. They danced dressed as men. The profession of became popular in the 12th century. They would perform for the nobility, and at celebrations. The word can also refer to the songs they sang and the dances they performed. They are sometimes referred to as courtesans in the English language, but by nature they were performers. Some did sometimes sleep with their patrons and give birth to nobles' children, but this was not their intended purpose as entertainers. The best known were Shizuka Gozen, Giō and Hotoke, who were featured in ''The Tale of the Heike''. History The name may be interpreted as "white beat" or "simple rhythm"; it may refer to the white robe they wore, or alternatively the rhythm of the songs that they sang and danced to, which were also performed by . means "white", although scholars believe that it should be interpreted as ; in this interpretation ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Heian Period
The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kammu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means in Japanese. It is a period in Japanese history when the Chinese influence on Japanese culture, Chinese influences were in decline and the national culture matured. The Heian period is also considered the peak of the Japanese Emperors of Japan, imperial court, noted for its Japanese art, art, especially Japanese poetry, poetry and Japanese literature, literature. Two syllabaries unique to Japan, katakana and hiragana, emerged during this time. This gave rise to Japan's famous vernacular literature, with many of its texts written by court ladies who were not as educated in Chinese as their male counterparts. Although the Imperial House of Japan had power on the surface, the real power was in the hands of the Fujiwara clan, a powerful Kuge, aristocratic family wh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Heian-kyō
Heian-kyō was one of several former names for the city now known as Kyoto. It was the official capital of Japan for over one thousand years, from 794 to 1868 with an interruption in 1180. Emperor Kanmu established it as the capital in 794, moving the Imperial Court there from nearby Nagaoka-kyō at the recommendation of his advisor Wake no Kiyomaro and marking the beginning of the Heian period of Japanese history. According to modern scholarship, the city is thought to have been modelled after the urban planning for the Tang dynasty Chinese capital of Chang'an (modern-day Xi'an). It remained the chief political center until 1185, when the samurai Minamoto clan defeated the Taira clan in the Genpei War, moving administration of national affairs to Kamakura and establishing the Kamakura shogunate. Though political power would be wielded by the samurai class over the course of three different shogunates, Heian-kyō remained the site of the Imperial Court and seat of Imperi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Japanese History
The first human inhabitants of the Japanese archipelago have been traced to the Paleolithic, around 38–39,000 years ago. The Jōmon period, named after its cord-marked pottery, was followed by the Yayoi period in the first millennium BC when new inventions were introduced from Asia. During this period, the first known written reference to Japan was recorded in the Chinese ''Book of Han'' in the first century AD. Around the 3rd century BC, the Yayoi people from the continent immigrated to the Japanese archipelago and introduced iron technology and agricultural civilization. Because they had an agricultural civilization, the population of the Yayoi began to grow rapidly and ultimately overwhelmed the Jōmon people, natives of the Japanese archipelago who were hunter-gatherers. Between the fourth and ninth centuries, Japan's many kingdoms and tribes gradually came to be unified under a centralized government, nominally controlled by the Emperor of Japan. The imperial dynasty es ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Okiya
An is the lodging house/drinking establishment to which a or geisha is affiliated with during her career as a geisha. The is typically run by the "mother" () of the house, who handles a geisha's engagements, the development of her skills, and funds her training through a particular teahouse. Though a geisha is legally required to be registered to an in order to work, and may live there as a trainee, it is not a legal requirement for geisha to live within their .Dalby 1983 p192 A geisha's engagements at parties, and her lessons in singing, traditional dance, musical instruments and tea ceremony are also booked through her . An and its attached teahouse typically has its own "branch" of art names linking its geisha and together, usually through the use of a shared prefix; for example, many of the geisha trained at the Dai-Ichi teahouse in Pontochō have names that begin with . Living arrangements Many geisha, particularly those working in more traditional geisha communities ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ochaya
In Japan, an is an establishment where patrons are entertained by geisha. In the Edo period, ''chaya'' could refer to establishments serving tea and drinks (), offering rooms for rent by the hour (), or brothels ( in Osaka, in Edo). However, in the modern day, refers exclusively to the establishments within Kyoto in which geisha work and entertain their clients, though the term is sometimes used to describe all establishments used by geisha to entertain guests, irrespective of location. Equivalent establishments in locations outside of Kyoto are known as , meaning "restaurant", referring to a traditional Japanese-style restaurant where geisha may entertain. Terminology Though the term literally means "tea house", the term follows the naming conventions of buildings or rooms used for Japanese tea ceremony, known as ; as such, though tea is served at as an ordinary beverage, it is not, unlike teahouses and tearooms found throughout the world, its sole purpose. When used as ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mizu Shōbai
In Japanese culture, , literally the water trade, is work that does not provide a contractually fixed salary, but instead relies on the popularity of the performer among their fans or clientele. Broadly, it includes the television, theater, and movie industries, but more narrowly, it can refer to those who work in businesses that serve alcohol or provide sex. Bars, cabarets, health, hostess bars, image clubs, pink salons and soaplands are all part of the ; though they are not sex workers, geisha and kabuki actors are traditionally considered part of the as well. Etymology While the actual origin of the term is debatable, it is likely the term came into use during the Tokugawa shogunate (1603–1868). The Tokugawa period saw the development of large bathhouses and an expansive network of roadside inns offering "hot baths and sexual release", as well as the expansion of geisha districts and courtesan quarters in cities and towns throughout the country. According to one the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Maiko
A is an apprentice geiko in Kyoto (in Tokyo it is geisha). Their jobs consist of performing songs, dances, and playing the or other traditional Japanese instruments for visitors during banquets and parties, known as . are usually aged 17 to 20, and graduate to geiko status after a period of training that includes traditional dance, the , , and, in Kyoto only, learning the Kyoto dialect. The apprenticeship ranges from a few months to a year or two years, although apprentices too old to dress as may advance to geiko despite still training. Apprentice geisha in other locations in Japan are known by other terms, such as for apprentices in Tokyo. The traditions of apprentice geisha in these areas diverge from those in Kyoto, sometimes to a considerable degree, including an apprentice's appearance and the structure of her apprenticeship. Work In the morning, take lessons in the traditional arts. At night, they dance, sing, play the , and serve visitors at exclusive (teaho ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tokyo
Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most populous urban areas in the world. The Greater Tokyo Area, which includes Tokyo and parts of six neighboring Prefectures of Japan, prefectures, is the most populous metropolitan area in the world, with 41 million residents . Lying at the head of Tokyo Bay, Tokyo is part of the Kantō region, on the central coast of Honshu, Japan's largest island. It is Japan's economic center and the seat of the Government of Japan, Japanese government and the Emperor of Japan. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government administers Tokyo's central Special wards of Tokyo, 23 special wards, which formerly made up Tokyo City; various commuter towns and suburbs in Western Tokyo, its western area; and two outlying island chains, the Tokyo Islands. Although most of the w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hanamachi
A is a district where geisha live and work in Japan. Each typically has its own name, crest, and distinct geisha population, with geisha not typically working outside of their own district. usually contain (geisha houses) and (teahouses where geisha entertain). Historically, could contain a high number of and , and would also contain a as well – a communal meeting place for geisha, typically containing a theater, rooms where classes in the traditional arts could be held, and a (registry office) who would process a geisha's pay, regulation of the profession, and other related matters. Gion, a geisha district in Kyoto, also has a vocational school, called . Many of the teachers there are designated as Living National Treasures. were preceded by the registered red-light districts of Japan, known as . Three were established in Japan in the early 1600s: Shimabara in Kyoto in 1640,Avery, Anne Louise. ''Flowers of the Floating World: Geisha and Courtesans in Japanes ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
