|
Geiko
{{Culture of Japan, Traditions, Geisha {{nihongo, Geisha, 芸者 ({{IPAc-en, ˈ, ɡ, eɪ, ʃ, ə; {{IPA-ja, ɡeːɕa, lang), also known as {{nihongo, , 芸子, geiko (in Kyoto and Kanazawa) or {{nihongo, , 芸妓, geigi, are a class of 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 of wealthy clientele, as well as performing on stage and at festivals. Modern geisha are not prostitutes. This misconception originated due to the conflation of Japanese courtesans ({{transliteration, ja, oiran), {{transliteration, ja, oiran reenactors, the extant {{transliteration, ja, tayū, and prostitutes, who hi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kansai Dialect
The is a group of Japanese dialects in the Kansai region (Kinki region) of Japan. In Japanese, is the common name and it is called in technical terms. The dialects of Kyoto and Osaka are known as , and were particularly referred to as such in the Edo period. The Kansai dialect is typified by the speech of Osaka, the major city of Kansai, which is referred to specifically as . It is characterized as being both more melodic and harsher by speakers of the standard language.Omusubi: Japan's Regional Diversity retrieved January 23, 2007 Background Since Osaka is the largest city in the region and its speakers gained the most media exposure over the last century, non-Kansai-dialect speakers tend to associate the dialect of Osaka with the entire Kansai region. However, technicall ...[...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gion
is a district of Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto, Japan, originating as an entertainment district in the Sengoku period, in front of Yasaka Shrine (Gion Shrine). The district was built to accommodate the needs of travellers and visitors to the shrine. It eventually evolved to become one of the most exclusive and well-known geisha districts in all of Japan. Gion is the Japanese translation (via Chinese ''Qiyuan'') of the Buddhist term Jetavana. The geisha in Kyoto do not refer to themselves as geisha, instead using the local term . While the term geisha means "artist" or "person of the arts", the more direct term means essentially "a woman of art". Divisions Gion houses two , or geisha districts: and . The two were originally the same district, but split many years ago. Gion Kobu is larger, occupying most of the district including the famous street Hanamikoji, while Gion Higashi is smaller and occupies the northeast corner, centered on its rehearsal hall. Despite the considerable ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nihongami
is the term used for a number of traditional Japanese hairstyles considered to be distinctive in their construction and societal role. Traditionally, the construction of most hairstyles consisted of two "wings" at the side of the head, curving upwards towards the back of the head to form a topknot or ponytail, with a long loop of hair below this also drawn into the topknot. Styles were accessorised with traditional hair accessories, though typically only by women; the combination of both style and accessories formed hairstyles that distinctively varied based on gender, age, job role and social standing. Most styles of were hardened and shaped with wax, known as , and were styled with specially-carved combs made of either bamboo or boxwood, with heated tongs used to straighten the hair before styling. Hair styled in this manner was typically restyled weekly, and in some cases would necessitate sleeping on a pillow raised from the floor, known as a . are no longer comm ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kamishichiken
, pronounced locally as Kamihichiken, is a district of northwest Kyoto, Japan. It is the oldest hanamachi (geisha district) in Kyoto, and is located just east of the Kitano Tenman-gū Shrine. The name Kamishichiken literally means "Seven Upper Houses." These refer to the seven teahouses built from the equipment and material left over from the rebuilding of the Kitano Shrine in Muromachi era (1333–1573). Kamishichiken is located in Kyoto's Nishijin area, which is known for traditional hand-woven textiles. The quiet streets of Kamigyō-ku are made up of dark wooden buildings, mainly (teahouses) and (geisha houses). Unlike the other remaining districts, which are located close to the city center, Kamishichiken is further away, and accordingly significantly quieter and attracts fewer tourists. The geisha of this district are known for being subtle and demure, few in number but each highly accomplished dancers and musicians. There are approximately 25 (apprentice geisha) and geis ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ponto-chō
is a district in Kyoto, Japan, known for its geisha 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-chō" is said to be a portmanteau of the Portuguese word (bridge) and the Japanese word , meaning 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 Geisha (known locally as ) and have existed in Ponto-chō since at least the 16th century, as have prostitution and other forms of entertainment. Today, the area, lit b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Japanese History
The first human inhabitants of the Japanese archipelago have been traced to prehistoric times around 30,000 BC. 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 to ninth century, 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 established a ... [...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 commun ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ochaya
In Japan, an is an establishment where patrons are entertained by geisha. A now-archaic term that arose in the Edo period, 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 part of a name, the honorific prefix is not used in Japanese, and the plain is used as a suffix, as in "Ichiriki Chaya ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mizu Shōbai
, literally the water trade, is the euphemism for jobs that do not provide a contractually fixed salary, but instead rely 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 sex work. 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. Bearing relation to the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Maiko
A is an apprentice geisha in Kyoto and 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 between 17 to 20 years old, and graduate to geisha status after a period of training, which includes learning traditional dance, learning to play the , learning to sing , and, in Kyoto only, learning the Kyoto dialect. This apprenticeship usually ranges from a period of a few months to a year or two years, though apprentices too old to dress as may instead skip to the stage of geisha, despite still being in 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 vary from those in Kyoto, sometimes to a considerable degree, including an apprentice's appearance and the structure of their apprenticeship. Work In the morning, take lessons in the tradi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 million residents ; the city proper has a population of 13.99 million people. Located at the head of Tokyo Bay, the prefecture forms part of the Kantō region on the central coast of Honshu, Japan's largest island. Tokyo serves as Economy of Japan, Japan's economic center and is the seat of both the Government of Japan, Japanese government and the Emperor of Japan. Originally a fishing village named Edo, the city became politically prominent in 1603, when it became the seat of the Tokugawa shogunate. By the mid-18th century, Edo was one of the most populous cities in the world with a population of over one million people. Following the Meiji Restoration of 1868, the imperial capital in Kyoto was mov ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
