Japanese Culture

GEISHA

The famous traditional Japanese entertainers have many myths about their lifestyle and history.

Geisha (芸者 "person of the arts") are traditional Japanese artist-entertainers. The word Geiko is also used to describe such persons. Geisha were very common in the 18th and 19th centuries, and are still in existence today, although their numbers are dwindling. "Geisha," pronounced /ˈgeɪ ʃa/ ("gay-sha") is the most familiar term to English speakers, and the most commonly used within Japan as well, but in the Kansai region the terms geigi and, for apprentice geisha, "Maiko" have also been used since the Meiji Restoration. The term maiko is only used in Kyoto districts. The English pronunciation ˈgi ʃa ("gee-sha") or the phrase "geisha girl," common during the American occupation of Japan, carry connotations of prostitution, as some young women, desperate for money and calling themselves "geisha," sold themselves to American troops.

Trainee Geisha (Maiko) Kyoto Japan

The geisha tradition evolved from the taikomochi or hōkan, similar to court jesters. The first geisha were all male; as women began to take the role they were known as onna geisha (女芸者), or "woman artist (female form)." Geisha today are exclusively female, aside from the Taikomochi. Taikomochi are exceedingly rare. Only three are currently registered in Japan. They tend to be far more bawdy than geisha. Other public figures who contributed to the creation of the modern geisha were Oiran, or courtesans, and Odoriko, dancing girls. The Odoriko in particular influenced geisha to include dance as part of their artistic repertoire.

A Maiko going to work in Gion Kyoto.

Geisha were traditionally trained from young childhood. Geisha houses often bought young girls from poor families, and took responsibility for raising and training them. During their childhood, apprentice geisha worked first as maids, then as assistants to the house's senior geisha as part of their training and to contribute to the costs of their upkeep and education. This long-held tradition of training still exists in Japan, where a student lives at the home of a master of some art, starting out doing general housework and observing and assisting the master, and eventually moving up to become a master in her own right (see also irezumi). This training often lasts for many years.

The course of study traditionally starts from a young age and encompasses a wide variety of arts, including Japanese musical instruments (particularly the shamisen) and traditional forms of singing, traditional dance, tea ceremony, flower arranging (ikebana), poetry and literature. By watching and assisting senior geisha, they became skilled in the complex traditions surrounding selecting, matching, and wearing precious kimono, and in various games and the art of conversation, and also in dealing with clients.

Once a woman became an apprentice geisha (a maiko) she would begin to accompany senior geisha to the tea houses, parties and banquets that constitute a geisha's work environment. To some extent, this traditional method of training persists, though it is of necessity foreshortened. Modern geisha are no longer bought by or brought into geisha houses as children. Becoming a geisha is now entirely voluntary. Most geisha now begin their training in their late teens.

Are Geisha Prostitutes?

Strictly speaking, geisha are not prostitutes. Because they entertain men behind closed doors in an exclusive manner, there has been much speculation about the underpinnings of their profession. The confusion that surrounds this issue has been complicated by Japanese prostitutes who wish to co-opt the prestige of the geisha image, and by inaccurate depictions of geisha in Western popular culture. Although a geisha may choose to engage in sexual relations with one of her patrons, geisha engagements will never involve sex.

The first geisha was indeed a courtesan named Kako. Over time, she discovered that she had no need to engage in the red-light district. Kako was directly or indirectly to heir to many schools of Japanese art. She called herself a geisha ("arts-person") and confined herself to giving artistic performances.

Occasionally, a geisha may choose to take a danna (an old fashioned word for husband), which is typically a wealthy man who has the means to support a geisha mistress. Although a geisha may fall in love with her danna, the affair is customarily contingent upon the danna's ability to financially support the geisha's lifestyle. The traditional conventions and values within such a relationship are very intricate and not well understood, even by many Japanese. Because of this, the true intimate role of the geisha remains the object of much speculation, and often misinterpretation, in Japan as well as abroad.

SAMURAI

Samurai (侍 or sometimes 士) is a common term for a warrior in pre-industrial Japan. A more appropriate term is bushi (武士) (lit. "war-man") which came into use during the Edo period. However, the term samurai now usually refers to warrior nobility, not, for example, ashigaru or foot soldiers. The samurai with no attachment to a clan or daimyo was called a ronin (lit. "wave-man").
Samurai were expected to be cultured and literate, and over time, samurai during the Tokugawa era gradually lost their military function. By the end of the Tokugawa, samurai were essentially civilian bureaucrats for the daimyo with their swords serving only ceremonial purposes. With the Meiji reforms in the late 19th century, the samurai were abolished as a distinct class in favour of a western-style national army. The strict code that they followed, called bushido, still survives in present-day Japanese society, as do many other aspects of their way of life.

Etymology of samurai

The word samurai has its origins in the pre-Heian period Japan when it was pronounced saburai, meaning servant or attendant. It was not until the early modern period, namely the Azuchi-Momoyama period and early Edo period of the late 16th and early 17th centuries that the word saburai became substituted with samurai. However, by then, the meaning had already long before changed.

During the era of the rule of the samurai, the earlier term yumitori (“bowman”) was also used as an honorary title of an accomplished warrior even when swordsmanship had become more important. Japanese archery (kyujutsu), is still strongly associated with the war god Hachiman.

Japanese samurai in armour, 1860s. Photograph by Felice Beato.

KIMONO

The kimono is a very famous traditional Japanese clothing. There are many different types of kimonos including Yukata.

The first part on how to wear a yukata - the casual Japanese kimono.

	Step 1: Hold the two collar ends (‘erisaki’) with the right hand. Place the yukata to the right side and take a step forward.
	Step 2: Bring the yukata over the back of the body. Open it up.
	Step 3: Wear the yukata over the shoulders. Hold both overlaps with both hands away from the body.
	Step 4: Hold the yukata tightly and lift it off the floor. Lower the yukata slowly to adjust its length. The skirting of the yukata is worn just above the ankles.

	Step 5: Continue to hold the yukata tightly. Bring the left overlap over the body and adjust its width such that its edge runs along the right point of the hipbone.
	Step 6: Continue to hold the yukata tightly. Open up the left overlap and bring the right overlap over the body. Lift the end of the right overlap by about 3-5cm.
	Step 7: Continue to hold the yukata tightly. Bring the left overlap over the right overlap and hold its end with the right hand. Take the first waist sash (‘koshi himo’ sash) with the left hand.
	Step 8: Remove any creases around the stomach, waist and back with the left hand. Tie the ‘koshi himo’ sash around the waist.

	Step 9: Insert both hands into the openings under the arm (‘miyatsuguchi’). Use both hands to remove any creases around the waist on both the back and front of the body.
	Step 10: Hold the ‘centre’ line on the back with the left hand and adjust the distance between the collar and neck by pulling the collar ends with the right hand. Please note that the distance between the collar and the neck should be the size of a clenched fist.
	Step 11: Fold the top right overlap to make a triangle shape.
	Step 12: Bring the upper left overlap over the upper right overlap. Tie the upper overlaps with a second ‘koshi himo’ sash.

	Step 13: Check that the top and bottom parts are aligned.
	Step 14: Check the centre line on the back.
	Step 15: Hold the obi board (‘obi ita’) with the left hand. Please note that ‘obi ita’ is used to maintain the shape of the obi tie.
	Step 16: Wear the ‘obi ita’ on the front of the body.

Uchikake - The wedding kimono

For a young women having a traditional Japanese wedding, they wear the most gorgeous Kimono called Uchikake. Most people rent this kimono, however the rental still costs around A$5000. The white Uchikake (pictured on the left) is just part of the elaborate Japanese wedding ceremony.

If you look carefully you will be able to see how the Uchikake is very long and would touch the ground if it was not held up. Unlike traditional Western wedding dresses, that have train or material that flows along the ground at the back of the dress, the Uchikake is long all the way around. The bride has to be assisted by one of her attendants to walk in this kimono.

Furisode Kimono The most formal and gorgeous kimono for single Japanese girls and women.	Yukata Kimono Summer casual kimono worn by Japanese men and women.
Houmongi Kimono A formal kimono worn by married Japanese women.	Tomesode Kimono Formal Japanese kimono worn by a Japanese woman to special family functions.
Hadajuban Kimono ‘Hadajuban’ is the first undergarment worn in the kimono attire. It is so named as it is worn next to the skin.	KIMONO OBI An essential accessory for any kimono.

HISTORY OF JAPANESE OBI

Traditional clothing of the Edo period, (1600-1868), included the kimono and obi as we know them today. The obi did not, however, become a prominent part of a woman’s ensemble until the mid Edo period. It was then that designers, weavers and dyers all focused their talent on creating a longer, wider and more elaborate obi. Obi measurement was then standardised to 360cm long by 30cm wide.

Edo fashion was influenced by the design and style that courtesans and entertainers wear. Women of the samurai class continued to wear the simpler kosode kimono, tied together with an obi made of braided cords. Outside the samurai class, women experimented with a more elaborate kimono - the furisode, which is often seen on the Kabuki stage. Characterised by long, flowing sleeves, the furisode kimono was accented by a large, loosely tied obi.

For many years, the obi bow was tied either at the front or on the side. By the mid-Edo period, the obi bow was tied in the back position. It was said that this style started in the mid-1700s when a Kabuki actor, imitating a young girl, came on stage with his obi tied in the back. Another reason that the back position became more acceptable was that the sheer bulk of the wider obi became too cumbersome to be positioned in the front of the kimono.

The Meiji era, (1868-1912) witnessed a revolution in the textile industry with the advent of electric weaving looms and chemical dying techniques from the West. During this time, a woman's kimono ceased to be worn in the free-flowing style of the earlier days. The new fashion was to tuck the kimono at the waist to adjust the length of the kimono to the woman's height. These tucks and folds were visible and became part of the art of tying the obi.

JAPANESE FASHION

A example of Japanese Fashion in Harajuku Tokyo Japan

KOGAL

Kogals (コギャル kogyaru, lit. "small/child girl") are a subculture of girls and young women in urban Japan, one of several types of so-called gals.

(Picture - Two young Japanese ladies reading photographers contracts they were just offered in the street outside Shibuya 109).

GANGURO

Ganguro (ガングロ), literally "black-face", is a Japanese fashion trend among many Japanese girls which peaked in popularity from the late 1990s to the early 2000s, an outgrowth of chapatsu hair dyeing. The Shibuya and Ikebukuro districts of Tokyo are the centre of ganguro fashion.

LOLITAS

Lolitas is fashion and subculture in Japan it includes several subcategories include Gothic Lolita, "Classic Lolita" (more traditional, light-coloured, also more mature-looking) and "Sweet Lolita" (childish pastel-coloured clothes, lots of lace and ribbons).

Classic Lolita Look

COSPLAY

Cosplay (コスプレ, kosupure) is the Japanese word for dressing up like a Japanese character. Cosplay is popular in places like Tokyo's Harajuku district.

Cosplay in Harajuku, Tokyo

MAID CAFE

Sometimes referred to as Meido cafe or Cosplay restaurants.

Maid promoting maid cafes in Akihabara, Tokyo.

JAPANESE TEA CEREMONY

The Japanese tea ceremony (cha-no-yu, chado, or sado) is a traditional ritual influenced by Zen Buddhism in which powdered green tea, or matcha (抹茶), is ceremonially prepared by a skilled practitioner and served to a small group of guests in a tranquil setting.

Japanese Tea Ceremony

JAPANESE FOOD

JAPANESE FOOD - Guide to Japanese food including Encyclopaedia of Japanese Food, Japanese food - recipes, sushi, sake and Japanese restaurant guides.

SAKE COCKTAIL
Sake is the latest mixing sensation in New World Cocktails, proving to be the ideal base in a clear and low to medium level alcoholic beverage. Sake is a gentle and delicate mixer, easily and harmoniously blending an earthy dry, yet delicate flavor to most chosen cocktails.

YAKITORI CHICKEN RECIPE Looking for a simple, yet satisfying Japanese recipe? Look no further than this Yakitori chicken recipe

SUSHI STARTER KIT Always wanted to make sushi, but didn't know where to start? The Obento Sushi Kit could be just what you are looking for.

TONK OTSU NOODLE SOUP Japanese style noodles with a bit of flare. Try this easy Japanese noodle recipe out.

JAPANESESushi

STYLE CAKES

Japanese Cakes

RAUMEN - CHINESE NOODLE SOUP

“Raumen” is the Japanese word that is translated to Chinese noodle soup. Originally it is from China and brought into Japan in the late 19^th century and started to spread gradually. It was familiarized to Japan naturally, as the similar type of noodle soups, Soba and Udon, were very popular in Japan. As time passes, its taste of soup and noodle was changed into Japanese style from original taste. Japanese people created new style soup noodles, such as Miso Raumen, and then Raumen became one of the major dishes for Japanese people.