A long time ago, I read ‘Memoirs of a Geisha’ by Arthur Golden. It is an historical fiction novel, perhaps my favourite genre, and moved me so deeply. I never thought I would ever have the opportunity to see a geisha in person. Whilst visiting Kyoto, I did. The exquisite geisha & maiko of Gion Kyoto are sublime.
Brief History
Before the mid 1700’s, what we know today as geisha, were all male. It wasn’t until 1750 that the first female prostitute gave herself the name ‘geisha’. In the early 1800’s, the distinction between courtesan and geisha was developed and strictly adhered to. A courtesan providing sex and a geisha providing entertainment.
Since then, the profession has been almost entirely female. From the 1830’s, geisha quickly gain exclusive status in Japan, becoming the fashion and style icons of society. Their numbers suffered greatly in the two world wars and today, Kyoto has the largest concentration in the world.
They are quite a rare entity. A polling in 2006 numbered maiko at only 71 and geisha at 202.
What is a Geisha?
A geisha (or geiko as they are referred to in Kyoto) is an entertainer. She has studied in the arts of dance, performance, calligraphy, singing, conversation and hosting.
A maiko is a geisha in training or apprentice. She is usually under 20 years of age, is not allowed to have a boyfriend or carry any money. She will live in a boarding house with an Okasan (mother) who will provide her with a stipend to live on.
Distinguishing Between The Two
Quite easy once you know what to look out for. A maiko will usually have dangling flowers or decorations in her hair. She has a red collar, brightly coloured kimono and the obi (kimono belt) hangs down her back, rather than being tied in a square knot. There are other differences of course, but these are the main ones that stood out to me.
Seeing Geisha & Maiko
The Gion District is where the maiko boarding houses are located, and where the large theatre is in Kyoto. It is also, and has been since 794, the entertainment district of the city.
There is one main road, called Hanamikoji Street with many smaller roads connecting here. If you are wandering down on that main street, anytime after 5pm, you may just spot an elusive geisha or maiko. This is the time of day that they are heading off to entertain at a tea house or similar type establishment.
My Experience
The first time I saw a maiko, I wasn’t even in the Gion District. I was walking down another street on the opposite side of the river.
Minding my own business and right in front of me, a maiko walked over to a taxi and began a conversation. As I passed by, I was able to take some photographs. These are those, cropped, but in no other way altered.
The experience left me exhilarated. Never in my life had I seen such a beautiful creature. Like a living doll. She was so exquisite.
Gion District
I have walked through the Gion District two times on my visit to Kyoto. Once very early in the morning to have a look at the traditional wooden houses and architecture.
And again, once at night to see what the area looked like with the lanterns aglow. In the morning, the district was virtually empty and I did see a two maiko walking on one of the larger streets.
At night there were throngs of tourists and vehicles, while I did see maiko and a geisha multiple times, the amount of people about made it very difficult to even see them let alone admire them.
The Tourist Ban
All over social media has been talk of a ban of the Gion District. While this is not entirely true, there is some validity behind it. Some of the very small alley’s, may become blocked off to tourists at some point. I did not witness anything being blocked, nor any new signage to provide tourists with any guidance or rules.
What I did see, were these older signs from 2019, telling tourists that they should not take photographs inside these few small alleyways or face a fine if they do.
The reason this has all come about, is that some visitors have engaged in abhorrent behaviour such as pulling at the items in the geisha’s hair and tugging at their kimonos. This is absolutely disgusting, and I would not be surprised if a more forceful ban does come into play, should these actions continue.
I will never forget the few fleeting moments in Kyoto that I was able to witness the exquisite beauty of the maiko and geisha. They are elusive, incredibly beautiful and absolutely mystical. I would say, that by far, this was the best part of my trip to Kyoto.
