Geisha

Japanese: 芸者 - げいしゃ

An old and popular name for geisha (geigi). In the Kansai region, it is popularly known as geiko (geiko). A woman who entertains customers by performing arts at restaurants and teahouses, and arranging food and drink. Its origins can be seen in the ancient Shirabyōshi (shirabyōshi), and it is a type of oriental hostess, along with the singers and geishas of old China.

[Yoichi Harashima]

History and customs

The predecessors of geisha were two different types that appeared almost simultaneously during the Genroku period (1688-1704). One of them was the taikojoro, which was created to make up for the lack of performing arts among the prostitutes in the brothels, and this became a professional occupation and came to be called geisha from the Horeki period (1751-64). A geisha is someone skilled in the arts, and at that time, geisha were not only skilled in entertainment but also in martial arts. In the brothels, they were called female geisha to distinguish them from the male geisha who were the hostess (later, geisha came to refer only to female geisha, but in the Kansai region, it became an abbreviation for male geisha, and female geisha became geiko). Female geisha were originally employed exclusively by a brothel, but later they began to travel to other brothels, and in Yoshiwara, Nakanocho geisha (also called kenban geisha) who did not live in the brothel appeared. The geisha of the brothels were most distinctive in the case of Yoshiwara, and did not engage in prostitution, but were professionals who performed only the arts (shamisen music and dancing), which demonstrated the perspective of the Yoshiwara geisha that was different from that of courtesans; this distinction was maintained from the Kansei era (1789-1801) until the Meiji era.

The other type was the private prostitute known as Odoriko, who appeared around the time of the Genroku era. As the name suggests, they would travel to various places in response to invitations, dancing as a pretext. At first, most of them were young girls, but as the number of marriageable women increased, the art shifted from dancing to shamisen music, and during the Meiwa era (1764-1772), they came to be called Machi Geisha in contrast to the female geisha of the brothels. Machi Geisha followed in the footsteps of Odoriko, visiting the private homes of samurai and townspeople, but they were also often invited to restaurants and other establishments, and eventually began to serve customers at restaurants and boat inns as their main outlets, and their prostitution was carried on semi-openly.

Although the two types of geisha mentioned above originated at different times, they had in common the fact that they entertained customers with music, dance, and dance, and as for prostitution, the prohibition on prostitution was not strictly enforced even for brothel geisha except in Edo Yoshiwara, and many geisha in Kansai, even though they belonged to brothels, assumed prostitution, so there was no real difference between the two types. However, in terms of subsequent numerical growth, there were more town geisha due to the prosperity of private prostitution districts, and their numbers increased to the point that it was said that there was no town in Edo without two or three geisha. Among them, Fukagawa geisha were said to be representative of town geisha, and their appearance, customer service attitude, and spirit and chivalry in their attitude were supported by customers, and they were given the special name Tatsumi geisha (due to the fact that Fukagawa was in the Tatsumi direction of Edo, i.e., southeast). Their customs, such as wearing black crepe kimonos with wide obi sashes hanging down their backs and painting their bare toes with robe, were also very stylish, and since they wore haori coats, which was unusual for geisha, they were also called haori geisha. Clothing differed depending on the era and region, but the characteristic gesture of pulling up the hem of their kimonos with their left hand when going out (hidarizuma) was so distinctive that it was even seen in geisha in the Kansai region, and later became another name for geisha.

After the Meiji period, they came under the supervision of the police, and the word geisha came to be used frequently in official jargon, and the growing influence of the entertainment world led to a rapid increase in the number of geisha. This was heavily influenced by the use of machiai and geisha by the political, government, and business circles, and as central figures in the social world, they were given a higher status as hostesses than prostitutes. At the same time, there was a movement in some areas to improve the quality of their arts, and later, some geisha were designated as intangible cultural properties for their transmission of ancient songs such as Icchu-bushi and Miyazono-bushi. However, the increase in the number of geisha resulted in the production of geisha with low arts that were difficult to distinguish from barmaids, or who were close to full-time prostitution. Geisha girls became internationally famous because they were seen as oriental prostitutes. After the Second World War in 1947 (Showa 22), they came under the supervision of the Public Safety Commission, and the scope of their offices was regulated by local government regulations for the enforcement of entertainment businesses. Recently, there have been significant changes, such as a gradual decline in the number of geisha who can perform classical shamisen music, which should have been the original art of geisha, and the increase in Western-style hairstyles, which has led to the collapse of the custom of wearing the "de" costume with the hem of the kimono pulled up.

[Yoichi Harashima]

Business type

Geisha are registered with a geisha house and mainly work in waiting rooms, restaurants, and inns within the area of their business, and are mediated by the inspection officer for attendance and bills. The employment form for geisha houses is often a kind of indentured servitude with advance payment, and the typical form of training was to start around the age of 10 doing odd jobs while learning basic arts and becoming a hangyoku (half prostitute) before becoming a geisha, but this is no longer permitted due to the Child Welfare Act and other reasons. Depending on the distribution ratio of earnings, there are contracts such as full-pay, seven-three, part, and reverse seven, but even in these cases, advance payment is often required. In addition, the classification of earnings (such as flower money and gifts) that are subject to distribution and the proportion of living expenses that are borne vary depending on the case, and the calculation of flower money, which is the main income, is complicated, making it difficult to understand how to settle the settlement. Furthermore, there are also non-employment contracts such as sign-rental (where a fixed amount of money called a sign-rental fee is paid to the okiya) and a small number of self-operated (where the geisha also works as an okiya owner), and recently there are also commuter geisha who do not live in the okiya.

[Yoichi Harashima]

geisha
Town geisha. "Shokuninzukushi Ekotoba" second scroll (part) The original is by Kuwagata Keisai (Kitao Masami) and the inscription by Kyokaen (Shuzanjin) is owned by the National Diet Library .

geisha

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

芸妓(げいぎ)の古称および俗称。関西では芸子(げいこ)と俗称する。料理屋、待合などで伎芸(ぎげい)を演じ酒食を斡旋(あっせん)して興を添える女性。その源流は古代の白拍子(しらびょうし)にもみられ、旧中国の歌妓などとともに東洋的接客婦の一種である。

［原島陽一］

沿革・風俗

芸者の前身は、元禄(げんろく)年間（1688～1704）に二つの別の形のものがほぼ同時におこった。その一つは、遊廓(ゆうかく)で遊女の伎芸不足を補うために生まれた太鼓女郎で、これがさらに専業化して宝暦(ほうれき)年間（1751～64）から芸者とよばれるようになった。芸者とは芸の巧みな者のことで、当時は遊芸に限らず武術に優れた者も芸者であった。遊廓では、幇間(ほうかん)の男芸者と区別して女芸者とよんでいた（のちに芸者は女芸者だけをさすようになったが、関西では逆に男芸者の略称となり、女芸者は芸子となった）。女芸者は初めは遊女屋の専属であったが、のちに他の遊女屋へも出張するようになり、吉原では遊女屋に同居しない仲之町芸者（見番芸者ともいう）も出現した。遊廓の芸者は吉原の場合にもっとも特徴的で、売春はせずに伎芸（三味線音楽と踊り）だけによる専門職業人として遊女とは違った吉原芸者の見識を示したもので、寛政(かんせい)（1789～1801）以後明治までこの特色が守られた。

　他の一つは、元禄ごろに出現した踊り子という私娼(ししょう)である。名前のように踊りを名目として、招きに応じて出張する形式であった。初めは少女が多かったが、しだいに年ごろの女性が増えるとともに、踊りから三味線音楽の芸に移っていき、明和(めいわ)年間（1764～72）には遊廓の女芸者との対比から、これを町芸者とよぶようになった。町芸者が武士や町人の私宅へ出張したのは踊り子を踏襲したものであるが、料理屋などへ招かれることも多く、やがて料理屋、船宿(ふなやど)などをおもな出先として接客するようになり、その売春もなかば公然と行われた。

　前記の2系統の芸者は発生こそ違ったが、歌舞音曲で客を接待するという点では共通しており、売春についても、江戸吉原のほかは遊廓芸者といえども禁止は不徹底であり、関西の芸子は多くが遊廓内に所属していながら売春を前提としていたから、2系統に実質的な違いはなかった。ただし、その後の数的発展からいえば、私娼街の繁栄とも関連して町芸者系のほうが多く、江戸では2、3人の芸者がいない町はないといわれたほどに増加した。なかでも深川の芸者は町芸者の代表といわれ、容姿、接客態度、心情における意気と侠気(きょうき)とは客の支持を受け、辰巳(たつみ)芸者（深川が江戸の辰巳の方角＝南東にあたることによる）と特別の名称が与えられていた。黒縮緬(ちりめん)の着物に幅広の帯を後ろに垂らし素足の爪(つめ)に紅をさすなどの風俗も粋(いき)なもので、芸者としては珍しく羽織を着用したので羽織芸者ともよばれた。服飾物は時代や土地によって違ったが、外出の際に左手で裾(すそ)を引き上げる左褄(ひだりづま)は関西の芸子にまで及ぶほどの特徴的なしぐさで、のちに芸者の異名となった。

　明治以後は警察の監督下に置かれ、官庁用語には芸妓が多用されるようになり、花柳界勢力の増大が芸者を急増させた。これには政官財界の待合・芸者の利用が深く影響しており、社交界の中心的存在として娼妓よりも上位の接客婦の地位を与えられた。これとともに伎芸の質的向上を図る動きが一部におこり、のちに一中節、宮薗(みやぞの)節など古曲の伝承によって無形文化財に指定されるほどの芸者も出ている。しかし、芸者の増加は、酌婦と区別しにくいような低い伎芸の、または売春専業に近い芸者を輩出させる結果となった。ゲイシャ・ガールとして国際的に有名となったのは東洋的売春婦とみられたからである。第二次世界大戦後の1947年（昭和22）以降は公安委員会の監督下に置かれ、地方自治体の風俗営業施行規則によって出先の範囲を規制されている。最近は、芸者の本来の伎芸であるべき古典的三味線音楽を演じられる芸者がしだいに減少していき、洋髪の増加にしたがって、着物の裾(すそ)を引いた「出(で)」の衣装を着る約束も崩れるなど、かなりの変化が現れている。

［原島陽一］

業態

芸者は、芸妓置屋に籍を置いて所属営業地内の待合・料理屋・旅館などをおもな出先とし、出先への出勤、勘定には検番の周旋を受ける。芸妓置屋との雇用形態は、前借金による年季奉公形式の一種の身売りが多く、10歳ぐらいから雑用を働きながら基礎伎芸を習得して半玉(はんぎょく)を経て芸者となる仕込みの形態はその典型であったが、現在は児童福祉法などの関係で認められない。稼ぎ高の配分比率によって、丸抱え、七三、分け、逆七などの契約があるが、この場合にも前借金を負うことが多い。また、配分の対象となる稼ぎ高（花代や祝儀など）の区分や生活費の負担割合などは場合によって異なり、しかも主要収入の花代の計算が複雑であって、その清算はわかりにくい。なお雇用契約でない看板借り（看板料という一定の権利金を置屋に支払う）と、少数の自前(じまえ)（芸者が置屋を兼ねる）とがあり、最近は置屋に同居しない通勤芸者もある。

［原島陽一］

芸者
町芸者。『職人尽絵詞』　第2軸（部分）　原図は、鍬形蕙斎（北尾政美）画、杏花園（蜀山人）詞書国立国会図書館所蔵">

芸者

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