I feel sorry for these girls devoting their entir lives to being a geisha but it does show how detirmed they are to do well. It is a tradition in their country though so we should never ever judge them, although I would'nt want to do everything that they do.
@TheMayusama I agree with you. Some people are just too ignorant and think geishas are prostitutes, when it's really not true. In fact, half of the word geisha means 'art'. Geisha's are entertainers. They perform tea ceremonies, dance, play a musical instrument called the 'shamisen', and wear traditional kimono. They don't work the corners every day like prostitutes, and actually live a very formal life full of training and dedication. Having sex with a man is just a little part of what they do.
@pillar7of7fabulosity As would I i would take the hardships with joy! even to be a customer and have maiko and geiko as friends would be amazeing!!! but you rly need connections especialy if youre not japanese. Shes geisha now and so stunning from the photos ive seen
The word Geisha means Art Person I do not believe they are prostitutes Gei means art Sha means person. They are so beautiful. Does anyone know if you HAVE to be japanese to be a geisha?
@Brebre7534 There was one woman (im sure you can look it up and easily find her) who was traning to becomea geisha, but never became a full one. They allowed her into their worlds because they knew she was serious about it (she was fluent i njapanese and wanted to learn the shanmisen) So idont thin kyou HAVE ro be.
@Brebre7534 One does not need to be Japanese, but the traditions, location, language and okiya structure are japanese. Few non-japanese individuals have the fortitude to submit to the years of training especially the matters that would be normal and easy for a native japanese person.
@Brebre7534 Only one western woman has ever managed to complete the training, she was one of the consultants on Memoirs of a Geisha. I can't remember her name, but she did it.
@kasbersky I read some where that they cost about 200 ( i thought it was 2000 but my bad) and hour for their time. They may only spend 1 or 2 hours at a party and then go off and do another party. Sometimes they don't get home until 2 or 3 in the morning. And then get up early for classes the next day
@xShadowxPhoenix The support bond is generally between minarai and Maiko or hangyoku. They follow this sempai to kōhai relationship until one passes if formally bonded. The bond is especially improtant for the first five years.
A Maiko can at one time be both kōhai to the elder and sempai to minarai. Geiko and Geigi carry this on as part of their refinement. Notice in part 6 how Kikumaru steps in to direct Kikuyu.
@xShadowxPhoenix Not always its a geiko/geisha that is the onesan, the only thing is that she needs too be a rank higher.. so junior maiko would be able too have a senior maiko, or junior - senior geiko/geisha. its up too the okasan too find and onesan and up to a maiko or geiko too say yes.
but most times it would be and honor too take in a imoto or little sister.
how nice it is to learn this wonderful rich culture ...love the ideology of feminine manners, etiquette in the same knowing about arts etc. i would love to learn to be 'Geisha' then be the Geisha to my future husband. take the tradition and decorate it your own way ... :-)
She said "Glamor" that is such a cheap word, such a shallow word it is not glamor ti is art how dare they bastards, by the way I am from the UK and I really hate the way they said it I will find them and cut them for putting that word anywhere near this.
Kikuyu is now in her 20s. She became a Geiko in Dec 2009 and is still around.
There is an ebay shop that sells authentic Maiko/Geisha accessoires, it's called Hannari-ya. But the articles are very expensive.
To buy an authentic kimono, and especially a hikizuri, and all the dozen of utensils you need (I speak of experience), you need thousands of dollars. However there are bargains on ebay if you know what you're searching for. If you send me a message I can help you a bit.
OOOO i just love this documentary, and Kikuyu you are so wonderfull :)
does anyone know a contact or a shop in Kyoto were I can buy authentic maiko outfit? like everything? really want to buy hikizuri, etc... even get one custom made for myself.. i know it will be like really expensive like millions off yen but its worth it... i wuf be really glad for any reply :) ive found stuff yju but theyre like damaged.. anyone know a maiko or geiko or okya selling out dated stuff? or shops...
Kikumaru is a geisha already, I think. If you look at her (the young woman in the yellow kimono with the red obi), she has fewer ornaments in her hair, and her obi is shorter in the back. Am I correct in assuming this?
@CrystalChord2010 Yes u r correct, kikumaru is a geiko. u can see that her kimono has shorter sleeves she wears a wig, and has very few ornaments in it. her obi is shorter... a maiko have her real ahir tied up, a obi called dangling obi (darari obi) thats around 7 pluss minus metres long. and she has tucks in her kimono at the sleeves and her shoulders. and she wears okobo (her 10 cm tall shoes)
Yes, Geisha is like a moving performing artist skilled in music, dance, flower arrangement, etc. Personally, the idea of a young woman dedicating her life to traditional Japanese arts and performance must be an idea beyond its time and understanding, even to this very day which is why they are sadly and often mistaken as prostitutes or high class ladies serving men. Such an idea is yet to be appreciated at the mainstream level.
@ReiOn8 How do you officially know that for sure? I hear a lot of "observers" talk about traditional Geisha like they were there. In the circle of their vows. I find it hard to believe that Asian men were saints and never touched these girls or attempted to rape them as young as 13. It seems like everything they do. Their "perfection" is for the serving of the man. They give up everything to please a man.School, education. Future.That in itself would break the rule of Geisha.To not please a man.
@VexSocietyThrone Actually the perfection of the Maiko / Geiko / Geisha is in form, etiquette, arts, music and performance. Sexual issues were strictly enforced once the Odoriko started to develop especially in the Oiran quarters.
This is not to say there were not exceptions, but since 1960 the issue has been very structured.
@VexSocietyThrone Geiko nor maiko do sexual favours.... never... maiko and geiko always netertain in couples. so iff one would ever tried to do anything sexual the others would very clarly say no.... and japanese men dont rape young girls...they are entertaining he art. nothing else and the art is dance, tea cermoney, games drinking etc...
This is a very interesting view of the becoming of a woman, and an artist. I hope that this gives her the freedom that she wants in her life. I wish her the best for the future!!
Has anyone seen the other video that's about something like this? I'm looking for the one that has the geisha in a different area than kyoto (I think). Could anyone give me the name of it?
@greeneyedmonster6 Im not sure what video your looking for, might be of the geishaes of Asakusa (Tokyo)
Just search geisha or geiko or maiko documentary... Theres also different documentaries like this but on japanese (one abt Miehinas life shes another geiko)
this documentary is abt Yukina now Kikuyu (shes a geisha by this time)
@JXJ1326 The white painting in the face came long a long time ago. when there were no eletricity and only when a room was lighten up with candles, these maikos and geikos walked into the room and everything refelcted around them.
while maikos and geikos were expensive make up, the clowns use rather cheap make up compared to the maikos and geikos, and the face make up of the maikos and geikos are supposed to be a mask, its supposed to look like the no mask. its theyre artist outfit...
These subtitles are extremely subjectively interpreted... it gives only the most basic gist of everything they are saying, and even somethings they are not saying. Perhaps for the purpose of pragmatism in reading subtitles, but you really do miss a lot by this kind of simplified interpretation.
search hokan in asakusa on googleand u can see a bit off the hokan or male geisha of Asakusa (Tokyo) youtube has deleted the hokan documentary i watched only months ago... its flicr that shows the short movie...
The word Mizuage as i wrote below has two meanings, Mineko tells that Maikos never waa sold for theyre virginity.
read this interwiev and you might understand. And I would also read the tthings that made u so sure that maiko did go trough mizuage before!!
Oiran and tayu went trough mizuage in the form of selling theyre virginity, but in 1873 th eplessure quaters were outlawed. So most people are confused with the actual japanese meaning of the word.
@lavenderparfume1 ? huh? they aren't prostitutes... they're preformers. Like opra singers, someone supports them and they preform, alot of the time they dance.
@KUKAKYOTOTOKYO this is a copy of a part of and interwiew with Mineko Iwasaki former geiko.
Q: Talk to me about the mizuage ceremony.
Mizuage is really a coming-of-age ceremony, and apparently there was some selling of the virginity that went on in association with that ritual ceremony in the pleasure district a long time ago. However, that has never been true for the geisha. For the geisha, it was simply when they were becoming a young woman, similar to a sweet 16 in the West.
@starwinx10 "mizuage" is also a term that directly means "gross earnings," because it’s an old fishing term; as you may know, Japan was dependent on fishing for one of its main economic bases for many years. "Mizuage" means "to take out of the water." It stood for the catch. "What was your catch?" "How much money did you make from the water?" So when I refer to mizuage, I’m actually referring to my earnings, rather than the ceremony itself.
@lavenderparfume1 Geisha generally are not prostitutes, it was not meant for prostitution. but some people made a false branch and thus geisha are related to prostitutes but are not really prostitutes
@SauryGirl1 both oiran and tayuu are the same highest class of prostitute. The generic word for prostitute is yuujo or jorou. Oiran is the title given in Kantou especially Yoshiwara and Tayuu is the title given in Kansai especially Kyoto. Although they are both the same highest rank there are differences between them just as there are differences between geisha and geiko in Tokyo and Kyoto. Btw, tho Tayuu are originally imperial courtesans and were very skilled in art by the time they became...
@jojiojp Yeh I know theyre a few person who still call themself tayu, but a tayu
was a prostitut a high classed courtesan, the person who practise that now arent like the tayus when prostitusion was legal.Tayu today arent "real" tayu, because theyr not high class courtesan but rather artist, but not like the geikoes or maikos. but they practise alot of the same, themes but not the same subjects if its understandable. like geikos dance so does tayu but not the same dances.
@SauryGirl1 Of course I'm not refering to the "reenactment" tayuu or oiran that appear in "oiran/tayuu dochuu". These are just usually the daughters of the merchant's association. Rather I'm refering to the only two remaining tayuu who work currently in the original Shimabara district of Kyoto. The older one was originally a geiko herself. I think that they would consider themselves "real" although they only focus on the "gei" which was really what being a tayuu was abt anyway although...
@SauryGirl1 ^_^ there's this site abt Tayu kyoto.cool.ne.jp/tukasa21/tayuu.html which is the site of the Tayuu who was once a geiko which is very useful if you can read Japanese. good luck!
@SauryGirl1 geish are not free unfortunatly but they choose to be one or are sold to it...and they cant choose the man they coose her...she cant experience true love...maybe in some cases but the culture is beautiful
@JaliscoGringa I see you have been watching or reading Arthur Goldens book "Geisha" or?
Well the book he wrote is fiction, Noone are sold anymore as a geiko apprentice. Since it is so expensie to train a girl, not all who want to manage the tough regime. little sleep endless training, and heay outfit in the warm weather.
But a girl is not ever sold anymore, there are okiyas who are called by the girls who wish to become maiko then geiko. there were girls sold to and okiya before second world war
@SauryGirl1 ...& both Oiran and Tayuu would have been very skilled in regular arts such as talking& dancing by the time they reached those titles (although they would have had a lot of other experience). There r still practicing Tayuu today; although they do not engage in the sexual part of their job nemore they still present trad. dances, songs, play instruments, etc such as they would have done b4 1957 when the anti-prostitution laws were passed :)
Geishaes were never prostitutes, theyve always been atist and a living flower at a party. The first geishaes were male. It takes long time to become geisha. shikomi, minarai, maiko then geiko (geisha) a shikomi(1-3 years) reheres the japanese dialect and do chores, she will learn dancing. a minarai (last 1 month) is observing and the first time the girl put on a similar outfit to a maiko. maiko is the last stage, a maiko is an official geiko apprentice. Kikuyu (yukina) is now a geiko.
@BabbarKhalsaZindabad No. There is readily availible information on this subject and just a Google search that could tell you that they are NOT prostitutes. There are even comments beneath yours that explain what they do, and sex is clearly not part of it.
Maiko and Geiko entertain their customers -- poetry, literature, music, singing, dancing, conversation. Watching the video would tell you this, and show you the dedication it takes and the art of this unique career.
@Alexiandria1990 Like Dinker27said, they're just entainers. They dance, sing, and flirt with men. They don't have sex as part of they're customers. You can tell them from Oirans from they way their obi is tied. Geisha/Geiko have them tied in the back. Oiran are tied in the front.
I wud love to buy a whole maiko hikizuri set, and wig and kanzhasi, obi dome, okobo, darari obi, naga juban hada juban and everything else a maiko need to fulfill her outfit.
If I had been lving in Japan I wud have becomed a geiko myself.
Ive dreamt of becoming one since I was 12. If someone know were i can buy everything or something a maiko need thats authentic please give me a note.
This was a very intresting video, with good facts:)
This comment has received too many negative votesshow
and what a bald face lie that sex is not one of the main parts. WHY is it such a secret society??? hmmmm? WHY is it that you HAVE to be single and not married, hmmmmm?
these people are like North Koreans when it comes to talking the truth, oh no that is not happening, oh no
Lastly, there was 100k Geisha's 100 years ago, now around 2000 of them, so then with all the economy problems shouldn't there be an increase of women going into this? its all a lie
Your logic makes little sense. The reason that there are so few women and girls willing to undertake the required training is because they must give up high school and college (something that is highly valued in Japan), as well as doing many chores and not receiving a proper wage until they are much older. The economy forces many geisha houses to close and fewer girls to be accepted into the schools. The economy worsens the geisha art and does not benefit it as you would believe.
A fantastic insight <3 much like following Komomo through her journey. Hate the voiceover's pronunciation of Japanese words though :( There is no I in Kyoto. ><
@boblansy lol i'm not sure what it's made of now, but back in the day they used...lead :-|. it made their skin yellowish and who knows what else. now there are facial cleansers made of nightingale droppings (uv treated to get the bacteria out). there are spas that offer the nightingale dropping facials, but for like $20 u can buy it online (it's a powder and u make a paste), and there are other japanese beauty things online. but i have a feeling u don't wanna put powder bird poo on ur face :P
Actually there is difference between a normal prostitute and a Geisha. Many people get geisha mixed up with Oiran/Tayuu, which back in the older days of japan where high classed prostitutes, or courtessans. Geisha are forbidden to sell their bodies. If they do they will be stripped of their title of geisha and would no longer be able to practice as one. Do your research before assuming something. :)
@PrincessAki2009 So true, I heard that they don't even do the selling of a Maiko's mizuage anymore. There are geiko that have boyfriends, end up getting married, or having children, but they don't sell themselves.I heard u can tell the dif by the fact that prostitutes tie their obis in the front (it's easier/faster for them to tie it in front than have a dresser come in every so often to retie), and the prostitutes wear more hair decorations.
@ameliad05 The tieing of the obi belt in the front really dons't mean easy access. It really ment that the woman who did wear their obi to the front was a married woman at the time period. In so doing they tied it in the front to show everyone that their are mature women and married to their profession. I personally love the way an oiran looks more than i do a geisha.
@rokpain There's Not really a difference between ppl that mess around with everyone in the whole free world and doesn't get paid for it and prostitutes either. If Geisha were all prostitutes then why is the art dying out? Young Japanese men have said they don't care for Geisha because they're boring. If Geisha and Maiko were all about selling sex, young men wouldn't care if they had to listen about art, music, and whatever as long as they were going to get something 4 sure @the end of the nite
POR FAVOR NO LEAN ESTO (me obligaron) el 13 de octubre de 1991 un niño llamado nick se tiro de un puente devido a problemas familiares si ya leiste esto deves copiar y pegar en otros 5 videos mas o si no nick vendra por toda tu familia haslo o moriran porfavor hasme caso yo lo
strippers are entertainers too but we call it as it is. how much you want to bet that one of those men are married and has no business being there. but see when it is a thrid world country it's different. stop with the mess. they are entertaining men's lust to seek them.the only difference is that they show more grace and classiness for what they do. they are just a more gracious escort service for men to go for fantasy and seeking to lust another woman.
A very interesting documentary. :)
nedarikai 18 hours ago
humans are so cool, we're such a diverse species.
amazing when you think of how many forms our collective cultures take.
keep getting lost on youtube looking watching all these documentaries.
kphzorz 2 weeks ago 3
i dont know what geishas are, but they look beutiful
gangster78038 3 weeks ago
I feel sorry for these girls devoting their entir lives to being a geisha but it does show how detirmed they are to do well. It is a tradition in their country though so we should never ever judge them, although I would'nt want to do everything that they do.
lovetosing228 3 weeks ago
@TheMayusama I agree with you. Some people are just too ignorant and think geishas are prostitutes, when it's really not true. In fact, half of the word geisha means 'art'. Geisha's are entertainers. They perform tea ceremonies, dance, play a musical instrument called the 'shamisen', and wear traditional kimono. They don't work the corners every day like prostitutes, and actually live a very formal life full of training and dedication. Having sex with a man is just a little part of what they do.
Wyvernhaiil 1 month ago 2
Have you met real geiko ormaiko without makeup.
I hve met them many times in kyoto to find they are beautiful without makeup..
TheDMC12 1 month ago
I'm glad they're not real prostitutes because they're so ugly without makeup.
guitarhamster102 1 month ago
@guitarhamster102 Who said prostitutes were good-looking? Isn't it just their job to fcuk?
KpopManiacSFL 1 month ago
i met kikuyu(菊夕）on the street in miyakwa chou(宮川町）the other day.
she was not in formal geiko style,but very beautiful in casual kimono style.
TheDMC12 1 month ago
@TheDMC12 wow your so lucky
eburel506 1 month ago in playlist Becoming a Geisha
なんでsayuriをチャン・ツィーにやらせたんだ？日本の舞妓さんにやらせたらええだけやん
makekirai332 2 months ago
I am a maiko in training in Kyoto japan also it is ruff but at the end u become this dream of a fantasy
mazakoto112 2 months ago
Can someone please tell me the name of the music at the begining of the video? It's so beautiful.
pycwolfy94 2 months ago
i wish i were japanese. i would give up all my freedom just to be one of them.
pillar7of7fabulosity 4 months ago
@pillar7of7fabulosity As would I i would take the hardships with joy! even to be a customer and have maiko and geiko as friends would be amazeing!!! but you rly need connections especialy if youre not japanese. Shes geisha now and so stunning from the photos ive seen
MoonHime2 2 months ago
@pillar7of7fabulosity You say this but do you know what it really means to give up freedom and live a life of servitude?
SarahLee1 2 months ago
kikuno is gorgeous!
shakiin000 4 months ago
The Most Beautiful Women In The World!!!
StarChildGME 4 months ago
this is beautiful indeed! :-)
CrazyNative4 4 months ago
its cool that they sell there skills and not their bodies
msluckyaj7 4 months ago 14
Comment removed
sheynoo 5 months ago
BBC has the documentary on virtually everything!
wasantube 5 months ago
When Geisha retire, do they go back to their real name or keep their geisha name
xShadowxPhoenix 5 months ago 2
@xShadowxPhoenix The natural pattern is to reassume the given birth name. Geisha titles relate to the okiya and family with the profession.
thesecretpathoflife 5 months ago
Go to flickr and type in kikuno, you see her as a full geiko, yukina too
xShadowxPhoenix 6 months ago
The word Geisha means Art Person I do not believe they are prostitutes Gei means art Sha means person. They are so beautiful. Does anyone know if you HAVE to be japanese to be a geisha?
Brebre7534 6 months ago
@Brebre7534 There was one woman (im sure you can look it up and easily find her) who was traning to becomea geisha, but never became a full one. They allowed her into their worlds because they knew she was serious about it (she was fluent i njapanese and wanted to learn the shanmisen) So idont thin kyou HAVE ro be.
Evilhamster13 6 months ago
@Brebre7534 One does not need to be Japanese, but the traditions, location, language and okiya structure are japanese. Few non-japanese individuals have the fortitude to submit to the years of training especially the matters that would be normal and easy for a native japanese person.
thesecretpathoflife 6 months ago
@Brebre7534 Only one western woman has ever managed to complete the training, she was one of the consultants on Memoirs of a Geisha. I can't remember her name, but she did it.
clairecheney 6 months ago
@clairecheney Liza Dalby :)
nicholem97 5 months ago
@nicholem97 That's the one. Thank you
clairecheney 5 months ago
@MlleCommentaire they entertain, such as dancing,singing,music,flowers, like performers, they sell their skills
FanTZ0PMgUrL 6 months ago
No parent over here would let their kid quit school
xShadowxPhoenix 7 months ago
@xShadowxPhoenix lol my mom would have killed me if i tried to quit school at 15! LOL
eburel506 6 months ago in playlist Becoming a Geisha
"maaikow" - lol :p interessting doc though
ThePrayerx 7 months ago
伝統の世界は厳しそうですが、若い世代として応援しております。合掌
yugiyuga2011 7 months ago
how much would it cost to request one geisha in US dollar?
kasbersky 7 months ago
@kasbersky They only entertain drunk business men
xShadowxPhoenix 7 months ago
Comment removed
eburel506 6 months ago in playlist Becoming a Geisha
@kasbersky I read some where that they cost about 200 ( i thought it was 2000 but my bad) and hour for their time. They may only spend 1 or 2 hours at a party and then go off and do another party. Sometimes they don't get home until 2 or 3 in the morning. And then get up early for classes the next day
eburel506 6 months ago in playlist Becoming a Geisha
I have seen some weird looking faces as maiko/geisha, but Kikuno actually looks likes,m her face is conformed nicely
xShadowxPhoenix 7 months ago
i wish i was a japanase so i can be a geisha :(
black27pink 7 months ago 4
@black27pink You don't have to be Japanese to be Geisha.
MozartGirl1756 6 months ago
@black27pink just so its more authentic :)
black27pink 6 months ago
近江牛
The8chi5 7 months ago
Does anyone know the name of the song at the start? It's beautiful :)
emeraldline 7 months ago
If you can honestly say none of them perform sexual activities for monetary means, then I will say they are not fancy prostitutes.
minimoongurll 8 months ago
How cute! *.* The cat on that picture looks realy like our cat! And our cat is named "Geisha"! XD
Weissquell 8 months ago
This will sound so mean but Yukina's face is so bumpy
xShadowxPhoenix 8 months ago
@xShadowxPhoenix I think Yukina's pretty...
MsBabbi 8 months ago
I have watched this documentary like seven times... What wouldn't I give to just watch a geisha work??
ladida49 8 months ago
@ladida49 There's videos on here of them working
xShadowxPhoenix 8 months ago
@xShadowxPhoenix Thanks :) I meant in real life, but I guess this will be the closest I ever get to one...
ladida49 8 months ago
"They can go to the best restaurants..." but they aren't allowed to eat
xShadowxPhoenix 8 months ago
I thought a full fledged geisha was to be the older sister
xShadowxPhoenix 8 months ago
Comment removed
thesecretpathoflife 8 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@xShadowxPhoenix The support bond is generally between minarai and Maiko or hangyoku. They follow this sempai to kōhai relationship until one passes if formally bonded. The bond is especially improtant for the first five years.
A Maiko can at one time be both kōhai to the elder and sempai to minarai. Geiko and Geigi carry this on as part of their refinement. Notice in part 6 how Kikumaru steps in to direct Kikuyu.
thesecretpathoflife 8 months ago
@xShadowxPhoenix Not always its a geiko/geisha that is the onesan, the only thing is that she needs too be a rank higher.. so junior maiko would be able too have a senior maiko, or junior - senior geiko/geisha. its up too the okasan too find and onesan and up to a maiko or geiko too say yes.
but most times it would be and honor too take in a imoto or little sister.
SauryGirl1 8 months ago
Why do any geisha look so elegant-looking?
unknowngal8 9 months ago
@unknowngal8 Their training and dedication to the art of the Koryu helps them to become Iki.
This is a level of refinement that naturally defines their living quality and social grace.
thesecretpathoflife 9 months ago 29
how nice it is to learn this wonderful rich culture ...love the ideology of feminine manners, etiquette in the same knowing about arts etc. i would love to learn to be 'Geisha' then be the Geisha to my future husband. take the tradition and decorate it your own way ... :-)
elshanna83 9 months ago 2
i love this!!
catgirl11093 9 months ago
She said "Glamor" that is such a cheap word, such a shallow word it is not glamor ti is art how dare they bastards, by the way I am from the UK and I really hate the way they said it I will find them and cut them for putting that word anywhere near this.
nounever 10 months ago
Many of the Geisha are in and around Kyoto and fortunately not in the direct disaster area.
thesecretpathoflife 10 months ago
i soooo sad. wen i heard of the tsunami in Japan the first thing i thought was D: the geishas!!!!
escaramuzaml 10 months ago
Kikuyu is now in her 20s. She became a Geiko in Dec 2009 and is still around.
There is an ebay shop that sells authentic Maiko/Geisha accessoires, it's called Hannari-ya. But the articles are very expensive.
To buy an authentic kimono, and especially a hikizuri, and all the dozen of utensils you need (I speak of experience), you need thousands of dollars. However there are bargains on ebay if you know what you're searching for. If you send me a message I can help you a bit.
ichisumification 10 months ago
@ichisumification oh, please help me!!!!
saphiredewdrop 9 months ago
@ichisumification I'm glad to hear that she is still a Geiko...do you know about her two Geisha Sisters?
hawchubby39 9 months ago
I hope Yukina's family is doing fine. The earthquake occurred in the vicinity of Kaneyama in northen Japan.
Kwaj 10 months ago 4
thankyou bbc for another insightful documentary
saulwilliams56 10 months ago
she is 15!!??
Pixeldoll 11 months ago
OOOO i just love this documentary, and Kikuyu you are so wonderfull :)
does anyone know a contact or a shop in Kyoto were I can buy authentic maiko outfit? like everything? really want to buy hikizuri, etc... even get one custom made for myself.. i know it will be like really expensive like millions off yen but its worth it... i wuf be really glad for any reply :) ive found stuff yju but theyre like damaged.. anyone know a maiko or geiko or okya selling out dated stuff? or shops...
SauryGirl1 11 months ago
It upsets me how many people think geisha are high class prostitutes. If it was that, then it wouldn' tbe legal.
TheMayusama 11 months ago 24
Hi! I was wondering where you found this video originally. Thanks!
animeluver504 11 months ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
Geisha = Hooker
xardas611 1 year ago
@xardas611 Geisha/geiko is not a hooker. dont speak abt things u dont know anything abt.
they are entertainers and not hookers, they dont do any sexual favours...
SauryGirl1 1 year ago
I wonder how she is doing now?
rivynaussies 1 year ago
@rivynaussies Kikuyu is now a geiko :)
SauryGirl1 1 year ago
Kikumaru is a geisha already, I think. If you look at her (the young woman in the yellow kimono with the red obi), she has fewer ornaments in her hair, and her obi is shorter in the back. Am I correct in assuming this?
CrystalChord2010 1 year ago
@CrystalChord2010 Yes u r correct, kikumaru is a geiko. u can see that her kimono has shorter sleeves she wears a wig, and has very few ornaments in it. her obi is shorter... a maiko have her real ahir tied up, a obi called dangling obi (darari obi) thats around 7 pluss minus metres long. and she has tucks in her kimono at the sleeves and her shoulders. and she wears okobo (her 10 cm tall shoes)
SauryGirl1 1 year ago
Yes, Geisha is like a moving performing artist skilled in music, dance, flower arrangement, etc. Personally, the idea of a young woman dedicating her life to traditional Japanese arts and performance must be an idea beyond its time and understanding, even to this very day which is why they are sadly and often mistaken as prostitutes or high class ladies serving men. Such an idea is yet to be appreciated at the mainstream level.
ReiOn8 1 year ago 75
@ReiOn8 How do you officially know that for sure? I hear a lot of "observers" talk about traditional Geisha like they were there. In the circle of their vows. I find it hard to believe that Asian men were saints and never touched these girls or attempted to rape them as young as 13. It seems like everything they do. Their "perfection" is for the serving of the man. They give up everything to please a man.School, education. Future.That in itself would break the rule of Geisha.To not please a man.
VexSocietyThrone 9 months ago
@VexSocietyThrone Actually the perfection of the Maiko / Geiko / Geisha is in form, etiquette, arts, music and performance. Sexual issues were strictly enforced once the Odoriko started to develop especially in the Oiran quarters.
This is not to say there were not exceptions, but since 1960 the issue has been very structured.
thesecretpathoflife 9 months ago 4
@VexSocietyThrone Geiko nor maiko do sexual favours.... never... maiko and geiko always netertain in couples. so iff one would ever tried to do anything sexual the others would very clarly say no.... and japanese men dont rape young girls...they are entertaining he art. nothing else and the art is dance, tea cermoney, games drinking etc...
kirstyana 9 months ago
Comment removed
ReiOn8 3 months ago
Being on the pool doesn't even classify you as a prostitute. Strippers, prostitutes, performers, whores, geisha are all so very different.
CurlyMacFlurry 1 year ago
it is art
luchoxluchoxluchox 1 year ago 40
Hey does any body know where i can buy this on dvd. I really like it.
eburel506 1 year ago
@eburel506 Try looking on the BBC's website. Maybe they have it in the online shops?
CrystalChord2010 1 year ago
@CrystalChord2010 Alright I hope they do i really like this.
eburel506 1 year ago
I really hate the people for calling geisha prostitutes...
and hate when people mispronounce Japanese wordings.
xlollipopyum 1 year ago 3
This is a very interesting view of the becoming of a woman, and an artist. I hope that this gives her the freedom that she wants in her life. I wish her the best for the future!!
Has anyone seen the other video that's about something like this? I'm looking for the one that has the geisha in a different area than kyoto (I think). Could anyone give me the name of it?
greeneyedmonster6 1 year ago
@greeneyedmonster6 Im not sure what video your looking for, might be of the geishaes of Asakusa (Tokyo)
Just search geisha or geiko or maiko documentary... Theres also different documentaries like this but on japanese (one abt Miehinas life shes another geiko)
this documentary is abt Yukina now Kikuyu (shes a geisha by this time)
SauryGirl1 1 year ago
Kyoto seems so ruined, only if it was as beautiful as it was in the olden days without a bunch of stores.
JoeCentraI 1 year ago
it is interesting to see this young, intersting, pretty but very teen girl turn into such an elegant woman.
robynofrye 1 year ago
@JXJ1326 The white painting in the face came long a long time ago. when there were no eletricity and only when a room was lighten up with candles, these maikos and geikos walked into the room and everything refelcted around them.
while maikos and geikos were expensive make up, the clowns use rather cheap make up compared to the maikos and geikos, and the face make up of the maikos and geikos are supposed to be a mask, its supposed to look like the no mask. its theyre artist outfit...
SauryGirl1 1 year ago
These subtitles are extremely subjectively interpreted... it gives only the most basic gist of everything they are saying, and even somethings they are not saying. Perhaps for the purpose of pragmatism in reading subtitles, but you really do miss a lot by this kind of simplified interpretation.
mystisohorney 1 year ago
@mystisohorney Yes u do, but its like this with every kind of subtitling. u only got subtitles for half the spoken sentences...:)
SauryGirl1 1 year ago
@JXJ1326 That's how it looks to the uncultured and rather stupid.
SilverGunZoO 1 year ago
search hokan in asakusa on googleand u can see a bit off the hokan or male geisha of Asakusa (Tokyo) youtube has deleted the hokan documentary i watched only months ago... its flicr that shows the short movie...
SauryGirl1 1 year ago
Is there a documentary about the male geishas
TheSapphireDragon1 1 year ago
@TheSapphireDragon1 yes its a documantary abt the male geisha of asakusa..
i dont remember the name at this moment tried to lokit up but dident find it, ill try to find it :)
SauryGirl1 1 year ago
@SauryGirl1 thank you
TheSapphireDragon1 1 year ago
@TheSapphireDragon1 No problem, :)
SauryGirl1 1 year ago
The word Mizuage as i wrote below has two meanings, Mineko tells that Maikos never waa sold for theyre virginity.
read this interwiev and you might understand. And I would also read the tthings that made u so sure that maiko did go trough mizuage before!!
Oiran and tayu went trough mizuage in the form of selling theyre virginity, but in 1873 th eplessure quaters were outlawed. So most people are confused with the actual japanese meaning of the word.
SauryGirl1 1 year ago
I want to be a geisha
Neferhotept3 1 year ago
@Neferhotept3 you mean GAYsha.
southsydney 1 year ago
oldest profetion? like elegant prostitute. i don't know so who ever knows can tell me.
lavenderparfume1 1 year ago
@lavenderparfume1 ? huh? they aren't prostitutes... they're preformers. Like opra singers, someone supports them and they preform, alot of the time they dance.
Paulismyhero777 1 year ago
@Paulismyhero777 their wat ppl call fancy prostitutes. at the apprpriate age, their virginity is auctioned off to the highest bidder
starwinx10 1 year ago
@starwinx10 um, no, that was done a while ago but not by geisha
Paulismyhero777 1 year ago
@starwinx10 Maikos are not sold for theyre virginity.
They never were, they were always payd to perform the art.
SauryGirl1 1 year ago
@SauryGirl1 Look up Mizuage. Yes they were. Once the ceremony was complete they became a Geisha. Today it is not widely practiced.
KUKAKYOTOTOKYO 1 year ago
@KUKAKYOTOTOKYO this is a copy of a part of and interwiew with Mineko Iwasaki former geiko.
Q: Talk to me about the mizuage ceremony.
Mizuage is really a coming-of-age ceremony, and apparently there was some selling of the virginity that went on in association with that ritual ceremony in the pleasure district a long time ago. However, that has never been true for the geisha. For the geisha, it was simply when they were becoming a young woman, similar to a sweet 16 in the West.
SauryGirl1 1 year ago
@SauryGirl1 they WERE before times changed. it was called mizauge
starwinx10 1 year ago
@starwinx10 "mizuage" is also a term that directly means "gross earnings," because it’s an old fishing term; as you may know, Japan was dependent on fishing for one of its main economic bases for many years. "Mizuage" means "to take out of the water." It stood for the catch. "What was your catch?" "How much money did you make from the water?" So when I refer to mizuage, I’m actually referring to my earnings, rather than the ceremony itself.
SauryGirl1 1 year ago
@lavenderparfume1 Geisha generally are not prostitutes, it was not meant for prostitution. but some people made a false branch and thus geisha are related to prostitutes but are not really prostitutes
Neferhotept3 1 year ago 2
Geikos is not similar to oiran (prostitut)
She is quite the oposite, she s a walking peace of art.
and oiran sells her body, a geiko dont. a oiran is forbidden, a geiko is not. a oiran arent trained in all the art a geiko is.
oiran is simply a prostitut, a high classed one is called tayu.
a geiko is an artist, trained in different arts, like instryment, dancing, singing, flower arraignment, conversation, etc..
SauryGirl1 1 year ago
@SauryGirl1 both oiran and tayuu are the same highest class of prostitute. The generic word for prostitute is yuujo or jorou. Oiran is the title given in Kantou especially Yoshiwara and Tayuu is the title given in Kansai especially Kyoto. Although they are both the same highest rank there are differences between them just as there are differences between geisha and geiko in Tokyo and Kyoto. Btw, tho Tayuu are originally imperial courtesans and were very skilled in art by the time they became...
jojiojp 1 year ago
@jojiojp Yeh I know theyre a few person who still call themself tayu, but a tayu
was a prostitut a high classed courtesan, the person who practise that now arent like the tayus when prostitusion was legal.Tayu today arent "real" tayu, because theyr not high class courtesan but rather artist, but not like the geikoes or maikos. but they practise alot of the same, themes but not the same subjects if its understandable. like geikos dance so does tayu but not the same dances.
SauryGirl1 1 year ago
@SauryGirl1 Of course I'm not refering to the "reenactment" tayuu or oiran that appear in "oiran/tayuu dochuu". These are just usually the daughters of the merchant's association. Rather I'm refering to the only two remaining tayuu who work currently in the original Shimabara district of Kyoto. The older one was originally a geiko herself. I think that they would consider themselves "real" although they only focus on the "gei" which was really what being a tayuu was abt anyway although...
jojiojp 1 year ago
@jojiojp Yes, thats more what I mean.. hehe I misunderstood you..
Hehe.. I believe so that theyre artist.. Tho I dont know so much abt them...
If had been japanese I would have tried to become a kyoto maiko myself..
because I just adore theyre look, theyre art and theyre freedom..
SauryGirl1 1 year ago
@SauryGirl1 ^_^ there's this site abt Tayu kyoto.cool.ne.jp/tukasa21/tayuu.html which is the site of the Tayuu who was once a geiko which is very useful if you can read Japanese. good luck!
jojiojp 1 year ago
@jojiojp I cant read japanese im still learning hehe...
But for know i can take it trough google translate.. thanks you very much:)
SauryGirl1 1 year ago
@SauryGirl1 geish are not free unfortunatly but they choose to be one or are sold to it...and they cant choose the man they coose her...she cant experience true love...maybe in some cases but the culture is beautiful
JaliscoGringa 1 year ago
@JaliscoGringa I see you have been watching or reading Arthur Goldens book "Geisha" or?
Well the book he wrote is fiction, Noone are sold anymore as a geiko apprentice. Since it is so expensie to train a girl, not all who want to manage the tough regime. little sleep endless training, and heay outfit in the warm weather.
But a girl is not ever sold anymore, there are okiyas who are called by the girls who wish to become maiko then geiko. there were girls sold to and okiya before second world war
SauryGirl1 1 year ago
@SauryGirl1 ...& both Oiran and Tayuu would have been very skilled in regular arts such as talking& dancing by the time they reached those titles (although they would have had a lot of other experience). There r still practicing Tayuu today; although they do not engage in the sexual part of their job nemore they still present trad. dances, songs, play instruments, etc such as they would have done b4 1957 when the anti-prostitution laws were passed :)
ur right tho geisha are not prostitutes
jojiojp 1 year ago
Geishaes were never prostitutes, theyve always been atist and a living flower at a party. The first geishaes were male. It takes long time to become geisha. shikomi, minarai, maiko then geiko (geisha) a shikomi(1-3 years) reheres the japanese dialect and do chores, she will learn dancing. a minarai (last 1 month) is observing and the first time the girl put on a similar outfit to a maiko. maiko is the last stage, a maiko is an official geiko apprentice. Kikuyu (yukina) is now a geiko.
SauryGirl1 1 year ago
wtf is a geisha is that like a japanese prositute?
BabbarKhalsaZindabad 1 year ago
@BabbarKhalsaZindabad No. There is readily availible information on this subject and just a Google search that could tell you that they are NOT prostitutes. There are even comments beneath yours that explain what they do, and sex is clearly not part of it.
Maiko and Geiko entertain their customers -- poetry, literature, music, singing, dancing, conversation. Watching the video would tell you this, and show you the dedication it takes and the art of this unique career.
mutinyinheav3n 1 year ago
@BabbarKhalsaZindabad
That was with Oiran, something similar of Geishas, but that was long time ago.
The modern Geisha is not prostitution.
WINxTEC 1 year ago
@Alexiandria1990 No I'm not.
HLZoner 1 year ago
@Alexiandria1990 Like Dinker27said, they're just entainers. They dance, sing, and flirt with men. They don't have sex as part of they're customers. You can tell them from Oirans from they way their obi is tied. Geisha/Geiko have them tied in the back. Oiran are tied in the front.
HLZoner 1 year ago
I wud love to buy a whole maiko hikizuri set, and wig and kanzhasi, obi dome, okobo, darari obi, naga juban hada juban and everything else a maiko need to fulfill her outfit.
If I had been lving in Japan I wud have becomed a geiko myself.
Ive dreamt of becoming one since I was 12. If someone know were i can buy everything or something a maiko need thats authentic please give me a note.
This was a very intresting video, with good facts:)
SauryGirl1 1 year ago
The music at the beginning is beautiful.
Iwonder who composed it?
GamerGirl154 1 year ago
@Alexiandria1990
Simply entertainers.
Oirans are the high-class courtesans are the one you're talking about. Completely different occupations.
Dinker27 1 year ago
Man, I wish going to Japan wasn't so damn expensive!
neosoc 1 year ago
I've always dreamed of becoming a geisha.
KaylaxandxAndrew 1 year ago
i rlly want to be a geisha
blankemieworld 1 year ago
if i go back japan, i want to become geiko. hopefully i can.
ryohayashi 1 year ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
and what a bald face lie that sex is not one of the main parts. WHY is it such a secret society??? hmmmm? WHY is it that you HAVE to be single and not married, hmmmmm?
these people are like North Koreans when it comes to talking the truth, oh no that is not happening, oh no
Lastly, there was 100k Geisha's 100 years ago, now around 2000 of them, so then with all the economy problems shouldn't there be an increase of women going into this? its all a lie
hemet92544 1 year ago
@hemet92544
Your logic makes little sense. The reason that there are so few women and girls willing to undertake the required training is because they must give up high school and college (something that is highly valued in Japan), as well as doing many chores and not receiving a proper wage until they are much older. The economy forces many geisha houses to close and fewer girls to be accepted into the schools. The economy worsens the geisha art and does not benefit it as you would believe.
NicolaAlexandrovna 1 year ago
@hemet92544 If a Geisha marries she can't be a Geisha. A Geisha can't love, they can only sell their art. Not their body.
TheRawr75 1 year ago
why are their bow cover on the back!!!
rsilvia1999 1 year ago
@rsilvia1999 To show they're not sex workers. Oiran will have them in the front since it takes less time to take down and put back up.
Dinker27 1 year ago
@rsilvia1999 Maikos always use their Obi tied on their back. Oiran (Prostitute) use the on the front.
TheRawr75 1 year ago
i cant stop watching this documentary... @_@
coveruplies 1 year ago
@SSgtParmer
sarcasm?
Paulismyhero777 1 year ago
2:44 i love the hair ornaments. where can i get some similar to this?
hisboo911 1 year ago
I've seen Kikuyu and Kikutsuru together as a maiko but came Kikutsuru after Kikuyu a Maiko ?
contortionist104 1 year ago
A fantastic insight <3 much like following Komomo through her journey. Hate the voiceover's pronunciation of Japanese words though :( There is no I in Kyoto. ><
Andie15 1 year ago
why does she wanna be one of those if it looks like she doesnt really.
boblansy 1 year ago
@boblansy no actually it is made out of rice powder...they do have all those things ameliad05
wordzscarforlife 1 year ago
@wordzscarforlife they do have all those things amelia05 said..that is what I meant to say
wordzscarforlife 1 year ago
is it true the paint is made out of bird poop.
boblansy 1 year ago
@boblansy lol i'm not sure what it's made of now, but back in the day they used...lead :-|. it made their skin yellowish and who knows what else. now there are facial cleansers made of nightingale droppings (uv treated to get the bacteria out). there are spas that offer the nightingale dropping facials, but for like $20 u can buy it online (it's a powder and u make a paste), and there are other japanese beauty things online. but i have a feeling u don't wanna put powder bird poo on ur face :P
ameliad05 1 year ago
I wish I was a geisha they are so beautiful they look like dolls
FabMac89 1 year ago
I wonder why she wanted to become a geisha so badly :O
coveruplies 1 year ago
Actually there is difference between a normal prostitute and a Geisha. Many people get geisha mixed up with Oiran/Tayuu, which back in the older days of japan where high classed prostitutes, or courtessans. Geisha are forbidden to sell their bodies. If they do they will be stripped of their title of geisha and would no longer be able to practice as one. Do your research before assuming something. :)
PrincessAki2009 1 year ago 41
@PrincessAki2009 So true, I heard that they don't even do the selling of a Maiko's mizuage anymore. There are geiko that have boyfriends, end up getting married, or having children, but they don't sell themselves.I heard u can tell the dif by the fact that prostitutes tie their obis in the front (it's easier/faster for them to tie it in front than have a dresser come in every so often to retie), and the prostitutes wear more hair decorations.
ameliad05 1 year ago
@ameliad05 The tieing of the obi belt in the front really dons't mean easy access. It really ment that the woman who did wear their obi to the front was a married woman at the time period. In so doing they tied it in the front to show everyone that their are mature women and married to their profession. I personally love the way an oiran looks more than i do a geisha.
PrincessAki2009 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
LOL... THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A JAP GEISHA AND A NORMAL PROSTITUTE PEOPLE. THEY ALL END UP IN THE SAME PLACE :)
rokpain 1 year ago
@rokpain STFU you ignorant sap. There is a difference. Geisha's don't sell their ass, they sell their companionship
BlogShag 1 year ago
@rokpain There's Not really a difference between ppl that mess around with everyone in the whole free world and doesn't get paid for it and prostitutes either. If Geisha were all prostitutes then why is the art dying out? Young Japanese men have said they don't care for Geisha because they're boring. If Geisha and Maiko were all about selling sex, young men wouldn't care if they had to listen about art, music, and whatever as long as they were going to get something 4 sure @the end of the nite
ameliad05 1 year ago
She is beautiful now.
KyotoMaikoCH 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
POR FAVOR NO LEAN ESTO (me obligaron) el 13 de octubre de 1991 un niño llamado nick se tiro de un puente devido a problemas familiares si ya leiste esto deves copiar y pegar en otros 5 videos mas o si no nick vendra por toda tu familia haslo o moriran porfavor hasme caso yo lo
gabgeral 1 year ago
What's the name of the song playing from 0:00 to 0:43
guit8rgal 1 year ago 2
strippers are entertainers too but we call it as it is. how much you want to bet that one of those men are married and has no business being there. but see when it is a thrid world country it's different. stop with the mess. they are entertaining men's lust to seek them.the only difference is that they show more grace and classiness for what they do. they are just a more gracious escort service for men to go for fantasy and seeking to lust another woman.
youngmelod24 1 year ago
I hate it when people call Geishas prostitutes.
By "entertainment," they mean their exclusive, swift skill in traditional dance,
not on a pole in a club for singles.
maybeperhapsno 1 year ago 43
@maybeperhapsno well put
skorik34 1 year ago
@maybeperhapsno
being on a pole does not mean you are a prostitute. and even ple dancers have their place in society as do prostitutes.
saphiredewdrop 1 year ago
its stupid how some people mistake geishas as prostitutes...
they are completely different. geisha's work hard to achieve their place
prostitutes just are desperate for money!!!
beybikyute 1 year ago 3
I am truly amazed of Geishas.
I could only wish to dress and learn how to dance like them.
hopesterette 1 year ago
She's beautiful but she looks rather depressed.
ShinsengumiGirl 1 year ago
There aren't any mistakes...these subtitles are too free.
genuinegems 1 year ago
THANK you VERY much! this is much better than watching