Custodians of Japanese Culture

Ahead of an exclusive performance for Members this month, three geisha reveal what it takes to become a traditional entertainer.

The striking white oshiroi makeup. The flowing sleeves of a silk kimono. The immaculately coiffed hair adorned with golden kanzashi pins and multicolored ribbons.

Even if all one catches is a scant glance of wooden geta-clad feet shuffling around a corner, one word is all it takes to describe the sight: geisha.

“Ever since I was a young girl, I was captivated whenever I saw a geisha on TV or in the movies,” explains Mayu, who fulfilled a childhood dream to become a geisha in Tokyo’s Akasaka business district.

“It always struck me as such a beautiful part of traditional Japanese culture,” adds Maki of the profession that emerged in the 17th century. “I thought I’d be very happy if I could become a geisha one day.”

Both originally from Sendai, Maki, 45, and Mayu, 47 (geisha are identified by their professional names), became acquainted while working together in a local hotel. When they confessed their mutual admiration for geisha over after-work drinks one evening 20 years ago, the pair resolved to leave Sendai and join an okiya geisha house.

“I have to reject so many young girls who apply to train with us,” explains Akasaka Geisha Association okiya head and practicing geisha Ikuko, who turns down those who see the profession solely as a money-making venture. “The training is so long and so difficult that I tell the girls and their families that I’m really taking them on as my own daughters in a way.”

While there is no set training period, the sheer breadth of skills required for performing professionally typically requires years of tutelage from a veteran like Ikuko, who still performs at the age of 81. In addition to perfecting the delicate art of conversation (with all of the Japanese language’s notorious complexity), Maki and Mayu were also expected to master several instruments, including the stringed shamisen and the taiko drum.

But with such a mountain of talents to hone, where does a would-be geisha begin?

“In our okiya, dancing forms the foundation,” says Mayu. “Everything else a geisha must master, such as playing an instrument or entertaining guests, flows from dance.”

“Traditional dance forces your mind and body to work in harmony,” says Ikuko. “Once you can do that gracefully, everything else will come much more easily.”

Though Mayu and Maki are grateful for Ikuko’s demanding mentorship, they admit that the flagging number of new trainees might be related. The pair are among an estimated few hundred geisha in Japan today, a fraction of the tens of thousands who worked a century ago.

“Strict training of course makes for skilled performers,” says Maki, “but most of all we need the next generation to fall in love with geisha like we did.”

After all, Mayu adds, perfection isn’t the goal. Dedication is.

“I’ve been training for years, but we’re always learning,” she says. “That is the essence of being a geisha.”