![]() ![]() The dramatic decline in leisure time and resources decimated the hanamachi where the geisha worked, and in practically all parts of Japan it became impossible to stay in operation. The effects of Westernization and war, and confusion about the term “Geisha”Īfter many decades of prosperity, geisha began to feel the effects of Westernization after the Meiji Period (1868-1912) and onward, and their numbers began to decline, especially with the approach of World War II. It was only as the country became involved in international warfare that the strain on Japanese society threatened the role and prestige of the geisha profession. As the popularity of the oiran waned in the Meiji Period (1868-1912), the popularity of geisha only grew, as they became vital providers of hospitality and entertainment at dinner events for large companies and government officials. The popularity of geisha grew continually up until the 1920s, when there were as many as 80,000 geisha throughout Japan entertaining guests. However, patrons visiting the courtesans gradually began to gravitate towards the less expensive and much more socially accessible geisha, and by the 1800s, geisha for the most part were replacing oiran as the center of parties. In fact, they were not even allowed to sit near guests. As the courtesans feared geisha stealing their customers, regulations at the time forbade geisha from forming personal relations with customers. ![]() The original role of geisha was as an assistant to the oiran, high-class and every expensive Japanese courtesans who resided in the pleasure quarters of Edo (modern day Tokyo), Kyoto, and other major cities in the Edo Period (1603-1886). It was only about 20 years later that female geisha began to appear in the forms of odoriko (踊り子, meaning dancers) and shamisen players, and they quickly took over the profession, dominating it by 1780. The first geisha were actually male, appearing around the year 1730. The origins and rise of geisha in Pre-Modern Japanīelieve it or not, the original geisha hardly resembled modern geisha in any way. ![]()
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