Onsen geisha

Onsen geisha Matsuei, upon whom Yasunari Kawabata based one of the main characters in his novel Snow Country (Yuki Guni), in 1934.

Onsen geisha (温泉芸者) is a term referring to Japanese geisha, or entertainers, who work in onsen (hot spring) resorts or towns. The term onsen geisha has a negative connotation in that the term has come to be synonymous with prostitute. This is due to several reasons.

In pre-World War II history, the term onsen geisha had a negative connotation---being that geisha who lived and worked at hot spring resorts or towns were often regarded as the lowest of geisha, and another that these geisha would freely roam, if unbound by contracts, to any other onsen town without carrying with them a history. During this pre-WWII period, it happened that some onsen geisha were sponsored by businessmen who visited them yearly and, from there, interaction beyond party-entertainment was common; therefore, the concept of onsen geisha as prostitutes was not entirely incorrect in pre-WWII days. In the period following World War II, the abundance of prostitutes in onsen towns—such as Atami—who market themselves to tourists as "geisha" caused some misconceptions. However, true modern-day onsen geisha are in fact accomplished dancers and musicians.

In Atami, the official registry office regards long-time, proven geisha as separate from those who have not yet completed their first year.

Geisha banquets in onsen towns are markedly different from geisha engagements in the traditional hanamachi of Kyoto and Tokyo. Whereas geisha parties in Kyoto are usually small affairs in teahouses with five or six geisha, onsen geisha usually entertain tourists in the banquet halls of large hotels, often with sixty or seventy geisha in attendance. The modern surge of tourism, expendable income, and capitalization has caused onsen geisha, who historically entertained groups similar in size to those in Kyoto and Tokyo, to increase to these large affairs.

See also

• Oiran

References

• Dalby, Liza Crihfield (1983). Geisha. Berkeley, Calif.: University of California Press. ISBN 9780520047426, ISBN 9780520204959.