JAPANESE CULTURE - View topic 71 pe thegazetteromania.myforum.ro

GEISHA

Geisha (芸者 "person of the arts") are traditional Japanese artist-entertainers. The word Geiko is also used to describe such persons. Geisha were very common in the 18th and 19th centuries, and are still in existence today, although their numbers are dwindling. "Geisha," pronounced /ˈgeɪ ʃa/ ("gay-sha") is the most familiar term to English speakers, and the most commonly used within Japan as well, but in the Kansai region the terms geigi and, for apprentice geisha, "Maiko" have also been used since the Meiji Restoration. The term maiko is only used in Kyoto districts. The English pronunciation ˈgi ʃa ("gee-sha") or the phrase "geisha girl," common during the American occupation of Japan, carry connotations of prostitution, as some young women, desperate for money and calling themselves "geisha," sold themselves to American troops.The geisha tradition evolved from the taikomochi or hōkan, similar to court jesters. The first geisha were all male; as women began to take the role they were known as onna geisha (女芸者), or "woman artist (female form)." Geisha today are exclusively female, aside from the Taikomochi. Taikomochi are exceedingly rare. Only three are currently registered in Japan. They tend to be far more bawdy than geisha. Other public figures who contributed to the creation of the modern geisha were Oiran, or courtesans, and Odoriko, dancing girls. The Odoriko in special influenced geisha to conține dance as part of their artistic repertoire.
Geisha were traditionally trained from young childhood. Geisha houses often bought young girls from poor families, and took responsibility for raising and training them. During their childhood, apprentice geisha worked first as maids, then as assistants to the house's senior geisha as part of their training and to contribute to the costs of their upkeep and education. This long-held tradition of training still exists in Japan, where a student lives at the home of a master of some art, starting out doing general housework and observing and assisting the master, and eventually moving up to become a master in her own right (see also irezumi). This training often lasts for many years.

The course of study traditionally starts from a young age and encompasses a wide variety of arts, including Japanese musical instruments (particularly the shamisen) and traditional forms of singing, traditional dance, tea ceremony, flower arranging (ikebana), poetry and literature. By watching and assisting senior geisha, they became skilled in the complex traditions surrounding selecting, matching, and wearing precious kimono, and in various games and the art of conversation, and also in dealing with clients.

Once a woman became an apprentice geisha (a maiko) she would begin to accompany senior geisha to the tea houses, parties and banquets that constitute a geisha's work environment. To some extent, this traditional method of training persists, though it is of necessity foreshortened. Modern geisha are no longer bought by or brought into geisha houses as children. Becoming a geisha is now entirely voluntary. Most geisha now begin their training in their late teens.

Are Geisha Prostitutes?
Strictly speaking, geisha are not prostitutes. Because they entertain men behind closed doors in an exclusive manner, there has been much speculation about the underpinnings of their profession. The confusion that surrounds this issue has been complicated by Japanese prostitutes who wish to co-opt the prestige of the geisha image, and by inaccurate depictions of geisha in Western popular culture. Although a geisha may choose to engage in sexual relations with one of her patrons, geisha engagements will never involve sex.

The first geisha was indeed a courtesan named Kako. Over time, she discovered that she had no need to engage in the red-light district. Kako was directly or indirectly to heir to many schools of Japanese art. She called herself a geisha ("arts-person") and confined herself to giving artistic performances.

Occasionally, a geisha may choose to take a danna (an old fashioned word for husband), which is typically a wealthy man who has the means to support a geisha mistress. Although a geisha may fall in love with her danna, the affair is customarily contingent upon the danna's ability to financially support the geisha's lifestyle. The traditional conventions and values within such a relationship are very intricate and not well understood, even by many Japanese. Because of this, the true intimate role of the geisha remains the object of much speculation, and often misinterpretation, in Japan as well as abroad.

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Guide to samurai including samurai meaning, samurai history, samurai culture, samurai pictures, samurai swords and samurai in popular culture.
Samurai (侍 or sometimes 士) is a common term for a warrior in pre-industrial Japan. A more appropriate term is bushi (武士) (lit. "war-man") which came into use during the Edo period. However, the term samurai now usually refers to warrior nobility, not, for example, ashigaru or foot soldiers. The samurai with no attachment to a clan or daimyo was called a ronin (lit. "wave-man").

(Tom Cruise in "The last Samurai" has provided a modern introduction to the way of the Samurai - Discuss here.)

Samurai were expected to be cultured and literate, and over time, samurai during the Tokugawa era gradually lost their military function. By the end of the Tokugawa, samurai were essentially civilian bureaucrats for the daimyo with their swords serving only ceremonial purposes. With the Meiji reforms in the late 19th century, the samurai were abolished as a special class in favour of a western-style national army. The strict code that they followed, called bushido, still survives in present-day Japanese society, as do many other aspects of their way of life.

Etymology of samurai
The word samurai has its origins in the pre-Heian period Japan when it was pronounced saburai, meaning servant or attendant. It was not until the early modern period, namely the Azuchi-Momoyama period and early Edo period of the late 16th and early 17th centuries that the word saburai became substituted with samurai. However, by then, the meaning had already long before changed.

During the era of the rule of the samurai, the earlier term yumitori (“bowman”) was also used as an honorary title of an accomplished warrior even when swordsmanship had become more important. Japanese archery (kyujutsu), is still strongly associated with the war god Hachiman.

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Japanese Language: Japanese (日本語 nihongo) is spoken in Japan, and essentially nowhere else. The Japanese language is distinct from Chinese and Korean, although the written form uses Chinese (kanji) characters, and is not known to be related to any other language.

Grammar
Japanese generally employs a subject-object-verb order, using particles to mark the grammatical functions of the words: 私がハンバーガーを食べる watashi-ga hamburger-o taberu, "I-subject hamburger-object eat". It is common to omit subjects and even objects if these are clear from previous context.

Verbs and adjectives conjugate by tense and politeness level, but not by person or number. There is no verb "to be" as such, but the polite copula desu can be used in most cases: John desu ("I am John"), Ringo desu ("This is an apple"), Akai desu ("It is red"), etc. Note that the identic meaning will depend on the implied subject!

The good news is that Japanese has none of the following: gender, declensions or plurals. Nouns never conjugate and almost all verbs are regular.

Reading and writing
Reading and writing Japanese are advanced skills which take years of work to gain much real proficiency. Japanese themselves use three different writing systems of various complexity, two of which (hiragana' and katakana) are syllabic and relatively easy to learn with 50 characters each, but the clincher is the set of over 2000 Chinese characters known as kanji. The set of hiragana characters is illustrated in the Japanese Pronunciation Guide.

Mi-ai - Part of a Traditional Japanese Wedding

While it is true that more and more young men and women are united in marriage on their own will through love, the practice of "Mi-ai" is still widely observed to end in a happy married life for many. "Mi-ai" is an interview for a man and woman with a view to marriage, as arranged by their parents or a third party acting as a go-between. It is proposed with due consideration to social backgrounds and other factors of the prospective bride, bridegroom and their families. It is not compulsory on either of the parties concerned to accept such "Mi-ai" as a promise for marriage.

Prior to 1900's, the practice of "mi-ai" (an arranged meeting between a man and a woman with a view to marriage) was more a formality than an opportunity for a young man and woman to meet and get to know each other. Today, a matchmaker may be a family member or a friend who would arrange for an initial meeting between the young man and woman thought to be suited for each other in marriage. These initial meeting is usually arranged at a public place such as a restaurant or a theatre.

In the old days when "mi-ai" was a mere formality, a young man would be invited to the home of the young woman. If he were favourably impressed, he would leave behind a fan to indicate his acceptance to pursue the marriage. In the old days however, the bride-to-be had little say on the issue.

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Yui-no - Part of a Traditional Japanese Wedding
Once both families agreed in marriage, both families would meet at a formal dinner on an “auspicious” day in the Japanese almanac. “Yui-no" (engagement) gifts are exchanged. The main gift for a bride-to-be is an “obi” (a kimono sash), which represents female virtue. An example of an Obi can be seen on the right. Obi - available from Oriental Artifacts.

A "hakama" skirt is given to the groom-to-be in representing fidelity. In addition to the “obi” and “hakama”, the exchange of gifts may conține as many as nine items, which traditionally symbolise happiness and fortune. These include:

“Naga-Noshi” – abalone shell widely used in Japan to make crafts and gifts – to express sincere wishes from the giver

“Mokuroku” – the list of gifts exchanged in the engagement

Money

“Katsuo-bushi” - dried bonito (a highly valued preserved food component used to make soup stock) – to wish the couple a lasting marriage

“Surume” - dried cuttlefish – it is given for the same reason as “katsuo-bushi”, to wish the couple a lasting marriage

“Konbu” – known for its ability to breed – to wish the couple many happy and healthy children

“Shiraga” or hemp – its strong fibres are used to symbolise the wish for strong family ties. "Shiraga" also means white hair. Hemp is therefore used to wish the couple many years to come

“Suehiro” – a fan – it opens from end to end and is given as a wish for happiness and a bigger and better future

“Yanagi-daru” - a wine cask – money may be given in place of the wine cask for the purpose of purchasing "sake" wine

"Sake" casks – unlike usual sake casks which are usually made from "sugi" (cryptomeria), sake casks exchanged in the engagement dinner are made from "yui-no" (willow trees with tender leaves). “Yui-no” sake casks is meant to symbolise a pledge for obedience and gentleness in marriage

"Nakodo" is a go-between who negotiates between both families.

Immediately after the marriage proposal has been accepted by the bride's family, there is a ceremonial exchange of drinks with the bride family and the Nakodo.

Go-betweens are often selected more for ceremonial purposes. They may be elderly couples known and close to either or both of the families to be united in marriage.

In the picture above the go-betweens can be seen one of each side of bridal couple, with the parents on the outside. This clearly indicates their historical importance.

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PART I

Spring and autumn are the favourite seasons for Japanese weddings. On certain days, which are considered auspicious in the Japanese almanac, there may be as many as forty couples united in Japanese weddings at a Shinto shrine.

The Shinto wedding is performed before a Shinto sanctuary. Many hotels and restaurants are equipped with a singular room for wedding ceremonies. A wedding is usually attended by members of both families, close relatives and the go-betweens

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PART II

"San-san-kudo," a ceremony of three-times-three exchange of nuptial cups, is performed by the bridegroom and bride. Drinks of "Sake" are then exchanged between members and close relatives of the both families to signify their union through the wedding.

A Shinto wedding is accompanied by the traditional music and attended by "Miko" maidens who serve "Sake" in red and white dresses. The exchange of wedding rings is also a popular practice today. The bridegroom and bride proceed to the sanctuary to offer twigs of "Sakaki" sacred tree in worship to gods to end the main part of the wedding ceremony. It is a short service, simple in procedure but full of solemn atmosphere.

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