Geisha Subculture
The Geisha Subculture is over four hundred years old and well known in different areas of Japan. The Geisha Subculture began with only males known as comedians but then changed to only females as the face of the Geisha subculture. Females continued the entertainment within society with performing arts. It is in fact only the Geisha subculture in Tokyo, Geiko in Tokyo, and in all other parts of Japan they are known as Geigi. The group has a negative connotation making it a subculture because they are known to be prostitutes but they are not. They have the common representation around Japan. Geisha females are only born into the family of a Geisha female or adopted into a family of Geisha female performers, nobody can decide to become an entertainer of Geisha.
Institutions, Demographics, and Power
Power– The subculture is maintained because you can only be born into or adopted into a family of Geisha females that carry and withhold the tradition, one may not choose to be apart of the subculture. Society has the power to shape these groups because when it was all male members, they were considered comedians but when the group changed to females the group was then perceived negatively and as prostitutes.
Institutions– After World War Two, Geisha women were mistaken for prostitutes by the USA Army. Laws were enforced to prevent Geisha women from stealing prostitutes clients, in a way the Japanese government declared this negative connotation of Geisha women being prostitutes by passing this law. Financial institutions can make it difficult for those who are born into the families to continue on their Geisha education because of the high cost. from $500,000 and then $50,00 kimonos, it can be difficult to cover the costs. Often times, Japanese males pay for the education and fashion attributes of the Geisha women to alleviate the price and produce more Geisha women. This is done because the males consider the entertainment worth it. Geisha career would be considered a deviant career defined by Becker, because of the deviance idealizations it holds within society.
Demographics–
- Difficult to attract younger generation because of the failure to move outside their group to attain new members. Struggle to keep the traditions of the traditional Geisha culture but the Geisha people see the need to develop a new plan to receive new members.
- There previously was around 80,000 people in the Geisha group in present day, there is roughly between 1,000 and 2,000 members- desperately seeing the need for a recruiting change (Ito).
- Females account for 68.2% of the working force in Japan (Statistics Bureau).
Description of Those Involved
- Entertainment Sources
- All Females
- Entertainment Sources of Ancient Traditions of Art, Dancing, and Singing
- Known for Wearing the Kimono
- Oshiroi makeup
Mainstream Japanese Culture
- Education (elementary, high school, and higher education is highly valued)
- 40% of students attend a higher education program than high school ()
- Very low crime rate- 19.8% crime rate (Statistics Bureau)
- Rare for a Japanese family to have a maid
- Very Conservative
- Wears kimonos, but only to special occasions
- Rarely wears the common makeup of the Geisha subculture
Training
While training and gaining the term of Geisha, emerging entertainers are called “maiko.” Training for the subculture takes about five years, but again one cannot decide to be in the Geisha subculture group, they must be born or adopted into the family of the performer. The cost is about $500,000 to train continuing throughout life and not stoping education of the entertainment industry (Tameyn, 2019). During training it is common for the maiko to be a maid or service of help to the Geisha higher up which goes against the mainstream culture of no families having maids in Japan. Geisha entertainers perform at high end dinners, parties, and private events. There is a strong negative thought of Geisha performers as strippers or prostitutes making them fall into a subculture role.
Life of a Geisha Performer
While training Makio students live in the Okiya or the Geisha house under the guidance of the Kami-San which is considered the mother of the house. During the give year training process makio are not supposed to be in a romantic relationship or get married. Their dedication is focused towards training. After training, the Geisha women are free to live where they want, or start a family. Some even open their own entertainment businesses or their own Okiya. Performances of a Geisha costs around $900 USD upwards (Taemyn, 2019). Even if one is able to afford the cost of a Geisha performer at a private event or at a Geisha performance place they may not be able to receive the entertainment. It is a secretive subculture that means you must have introduction from previous Geisha customers or an invitation to be apart of understanding and enjoying the subculture.
Fits in or Goes Against Mainstream Culture in Japan?
The Geisha Subculture can be difficult to define if the subculture as going against or aligning with the mainstream culture in Japan. In one aspect, the subculture provides exceptional entertainment to the upper class of Japan. It is an elite group that can’t be entered into rather a group that is inherited from family history. On another aspect, the culture considers the Geisha females “prostitutes” which is highly stigmatized against. With the negative connotation and the low crime rate in Japan it is no surprise that the group with a poor image can fall into the subculture status of relating back to crime. It can be difficult to either align or decline the subculture in Japan because of the connection to the entertainment and the negative view of the culture. Outsiders of the group view the Geisha women as prostitutes which goes against mainstream culture but also accepts the entertainment of art, singing, and music. Becker would consider this stigmatized deviance not accepted by the society and positive deviance because of the socially accepted entertainment. Additionally, considering higher education is highly valued within Japan while Geisha females go against that normality of the society and enter into the five year training process in replace of higher education.
Moral Panic of the Subculture
Stanley Cohen would consider the Geisha group a moral panic because of the connotation that society and the media places on the culture of being females prostitutes. Becker would argue that the audience determines the thought of the social schema because of their influence of opinions on the subculture. Becker would consider this group labeled the deviant subgroup not necessarily because they are deviant, as the Geisha being prostitutes being a false statement, but because they are labeled as “different” than the mainstream culture. With 86.6% of Japanese females participating in hobbies that they enjoy, it is common for the females to enter into the careered hobby that they enjoy.
Discussion Question
Considering Beckers thought of influences of audience, labeling, and kinds of deviance how can the Geisha subculture be viewed as a positive subculture and negative subculture?
References
Becker, H. S. (1997). Outsiders. London: Free Press.
Donna, & Donna. (2018, August 20). 50 AMAZING FACTS ABOUT GEISHA EVERYBODY OUGHT TO KNOW! Retrieved from https://hauteculturefashion.com/facts-about-geisha/
Ito, M. (n.d.). Japan’s geisha battle to protect their future. Retrieved from https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2017/11/25/general/japans-geisha-battle-protect-future/#.Xlxq55NKgUs
Statistics Bureau, & Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.stat.go.jp/english/data/handbook/c0117.html
Tameyan, L. (2019, September 9). Geisha subculture. Retrieved from https://learnourworld.com/2019/09/06/the-culture-of-geisha-girls/
(n.d.). Retrieved from https://aspectfoundation.org/host/japan.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIv_GasdL65wIVFcpkCh3qAwDAEAAYASAAEgIAMfD_BwE
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