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Shimoda, a small seaside city in Shizuoka prefecture, was home to as many as 200 geisha working its tea-houses as recently as 30 years ago.

However, the number of geisha currently based in Shimoda has now declined to just five, prompting the rare intervention of government officials to keep their presence alive.

As part of the plan, three prospective geisha will receive wages from central government employment subsidies for a six-month period, during which they will be trained fully in traditional singing, dancing and instrument playing.

The geisha training proposal, which will cost the local government an estimated £43,000, aims to reverse the city's dramatic decline of its geisha population – a problem replicated across much of modern-day Japan.

The move is a rare example of government employment funds directly subsidising the world of geisha, which has traditionally been independent of such financial support despite its decline in modern-day Japan.

"The number of geisha has declined because the social situations surrounding the traditional arts of geisha culture have changed," a spokeswoman for Shimoda City Government told the Daily Telegraph. "This is because there has been a decline in demand and also due to the social progress of women." "But the reason why it is important to help encourage more people to become geisha is because we think it's necessary for younger generations to inherit traditional entertainment." The first geisha trainees will take part in lessons held at a historic building known as the Sawamura residence, which dates back to the early 20th century.

Following six months of paid training, the city's new geisha will make their public debut in an annual city festival in March next year, according to officials, who also hope the move will boost the number of foreign tourists in the city.

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Samisen

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I have attended and recorded Ayano san in Maiko Show today at Kyoto. Interesting

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Before dancing:
-show the way to great the customers
-(rules to bow, sit,stand up)

Dancing
-show how to dance (the steps, the fans,eyes contact and face expression)

After dancing
- show how to thank the customers
-(kneel down,bow, way to keep back the fan)

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Geisha’s are entertainers, and they are trained vigorously in art, music and dancing. If you translate Geisha into English, you get artist.

Being a true Geisha is an honor to the girls, who when they become full-fledged Geisha’s are then called geiko. If a girl begins her training to be a geisha before she is 21, she is called a maiko, meaning child dancer. A girl or woman can become a geisha even if she wasn’t a maiko, but if she had been a maiko she would enjoy much more prestige.

Because the geisha is much coveted, prostitutes have called themselves geisha’s to bring in more customers, but you will notice a distinct difference, and that is their attire. Both girls where a kimono, and over their kimono is an obi (or sash). Geisha’s tie their obi in the back, and prostitutes tie it in the front. One simple reason for this, you can’t tie it yourself if its in the back, and if you’re a prostitute, your going to need to tie it and untie it throughout the day.

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ochaya (お茶屋, literally "tea house") is an establishment where patrons are entertained by geisha.An okiya is the lodging house in which a maiko or geisha lives during the length of her nenki (contract or career as a geisha).

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Geisha always wear kimono.

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A geisha's appearance changes throughout her career, from the girlish, heavily made-up maiko, to the more somber appearance of an older established geisha. Different hairstyles and hairpins signify different stages of a girl's development and even a detail as minute as the length of one's eyebrows is significant. Short eyebrows are for the young and long eyebrows display maturity.

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Geisha begin their study of music and dance when they are very young and continue it throughout their lives. Geisha can work into their eighties and nineties, and are expected to train every day even after seventy years of experience.

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In the early stages of Japanese history, there were female entertainers: Saburuko (serving girls) were mostly wandering girls whose families were displaced from struggles in the late 600s. Some of these saburuko girls sold sexual services, while others with a better education made a living by entertaining at high-class social gatherings. After the imperial court moved the capital to Heian-kyō(Kyoto) in 794 the conditions that would form geisha culture began to emerge, as it became the home of a beauty-obsessed elite. Skilled female performers, such as Shirabyōshidancers, thrived.

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Geisha (芸者), geiko (芸妓), or geigi (芸妓) are traditional Japanese female entertainers who act as hostesses. Their skills include performing various arts such as classical memesd, dance, games, and conversation, traditionally to entertain male customers, but also female customers today.

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also known as the Divine Way, the Shinto religion is one of the most widespread religions in the Japanese culture. With over 100 different divisions, it is one of the most commonly known religions among the traditional Japanese people. Shrines and offerings are an important part of the Shinto religion. The symbolize offerings to ancestors and the diets of heaven, Kami, who influence everyday life. There is a small following in Buddhism, through now. In Memories of Geisha, Sayuri's family follows Buddhism, as well as many other people encountered in the novel.

MYTH

1. most geisha were sold to geisha houses (okiya) by their parents
Correct : Although it did happen, geisha came through many other routes, including being the daughters of other geisha.

2. geisha always wear white face make up
Correct : Although maiko (young trainee geisha) wear white make up, older geisha only wear it for special occassions

3. Geishas are prostitutes
Correct: Geisha are NOT prostitutes. They are and always will be highly-skilled entertainers. (It helps to note anyway that prostitution is illegal in Japan ever since 1956.) Plus, even though there were some of them in the olden times who offered sex to their clients, it helps to note that it wasn’t a part of their true traditional function or training

4. every geisha starts as a maiko
Correct : You have to be under 21 to be a maiko, and it is possible to become a geisha without being a maiko first. The term maiko is also only used for trainees in Kyoto.