Geisha Stationery - Japanese Letterhead - Oriental Flower Invitations - Okiya Announcements

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Geisha Stationery and Party Invitations.

Description: Our Geisha stationery is inspired by one of the few traditional icons of Japanese culture that is still in practice today. One of the delightful things about the Geisha is their appearance. With such a colorful display of beauty, the intrigue of the Geisha is a surreal response to their artistic attire, form, and symbolic manner. Geishas were at times hired for their mere presence, as they are sure to draw attention wherever they are. We hope you will enjoy writing in this garden scene where a lovely Geisha awaits your audience. Rest assured that this stationery will not go unnoticed.

Geisha & Maiko History

The Geisha first rose to prominence as a result of the Japanese Geisha Party. This type of party first began in the Edo period, a time of economic prosperity in Japan, which gave rise to the establishment of the arts and expression of hidden talents. These Geisha parties typically took place in a teahouse or Ochaya. It is here where the Geisha directed parties for the merchant and elite wealthy class, encouraging her guests to develop and use the talents they would otherwise keep secret. The Geisha girl initiated song, dance, acting and so forth to entice her guests to loosen-up and share their abilities. In some ways you might say the Geisha was more of a conductor than an entertainer. Her aim is to create an atmosphere of relaxation and amusement. The Japanese Geisha should appear and act as though there are no concerns in life, in order to alleviate the worries of her clients.

The definition of Geisha is actually broken up into two words. Gei – which denotes the arts, and Sha – which means person. A Geisha therefore is an accomplished woman of the arts, a dancing and singing girl, or art person.

One shouldn’t compare western ideals with those of the orient when we hear the term dancing and singing girl. This is often the case with westerners, which leads to many misconceptions of the Geisha. Geishas have always been unique and as in a separate class from the rest of society due to her artistic and spiritual refinement, as well as her appearance of wealth and excess. Geisha girls live a very secretive life of well-guarded traditions and art forms handed down over the centuries. In a sense one might call them an art guild. As entertainers the Geisha sing, dance, act, recite poetry, talk politics, and play music. Their makeup, dress – the Geisha girl’s every move and gesture is an artistic presentation. Geishas are well educated, talented and almost thought to be mythical. Geishas are visual ideals and role models of the feminine, even though they are not meek or submissive like Japanese women are expected to be. Instead, the Geisha are to be creative, quick on their feet, witty and talkative, qualities very unlike the traditional roles of Japanese women. Geishas are required to be at the forefront of fashion and social issues, placing them in the highest social position. Because of the Geisha’s status in the arts they were quickly accepted as high-class courtesans, even though the first Japanese Geishas came about in the early 1700's as male performers. At that time they were more of a comedic type entertainer, but later their focus moved more towards song, dance and acting. Eventually women took on the role of Geishas. Male Geishas are distinguished as Otoko Geisha.

The life of a Geisha girl is very hard. They never take time off for vacation. Every day is spent training. They must undergo several stages to become a Geisha. Usually a young girl begins training at the age of six years. Most come from poor families who receive compensation for their daughters. Others come from a line of Japanese Geisha families and are destined for the profession at birth. They move into an Okiya or Geisha family. The girl begins as a Shikomi and works her way up to Geiko. Around the age of twelve she becomes a Maiko, a true apprentice to the Geisha. Some girls with exceptional talent become a Geisha immediately while others only become a Maiko. The apprentice usually spends many hours performing menial work for the Geisha they serve. This is their opportunity to study and learn from their more accomplished “Sisters.” As time passes, these young girls spend many years learning various artistic talents, how to dress and apply makeup, how to perform all their movements, how to sing, recite poetry, act, play music, speak politely and so forth. Even though they are considered servants, they do not actually serve or perform labor.

One misconception is that the Maiko and Geisha are taught by other Geishas – this is very rare. Most Japanese Geishas and Maiko are taught by a teacher who is not a Geisha. Many teachers are men, and most teachers are from a family of teachers, carrying on a tradition they are born into, these teachers are called Iemoto.

As the Maiko is taught, she will spend two years as an apprentice before she becomes a Geisha. As she makes the switch from Maiko to Geisha she will have a coming out or debut party at a teahouse. Her patron, teacher, and fellow Geisha girls will come and judge her performance. She will change her Kimono several times as a display of her good fashion sense and wealth. She will also demonstrate the various art forms she has practiced since a young age. This is a very expensive rite of passage and she must impress the teacher for her acceptance.

Luckily the girl has patrons who make this possible. Patrons are the lifeblood of the Geisha. It is a great honor to be a patron, and many men desire to be one even if they can not afford it. Patrons of the Japanese Geisha are typically of the wealthy class. Some men attempt to appear wealthy and there are also companies and industries that will be a patron of the Geisha. The interesting thing is that the Geisha girl selects the patrons and the patrons try to lure her to choose them. In the end, the patron must have a great deal of money in order to support her spending habits – as a Geisha is expected to be at the forefront of elegant and excessive fashion. It is considered disgraceful to stop being a patron. Those who can’t afford it typically make great sacrifices to make ends meet.

When it comes to a Geisha girl’s expenses the Kimono is at the top of the list – it is not a cheap piece of clothing. While still a young apprentice a Maiko must learn to master the Japanese Kimono. Geisha are known for their elaborate dress and skill with the Kimono, their traditional attire. Typically the Kimono will have between two and twelve layers and fasten with a sash. The Japanese Kimono is the aftereffect of two different garments that preceded it, the Kosode and the Tsutsusode. The Kosode was a royal robe made of silk which was worn beneath the ceremonial garb. The Tsutsusode was a loose garment with narrow sleeves worn when laboring. These two garments evolved together to become the Kimono. Originally the Japanese Kimono was a simple white robe, later, however; it was given the elaborate color and intricate patterns it has today. As time went on the robes became themed based on the seasons. As the complexity of design, pattern, color and meaning increased, so did the cost of buying and owning the Kimono robes. This also increased the grandeur and decadence of the Geisha, as they dressed in apparel that common Japanese could never afford. Such luxuries increased the Geisha’s distinction as an elite class. In time more was added to the Geisha girl’s appearance, including rings, jewels, handbags, brooches and many other accessories.

Another important element of the Japanese Geisha is her hair. In the past, Geisha girls would have their hair done once a month, and later twice a month. During the month they would have to keep it nice and pretty – as a Geisha’s hair is very elaborately styled and not easy to manage or prepare. They use special raised pillows designed with their hair in mind that would keep their hair from touching anything. The pillows are almost like laying your head on a log with your hair hanging over it. When the Geisha girl washed her hair it was usually a two-day process for cleaning and styling.

There are several different hairstyles a Japanese Geisha can wear, some of them include the Wareshinobu and the Sakko. Some of the items that are included in the hair style are, a tortoiseshell comb, Suzuki (August flower), silver flutters, a red silk frontal band, a opal hairpin, kanoko pin, a jade hairpin and a tortoiseshell hairpin.

Some of the more Iconic items a Geisha girl owned and displayed on her being was the Chukei, a fan with recurved outer stays which allowed the fan to remain partially open. This fan was used by nobles in ancient times. Another important item was their Geta, or wooden clogs. These gave the Geisha extra height for transversing the streets to their appointments, and were intended to protect their garb and accentuate their character. Another Iconic element believed by many is the Japanese Geisha’s beauty. While beauty is a plus – it is more important that the Geisha have a good personality, along with excellent social skills. Geisha are the icebreakers for initiating the party and livening things up. They take the pressure and attention off the guests and become the center of attention and conversation. Geishas are meant to be a muse and interesting companions – as they entertain with the arts. Another important item for a Geisha is the Shamisens or O-shami, a three-string guitar instrument from China that made its way to Japan in the 1560’s.

Once a girl becomes a Geisha she moves from the Okiya and finds her own place to live, but she always works for the school or Okiya at which she was taught. By law Japanese Geishas must always belong to a Okiya. Ideally a Geisha will move into an apartment above the teahouse at which she hopes to entertain guests so that she does not have to travel far to meet her patrons. If she must travel, her mode of transportation is a Richsha (a two-wheel carriage pulled by a man). Today only Geishas are allowed to ride in a Richsha.

In present day Japan the art of the Geisha is becoming extinct. In the past a Geisha could be found in eighty districts – today they can only be found in five. Many Japanese are losing interest in their past culture, and support of the Geisha is dwindling. Most Geisha seen on the streets of Japan today are merely tourists who want to dress up as a Geisha for a day.