SAMPLE EXPLANATORY SPPECH

Readings for SpCom 136

THE GEISHA
Joyce Chapman
As you may have already noticed from my facial features, I have Oriental
blood in me and, as such, I am greatly interested in my Japanese heritage. One
aspect of my heritage that fascinates me the most is the beautiful and adoring
Geisha.
I recently asked some of my friends what they thought a Geisha was, and the
comments I received were quite astonishing. For example, one friend said, She is a
woman who walks around in a hut. A second friend was certain that a Geisha was
A woman who massages men for money and it involves her in other physical
activities. Finally, I received this response, She gives baths to men and walks on
their backs. Well, needless to say, I was rather surprised and offended by their
comments. I soon discovered that the majority of my friends perceived the Geisha
with similar attitudes. One of them argued, Its not my fault, because that is the
way Ive seen them on TV. In many ways my friend was correct. His misconception
of the Geisha was not his fault, she is often portrayed by American film producers
and directors as: a prostitute, as in the movie, The Barbarian and the Geisha; a
streetwalker, as seen in the TV series, Kung Fu; or as a showgirl with a gimmick, as
performed in the play, Flower Drum Song.
A Geisha is neither a prostitute, streetwalker, or showgirl with a gimmick. She
is a lovely Japanese woman who is a professional entertainer and hostess. She is
cultivated with exquisite manners, truly a bird of a very different plumage.
I would like to provide you with some insight into the Geisha, and, in the
process perhaps, correct any misconception you may have. I will do this by
discussing her history, training, and development.
The Geisha has been in existence since 600 A.D., during the archaic time of
the Yakamoto periodplumplumageplum. At that time the Japanese ruling class was
very powerful and economically rich. The impoverished majority, however, had to
struggle to survive. Starving fathers and their families had to sell their young
daughters to the teahouses in order to get a few yen. The families hoped that the
girls would have a better life in the teahouse than they would have in their own
miserable homes.
During ancient times only high society could utilize the Geishas talents
because she was regarded as a status symbol, exclusively for the elite. As the
Geisha became more popular, the common people developed their own imitations.
These imitations were often crude and base, lacking sophistication and taste. When
American GIs came home from World War II, they related descriptive accounts of
their wild escapades with the Japanese Geisha. In essence, the GIs were only
soliciting with common prostitutes. These bizarre stories helped create the wrong
image of the Geisha.
Today, it is extremely difficult to become a Geisha. A Japanese woman
couldnt wake up one morning and decide. I think Ill become a Geisha today. Its
not that simple. It takes sixteen years to qualify.
At the age of six a young girl would enter the Geisha training school and
become a Jo-chu, which means house keeper. The Jo-chu does not have any specific
type of clothing, hairstyle, or make-up. Her duties basically consist of keeping the

teahouse immaculately clean (for cleanliness is like a religion to Japanese). She

would also be responsible for making certain that the more advanced women would
have everything available at her fingertips. It is not until the girl is sixteen and
enters the Maiko stage that she concentrates less on domestic duties and channels
more of her energies on creative and artistic endeavors.
The Maiko girl, for example, is taught the classical Japanese dance, Kabuki. At
first, the dance consists of tiny, timid steps to the left, to the right, backward and
forward. As the years progress, she is taught the more difficult steps requiring
syncopated movements to a fan.
The Maiko is also introduced to the highly regarded art of floral arrangement.
The Japanese take full advantage of the simplicity and gracefulness that can be
achieved with a few flowers in a vase, or with a single flowering twig. There are
three main styles: Seika, Moribana, and Nagerie. It takes at least three years to
master this beautiful art.
During the same three years, the Maiko is taught the ceremonious art of
serving tea. The roots of these rituals go back to the thirteen century, when Zen
Buddhist monks in China drank tea during their devotions. These rituals were raised
to a fine art by the Japanese tea masters, who set the standards for patterns of
behavior throughout Japanese society. The tea ceremony is so intricate that it often
takes four hours to perform and requires the use of seventeen different utensils. The
tea ceremony is far more than the social occasion it appears to be. To the Japanese,
it serves as an island of serenity where one can refresh the senses and nourish the
soul.
One of the most important arts taught to the Geisha is that of conversation.
She must master an elegant circuitous vocabulary flavored in Karyuki, the world of
flowers and willows, of which she will be a part. Consequently, she must be capable
of stimulating her clients mind as well as his esthetic pleasures.
Having completed her sixteen years of through training, at the age of twentytwo, she becomes a full-fledged Geisha. She can now serve her clients with duty,
loyalty, and most important, a sense of dignity.
The Geisha would be dressed in the ceremonial kimono, made of brocade and
silk thread. It would be fastened with an obi, which is a sash around the waist and
hung down back. The length of the obi would indicate the girls degree of
development. For instance, in the Maiko stage the obi is longer and shortened when
she becomes a Geisha. Unlike the Maiko, who wears a gay, bright, and cheerful
kimono, the Geisha is dressed in more subdued colors. Her make-up is traditional
white base, which gives her the look of white porcelain. The hair is shortened and
adorned with beautiful, delicate ornaments.
As a full-fledged Geisha, she would probably acquire a rich patron who would
assume her sizable debt to the Okiya, or training residence. This patron would help
pay for her wardrobe, for each kimono can cost up to $12,000. The patron would
generally provide her with financial security.
The Geisha serves as a combination entertainer and companion. She may
dance, sing, recite poetry, play musical instruments, or draw pictures for her guest.
She might converse with them or listen sympathetically to their troubles. Amorous
advances, however, are against the rules.
So, as you can see the Geisha is a far cry from the back-rubbing, streetwalking, slick entertainer that was described by my friends. She is a beautiful,
cultivated, sensitive, and refined woman.