Historical Study: Air Bombings of Japan

As I wrap up my summer of Japanese appreciation, I wanted to revisit the Pacific War theater of WWII. Quite often when we think of WWII, we quickly associate he Nazis and the European theater and perhaps overlook the Japanese aspect. I made a deep dive study on this aspect in 2020, focusing on the Second Sino-Japanese War as well as the Pacific theater of WWII (see Sino-Japanese War and Pacific War). While I focused on the sea battles and ground assaults, I think I may have overlooked the vicious campaign of air raids against Japan. While the US was eager to end the war by this point, there's no question that they committed some atrocious crimes against humanity during this period. I think this was especially made clear to me after watching the very sad film, Graves of the Fireflies. 

Japan suffered the worse aerial bombardment during WWII by far, with a civilian death toll of approximately 800,000 nearly double that of Germany. No doubt some of this was pay back for the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor, however by this point WWII had achieved a scale of Total War. This meant that the fighting was not just directed at the soldiers, but also their infrastructure which included the civilians who helped supply the war effort. Another reason the US decided to ramp up it's aerial bombardments against Japan was to bring a swift end to the conflict and avoid a full land invasion. Thus the firebombing and atomic bombs were used as a shock-and-awe campaign to brutally end Japanese moral and force them to quickly surrender. 

While it still remains a heated debate today, I think the dropping of the atomic bombs was one of the worse atrocities against mankind. It was total genocide on par with the Holocaust or Chinese massacres. The firebombing against Tokyo and other Japanese cities were almost worse by death toll. This was an utter attack against innocent civilians, which in some cases brought them instant death before they could even realize it. I think the United States should have faced a tribunal of war crimes, just the same as the Nazis and Japan did. In this post I want to create a timeline of the air raids against Japan during WWII. The bombing of Japan can be broke into three main campaigns; the Matterhorn Campaign consisted of ineffective precision bombing, which led to the devastating firebombing and atomic campaigns.

Aircraft Carrier Raids

Doolittle Raid

Date: April 18, 1942

 

Target City: Tokyo, Japan 

Aircraft/Bomb Total: 16 B-25 Bombers; 64 bombs dropped

Death Toll: 50 civilians killed

Significance: This was the first American response to the attacks on Pearl Harbor of December 7th, 1941. The Doolittle Raid was actually one of seven aerial attacks coordinated from navy ships in 1942. Aside from the main attack on Tokyo, there were also various bombings of the Marshall Islands, Gilbert Islands, Rabaul, Wake, Marcus, Salamaua and Lae. While the raids caused minimal damage they still were used to boost American morale. In response to these attacks the Japanese launched a major offensive into China, known as the Zhejiang-Jiangxi campaign, to punish them for aiding the American bombers. This resulted in the death of approximately 250,000 Chinese civilians. 

Precision Bombing Raids

Operation Matterhorn

Date: June 1944 to January 1945

Target City: Yawata, Japan; Anshan Manchuria; Bangkok, Thailand; Hankou, China; Singapore; Omura, Japan.

Aircraft/Bomb Total: 405 B-29 Superfortress bombers

Death Toll: 300-700 civilians

Significance: The Americans launched this precision bombing campaign from bases in India, Sri Lanka, and China. The goal was to take out Japanese industrial facilities while also testing their new massive B-29 aircrafts. The first mission occurred on June 5, 1944, with a bombing of the Japanese railyards in Bangkok, Thailand. This was followed by a raid on the steel factories of Yawata, Japan and Anshan, Manchuria. During this operation the Americans also conducted their first firebombing mission in Hankou, China. The operation was deemed mostly ineffective due to strong winds and costly logistics out of China. 

Firebombing Campaign

Operating Meetinghouse

Date: March 9-10, 1945

Target City: Tokyo, Japan

Aircraft/Bomb Total: 279 B-29 Bombers; 1665 tons of incendiary bombs

Death Toll: 90,000-100,000 civilians

Significance: General Curtis LeMay changed tactics after the failures of Operation Matterhorn. After several successful military campaigns the Americans were able to capture the Marshall Islands and make that their new air force base (much closer than their previous bases in India and China). They also shifted from the use of high altitude precision bombs to low altitude incendiary bombs. This method was far more devastating to the urban populations due to their wooden buildings, which erupted into wildfires throughout the night. This bombing resulted in the death of nearly 100,000 civilians and to this day remains the most deadly air raid in history (even more so then the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki). 

Nagoya Firebombing

Date: March 12, 1945

Aircraft/Bomb Total: 300 B-29s, 1000 tons of incendiary bombs 

Death Toll: 3,866

Significance: This was a prime target of Japanese military production particularly their aircraft industry. The firebombing had a devastating impact on their ability to produce aircraft, while also taking a heavy death toll on civilians.

Osaka Firebombing

Date: March 13-14, 1945

Aircraft/Bomb Total: 274 B-29s, 1733 tons of incendiary bombs

Death Toll: 10,000

Significance: This was Japan's 2nd largest city after Tokyo, and thus also a key target for military operations particularly in the industries of steel and machinery. The intention was not only to destroy these factories but also the work force, by burning their cottage homes. The attacks left more then 500,000 homeless. 

Kobe Firebombing

Date: March 16-17, 1945

Aircraft/Bomb Total: 331 B-29s, 1700 tons of incendiary bombs

Death Toll: 8,841

Significance: It was the largest port in Japan, and thus another key target for their shipping operations and manufacturing. Although the Americans did meet heavy resistance at this bombing, they still achieved their main goal thru various raids. The film Graves of the Fireflies (my inspiration for this post) took place in Kobe. By the end of the war 55% of the city was destroyed. 

2nd Tokyo Firebombing

Date: May 25-26

Aircraft/Bomb Total: 470 B-29 Bombers, 3623 tons of incendiary bombs

Death Toll: 7000

Significance: After the first devastating attack of Operation Meetinghouse, Tokyo was hit several more times. The 2nd most devastating attack occurred on May 25th targeting the residential neighborhoods. The goal was once again to destroy the work-force while also breaking the Japanese moral to surrender. By the end of the war, nearly 50% of Tokyo was completely destroyed. 

Yokohama Firebombing

Date: May 29, 1945

Aircraft/Bomb Total: 517 B-29s, 3200 tons of incendiary bombs

Death Toll: 14,000

Significance: It was also an important industrial/port city producing ships, automobiles, aircrafts, and machinery. It was the largest air raid by air fleet and amount of bombs dropped on a city, surpassing Operation Meetinghouse (although the death toll was nowhere in comparison). 58% of the city was completely destroyed. 

Toyama Firebombing

Date: August 1-2, 1945

Aircraft/Bomb Total: 182 B-29s, 1400 tons of incendiary bombs  

Death Toll: 2,149 

Significance: Toyama was the most devastated by the firebombing, in which 99% of the city was completely destroyed. However it was a smaller city and many of the civilians were able to escape due to prior warnings. 

Other Heavily Damaged Cities by Firebomb

• Fukui: July 19, 1945 (1,576 killed). 86% city destroyed. 
• Hitachi: July 19, 1945 (1,275 killed). 72% city destroyed. 
• Fukuoka: June 19, 1945 (953 killed). 24% city destroyed. 
• Kure: July 1, 1945 (2,152 killed). 42% city destroyed. 
• Mito: August 2, 1945 (499 killed). 69% city destroyed. 
• Nagaoka: August 1-2, 1945 (1500 killed). 65% city destroyed. 
• Sakai: July 9-10, 1945 (1863 killed). 48% city destroyed. 
• Shizuoka: June 19-20, 1945 (2,000 killed). 66% city destroyed. 
• Toyohashi: June 19-20, 1945 (624 killed). 61% city destroyed. 
• Tsu: July 24, 1945 (1239 killed). 69% city destroyed
• Maebashi: August 5, 1945 (1048 killed). 64% city destroyed.
• Okazaki: July 19, 1945 (280 killed). 32% city destroyed.
• Himeji: July 3, 1945 (787 killed). 49% city destroyed. 
• Kofu: July 6, 1945 (1,127 killed). 78% city destroyed. 
• Gifu: July 9, 1945 (863 killed). 63% city destroyed. 
• Kochi: July 3-4, 1945 (1,667 killed). 55% city destroyed.
• Kawasaki: April 15, 1945 (846 killed). 36% city destroyed. 

Atomic Bomb Campaign

Hiroshima Atomic Bomb

Date: August 6th, 1945

Aircraft/Bomb B-29 bomber (Enola Gay) with a uranium-235 bomb (Little Boy). 

Death Toll: 80,000 instantly (146,000 by end of 1945). 

Significance: This was the first dropping of an atomic bomb with the force of 15 kilotons of TNT. The bomb was a breakthrough in nuclear engineering, designed by Robert Oppenheimer during the Manhattan Project. The controversial use of this bomb was intended as a shock-and-awe campaign to bring a swift end to the war thru psychological impact. It's destruction was devastating and instantaneous with a blast radius of 1 mile. The bomb exploded slightly above ground with a blinding white light that could be seen from 15 miles. This was quickly followed by the blast impact, that was destructive within a mile radius, but could be felt within a 12 mile radius. This was then followed by a firestorm that spread throughout the city. Many who survived the initial blast later died from burns and radiation sickness.     

Nagasaki Atomic Bomb

Date: August 9, 1945

Aircraft/Bomb: B-29 bomber (Bockscar) with a plutonium-239 bomb (Fat Man) 

Death Toll: 40,000 instantly (80,000 by end of 1945).

Significance: Just 3 days after the first atomic bombing this one followed, once again to cause shock-and-awe, but also to demonstrate the sheer power of this weapon. This bomb was more powerful then Hiroshima with 21 kilotons of TNT, however less devastating due to the geographical valley it was dropped in. Nonetheless it still caused instantaneous death and destruction with a mushroom cloud that could be seen 250 miles away. A few days later, accepting the power of this weapon, Japan announced it's formal surrender on August 15th. While these bombs helped bring a swift end to the war, it almost seemed unnecessary at this point for a nation that was already practically defeated. One could even make the case that poor Japan was used more as a guinea pig of this new powerful weapon (primarily as a threat to the Soviet Union). To put it simply these two atomic bombings as well as the atrocious firebombing raids were unethical crimes against humanity. 

Book Review: Memoirs of a Geisha

As I began my Japanese appreciation phase, I had two popular books in mind to fully emerge into the culture; Shogun and Memoirs of a Geisha written by Arthur Golden. Shogun provides a great glimpse into the feudal days of Japan while Memoirs of a Geisha provides more of a modern look (albeit it takes place during the 1930s-1940s). But my real familiarity with this story came from the critically acclaimed 2005 film directed by Rob Marshall. The film was a work of art, receiving a total of 6 Oscar nominations and 3 wins. And honestly the film kept pretty true to the book. To be fair though I was probably more interested in the setting then the actual story as I watched this film. I remember my sister-in-law Shawnna always raved about this book, so I decided now was the perfect time to give it a go. 

Book Synopsis

As the title suggests this is semi-biographical story of a woman's life as a geisha. Set in 1929 a young girl named Sakamoto Chiyo lives in a rural fishing village known as Yoroido. Her parents are both unhealthy and in poverty, so a family friend named Mr. Tanaka convinces the parents to sell the children. Chiyo is sold to an okiya (geisha house) while her sister, Satsu is sold to a brothel in Gion, Kyoto. Chiyo is introduced to the okiya family which includes the patrons known as mother, auntie, and grannie all of which are very strict businesswomen. The house also has various maids, apprentices, and their star geisha Hatsumomo (who takes an immediate disliking to Chiyo). Chiyo is of course very sad the first few months at her new house, missing her parents and her sister. She even tries to run away at one point, however the plan goes wrong and her mother patron decides she can not be trusted as a geisha investment. 

After several years as a maid, Chiyo meets a friendly stranger in the streets, known as the Chairman who offers her a handkerchief and some money to buy a treat. It is the first act of kindness she has felt in a very long time, and suddenly changes her perspective on the geisha life. The only problem however is her patron mother has decided she does not wish to invest in Chiyo's training. This changes however when another popular geisha named Mameha (an enemy of Hatsumomo) decides to take Chiyo on as an apprentice. Mother makes a deal with Mameha to invest in her training in return for a share of the profits. Chiyo thus becomes an apprentice geisha to Mameha, with the new given name of Sayuri.

Sayuri's early training is very difficult due to sabotage from her okiya sisters Hatsumomo and her apprentice Pumpkin. Hatsumomo finds a way to attend every event that Sayuri and Mameha are at, in an effort to humiliate Sayuri. Hastumomo is no doubt jealous of Sayuri's natural beauty, but also wishes to strengthen her position in the okiya as well as see her own apprentice Pumpkin become her heir. Mameha however coordinates some brilliant strategy by introducing Sayuri to several prominent business men, including Dr. Crab, the Baron, and Nobu (a friend of the Chariman). Eventually Dr. Crab wins the bid to take Sayuri's virginity (a ceremony known as mizuage) for a record price. This enables Sayuri to pay off her debts and win favor with her patron mother who later adopts Sayuri in favor of Pumpkin. This eventually drives Hastumomo mad, he descends into alcoholism is eventually thrown out of the okiya. 

Sayuri's success is somewhat short-lived however due to the ongoing crisis of WWII which eventually leads to the closure of all geisha houses in 1944. Sayuri finds salvation from a previous customer Nobu, who sends her to the countryside to avoid any factory work. After the war ends, Sayuri returns to work with a closer relationship to Nobu, who intends to be her danna. However Sayuri does not wish to be sworn to Nobu and instead still has longing feelings for the Chariman. She develops a scheme to dissuade Nobu from being her danna, by having him discover her with another man. Sayuri asks her old friend Pumpkin to guide Nobu into a room, where she will be making love with another man. Sayuri is able to coordinate her part of the plan, but she is shocked when Pumpkin brings in the chairman instead of Nobu. Pumpkin declares it was payback for Sayuri taking away Pumpkin's chance to be adopted. 

Sayuri is devastated at the way this scheme played out, horrified that the Chairman (the man she loved), saw her with another man. However in a shocking twist it is revealed that the Chairman helped orchestrate Sayuri's raise to the top ever since he saw her in the streets. He gave Mameha the idea to adopt Sayuri as her younger sister, and he stood back while his business partner Nobu favored Sayuri. Seeing Sayuri with another man was difficult for the Chairman to see, however he realized Sayuri was doing it to scare off the Nobu, and thus confessed the truth to Nobu. This led to Nobu withdrawing his desire to be Sayuri's danna and opening the door for the Chairman to do so. Thus it was something that both Sayuri and the Chairman wanted. Years later Sayuri would move to New York City to start her own teahouse with the financial and emotional support of the Chairman. 

The Characters

Chiyo (Sayuri): She is a very softspoken humble girl who has no doubt endured hardships by being separated from her parents and sister and brought into a life of servitude. Her perseverance however is a testament to her strength and it's encouraging to watch her raise to the top and get everything she wants in the end. 

Hatsumomo: She is the favorite geisha of the house Sayuri stays at, and quickly becomes Sayuri's sworn rival. Throughout most the story Hatsumomo is bent on sabotaging Sayuri's career, mostly due to jealousy of Sayuri's beauty. Hatsumomo eventually gets what she deserves when Sayuri is able to become the new favorite of the okiya. 

The Chairman: He is wealthy business director of an electric company and is the first man to show sincere kindness to Sayuri. This act of kindness inspires Sayuri to become a geisha with hopes of one day being his mistress. We later discover that the chairman helped orchestrate Sayuri's raise to success.

Mameha: She is another popular geisha in the Gion district who decides to take Sayuri as her apprentice. Mameha is a very clever geisha who uses her powerful connections to help Sayuri rise the social ladder throughout the geisha industry. 

Mother (Mrs. Nitta): She is the cold-hearted head of the okiya house that Sayuri stays at. She is a stern business woman who puts money above any emotional connections.

Nobu: He is a business partner of the Chairman, who also develops a fondness of Sayuri. He has battle scars however including a missing arm due to previous wars. He still becomes one of Sayuri's most loyal customers helping her achieve her rise to success. 

Pumpkin: She is a maid and early friend during Sayuri's first couple years in the okiya. However she later becomes Hatsumomo's apprentice and thus also a rival to Sayuri. She is depicted as somewhat insecure and dimwitted. However she achieves her ultimate revenge by exposing Sayuri's shameful act in front of the Chairman. 

Book Review

Although this book comes across as a biographical account it is actually a historical fiction. The author Arthur Golden however did use exclusive material from an interview he had with a real geisha named Mineko Iwasaki. Golden used many snippets and examples from her life to fully portray the story from a geisha's perspective. I believe this inner perspective into the geisha's struggling life is what makes this book so unique. It truly gives a sympathetic account to a career or lifestyle that might be frowned upon by most. However it also provides great insight into this once thriving industry that truly is a staple of Japan's cultural identity.   

I found this book was actually quite easy to comprehend and follow along with (which was a nice break after reading the lengthy Shogun). The protagonist Sayuri is no doubt someone you want to root for, who has such an unfair childhood to lose her parents and be sold almost into slavery. She has no friends when she begins her life in the okiya, including her cruel housemasters and her enemy Hatsumomo. But she somehow manages to endure all these early hardships to become a success in her own right. Even though she can only be the chairman's mistress, he represents the light in her very grim world. She also achieves her own success free of any confinement when she starts her own teahouse in New York City at the end of the story. This makes for a wonderful rags-to-riches story with a powerful arc that leads to a great happy ending.

What I especially enjoyed about the writing style in this book was the amazing use of metaphors and allegories. For starters the author frequently uses the imagery of water to demonstrate the appealing quality of a geisha. It is noted early on that Sayuri has lots of water in her personality which is a reference to her graceful quality (as opposed to wooden stiff characters). Other poetic metaphors that I really enjoyed was when Sayuri thought of herself as a puddle compared to an ocean when thinking of Hatsumomo as a rival. Or the humorous line during WWII, where the geishas believe that "nothing can be bleaker than the future, except maybe the past". The book is loaded with poetic allegories such as this which further enhance Sayuri's likability as the narrator.

Cultural Study: Geisha

As part of my summer of Japanese Culture, I have segued from feudal samurai studies into the more modern day studies. This of course pertains to the Pacific World War II battles (which I've already written about various times), but also a new interest in geisha culture. This interest has emerged as I've embarked on the famous novel, Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden. I've seen the 2005 movie before which I really enjoyed but still knew quite little about this unique culture. One could make the case that alongside the samurai, the geisha are one of the most iconic cultural traditions of Japan. 

As I've read the book, which I'll later have a full review on, I've been quite fascinated on all the unique customs and structure of this practice. I'll be honest before I began reading this book, I associated geishas as a form of classy prostitutes. However it's not that at all. Geishas are essentially performing artists, who specialize in dance, music, singing, hosting, and the art of conversation. They wear distinctive robes of intricate patterns, known as kimonos. They wear strong makeup with white face paint known as oshiroi. And they wear a traditional hairstyle known as the nihongami, which has a bun in the back with pins and red ribbons. They are essentially the embodiment of beauty and femininity and for this many people will pay highly just for their presence. 

They go thru years of training and it's almost like a cult society, where their life is dedicated to this artform. Their is a system of structure, discipline, obedience, intensive training, and a hierarchy. Most geisha do not get married or have children yet rather stay involved in the geisha community most their lives. This could be either thru mentoring, training, or starting their own geisha house or business. The headquarters of geisha culture is the Gion district of Kyoto, however it spreads throughout Japan. While they do not have a creed or doctrine they practice a philosophy known as the "willow world", which I'd like to further explore in this study. 

Origins of the Geisha

Quite surprisingly the geisha practice did not officially develop until the 1600s during the Edo Period. Of course there were many forms of female courtesans, dancers, and entertainers prior to this, but the artform did not develop until much later. The practice of "pleasure quarters" known as yukaku became common place and legal throughout the 1500s. The highest ranking courtesans were known as oiran, thus already establishing a hierarchy even within the field of prostitution. The oiran was essentially the predecessor to the geisha, as she was not only very beautiful but also well versed in various in music and performance. The visual aesthetics of these women would lay the groundwork for not only the geisha, but also the popular theatre known as kabuki. 

Another important predecessor to the geisha as we know them today, were actually male performers known as taikomochi. These court performers emerged as far back as the 1300s, known as jesters, storytellers, musicians, dancers, party masters, and even advisors to the feudal lords. The female geisha ultimately adopted this practice from the men, with more feminine aesthetics. By the 1700s this form of female entertainer had been identified not as a prostitute but as an artistic performer for social gatherings. By 1750, the first famous geisha Kikuya emerged from Fukagawa, achieving great success not thru sex, but through her skilled singing and shamisen playing. This geisha practice spread slowly throughout Japan, but most primarily in Kyoto's Gion district cattered to upper class private parties. 

Throughout the 1800s the profession had gotten much more organized and was now backed by government regulations that officially declared it was not a form of prostitution. Their popularity quickly grew at the same time as the kabuki theatre, both became beacons of Japanese fashion and cultural entertainment. By 1920 there were approximately 80,000 geisha practicing throughout Japan and were regarded as the elite trendsetters of high-class social life. However with the outbreak of WWII, this popularity ended drastically, and by 1944 most geisha districts were closed. Following the war, the nation was forever changed and many of these geisha found new lifestyles entirely while some did return to similar forms of entertainment. Stricter laws were passed throughout the 1960s, which made it harder for geisha societies to train children. By 1970 the once popular form of social entertainment had become a pastime. While the geisha practice still exists to this day, there are no more then 1000 geishas in Japan. 

Appearance

The geisha has a very distinctive appearance with the intent to emphasize feminine beauty. There are many features to a geisha's ensemble, beginning with their hairstyle, their makeup, and their wardrobe. The makeup is probably the most iconic, with it's white foundation known as oshiroi. The purpose is to illuminate the face with a contrast of the the red lips, black eye liner, and pink blusher. While this overuse of makeup can appear somewhat clownish, on the right girl it can also provide pure visual aesthetics. It's fair to note that this use of white paint makeup was commonplace throughout Europe and France as a symbol of status during this time.

The hairstyle is another distinctive feature of the geisha's appearance, often wore in a style known as the shimada. Similar to the samurai, it's wore with a topknot bun however it has much more intricacy and accessories to it. The hairstyle is the indicator of the geisha's level, either apprentice or professional. The key feature of this style is the red ribbon the is placed at the middle intersection of the back bun. To accompany these red ribbons are long dangling hair-pins or flowers. Once a geisha becomes a professional or more established she can wear a wig, so as not to have to go thru the elaborate styling each day. 

The kimono is their fashion statement, a colorful ensemble of intricate designs and patterns. This is a dress like robe, with long arms and trailing skirts which give off an elegant visual as if they are floating. The robe is held together by a sash known as the obi. The red collar symbolizes apprentice while the white collar symbolizes professional. Another key feature of the geisha's wardrobe are her platform sandals known as okobo. These are a different style of high heels, that lift the geisha from the floor, with a softer step. Geisha take great pride in their embroidered kimonos, which come in all different fabrics, from cotton, linen, polyester, and silk. The hikizuri is considered the most formal of kimono made of fine silk. 

Training Structure

The training process of the geisha begins at a very young age where the girl is likely recruited because of her prosperous beauty. In the early days many a geisha would have begun their training at the age of 6. The young geisha normally moved into houses known as okiya where they would learn from an adopted mother. Most of these young girls came from poor, rural families that simply could not afford the child and were thus sent to serve for their living. The mother of the okiya would raise, feed, clothe, and train the young girl with the intent that she would pay back her debts as a geisha escort. For the first few years of the young girls residency in the okiya, she was mostly a maid and an observer of the geisha customs. 

The proper training stage for a young geisha, known as the shikomi, begins when they start attending classes paid for by the mother of the okiya. A future geisha must spend many hours of intensive training to learn the arts they are expected to have. These arts consist of music classes, singing, and learning how to play the shamisen, three-stringed instrument, the taiko drum, and the fue flute. Dance is also a very important geisha art where the traditional dance of kyomai is best known for it's slow, graceful, and provoking movement. The mastery of tea ceremony, calligraphy, and especially conversation are also essential elements that separate a good geisha from a great geisha. 

The next phase is their apprenticeship where this maiko (apprentice) must follow an established geisha, referred to as their older sister. Here she continues to quietly learn from observation attending parties and other social functions with professional geisha. Normally a maiko is not allowed at a teahouse or an event without their sister geisha. The ceremonial promotion from maiko to geisha is sometimes practiced when a bidder buys their virginity, a tradition known as mizuage (raising the waters). When a maiko graduates to become a geisha (usually at the age of 20 or 21), their collar changes from red to white in a ceremony known as the erikae. She can be fully independent of their okiya mother, once all debts have been paid. She will continue to live in he same okiya for most of her life as she conducts her business as she chooses, often taking on her own apprentices at a fee. A geisha will often have a patron throughout most of her life, known as a danna. 

Traditional Arts

What makes a geisha different then a female escort or prostitute is her intellectual skill in the arts. This incorporates the traditional aspects of Japanese culture. The first and most important skill a geisha has is the art of conversation and hosting. While it may seem trivial, there is no doubt a skill in keeping a conversation lively, humorous, and sincere all at once. Since the geisha are mostly invited to social gatherings they are expected to be the life of the party, by not only showing obedience but also clever engagement with their clients. They are expected to not just be silent observers but to be knowledgably on current affairs, history, the arts, poetry, or literature. This quality brings life to their charming appeal.   

The geisha is also expected to perform for her customers thru her traditional arts of dance and music. The dance known as the nihon buyo is often an expressive one with minimal yet precise movement that displays total elegance. The geisha is also a skilled musician well versed in vocals as well as playing the shamisen, taiko, and fue instruments. They are expected to be masters of the tea ceremony, where they truly display their grace, precision, discipline, and acute awareness. They are also well versed in the Japanese traditions of calligraphy and flower arrangement. 

The Willow World

Although the geisha don't have an official creed or doctrine they follow a way of life known as the karyukai (also known as the willow world). These courtesans are considered like beautiful flowers, who have their blossoming periods yet will also eventually wither. They are also considered like willow trees, who can adapt to any situation with great resilience. They are flexible and appeasing to their clients, but ultimately their roots are stable and grow stronger with age. While it may seem a grim life for most, the geisha take solace in this notion that they are providing an escape for most men, while maintaining their own stability. 

The geisha world is one that appeases others and bends to their desires while still maintaining their foundation. Their world takes place in the geisha districts, a life of servitude as a young child to become like an object of beauty. They don't normally marry or have their own children, and they certainly don't travel or roam freely like a bird. Instead they remain put in this willow world like a stable tree that offers it's leaves and branches to men. These geisha abide by this unofficial code thru their hierarchy and business structure of okiya houses, teahouses, and registry offices. So while most might see Gion or the other red light districts as a form of entertainment and pleasure, from the geisha's perspective this is one of servitude but also artistic fulfillment.