Sayuki of Asakusa — the first gai-geisha of Japan
Sayuki of Asakusa
via sayuki.net
For the first time in the 400 year history of the geisha, a Westerner has been accepted, and on December 19, will formally debut under the name Sayuki…[she] specialized in social anthropology, a subject which requires anthropologists to actually experience the subject they are studying by participating in the society themselves….more…
To explain “gai-geisha” ….
The first word you learn in Japan is “gaijin”–literally ‘gai’ meaning outside/alien/foriegn and “jin” meaning person. Addiltionally, the word “geisha” literally ‘gei’ means the arts and ’sha’ means a person or “doer”.
Therefore gai-geisha means “alien art doer.”
Miss Sayuki was lucky to be a Tokyo geisha do not follow the strict, multi-year, ritualized Kyoto apprentice process. The Tokyo training period can be six months to a year —a hell of lot shorter than year it would take to speak Japanese at the geisha level of sophistication—and the five years that a real Kyoto apprentice needs to go through before she debuts as a full geisha.
However, gai-geisha strike me as just elaborate cosplay and reminds me of the true geisha of Japan, Chindonya (Wikimedia), advertising clowns.
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December 23rd, 2007 at 6:48 pm
Now wait a minute Taro! The author of “GEISHA” Liza Dalby was the first Western geisha more than 10 years ago.
December 23rd, 2007 at 10:36 pm
In recent years, becoming a “geisha” has not required a lifetime of work. However, Liza Dalby never did a formal geisha apprenticeship. She was just allowed to pretend to be a geishi to do her participant-observer anthropological study.
December 23rd, 2007 at 10:40 pm
Yeah, Liza Dalby was just “allowed” to pretend she was a geisha, as many sources have mentioned (including LizaDalby.com).
December 24th, 2007 at 11:53 am
The term you are looking for is “maiko henshin”–a Geisha Makeover for a few hours.
In a similar vein, Liza Dalby attended parties in the geisha get-up and was just a novelty item.
December 30th, 2007 at 8:26 pm
The problem is that Sayuki enjoyed an “Ginza Geisha” apprenticeship which can last only six months (rather than five or six years as is traditionally required in Kyoto). Neither Sayuki nor Liza studied a full range of the geisha arts that required during a formal apprenticeship (for example, neither lady attempted Japanese dance).
January 5th, 2008 at 8:58 pm
By the way, any geisha who is older than hangyoku age spends around 6 months to a year before they debut. Sayuki’s training period was normal length.
January 20th, 2008 at 4:17 pm
Hi Respectable Person.
At first respect your Country. I am the citizen of Bangladesh in South Asia (Near India). I want to friendship with your country & with you. I am chairman of Foreign language school & salon Beauty parlour. I am Indian training massage therapist. All languages of the world are taught here. I invite to you visit my country. I am waiting for your kind reply.
Best Regards,
Name:- Badsha
Bangladesh.
January 25th, 2008 at 1:47 pm
I’m sure you’re no beauty queen yourself, so before you insult someone on their looks, look in the mirror.
Oh, and another thing, if you’re going to write an article, you’d save yourself some face by taking an English Class. Run ons and awkward sentences galore and it’s only a short article.
February 22nd, 2008 at 10:21 am
According to Debito’s and Sayuki’s blogs, she is now going down-market for the Wapanese freakazoid type of tourist clientele.
Note: 12.300yen per person equals about 11 cents ($0.114456 USD), hee, hee.
April 14th, 2008 at 6:26 am
A period (.) is frequently used in place of a comma (,) particularly in Europe (and isn’t Sayuki Oxford educated?). So roughly $120 USD… unless the American dollar continues to drop.
April 15th, 2009 at 9:31 pm
I can tell that this is not the 1st time at all that you have written about this topic. Why have you decided to write about it again?
January 1st, 2010 at 5:28 pm
Taro, it is really offensive to put a photo of someone else as if it is Sayuki.
And all of you, criticising Sayuki for being white is just racist. She grew up in Japan – why shouldn’t she participate in Japanese society.
And it is hardly likely that Keio University would have hired her to lecture on traditional Japanese society if she wasn’t the genuine thing.
January 1st, 2010 at 11:08 pm
It is not a photo–it’s a drawn caricature (using elements of dozens of photos). The whole purpose of a caricature is to exaggerates/distorts the essence of someone–in this case a Western geisha.
If Sayuki-sama is so distraught by this trival post that is three years old and that nobody will be reading, I pulled down the parts of it linked directly to her and labeled the drawing as a caricature, sheesh. And, as far as the validity of Sayuki’s geisha-ness, IMHO she’s a just an oddity, a talking dog.
February 14th, 2010 at 10:16 am
Putting in “sayuki” and “geisha” into a google search brings up your offensive caricature of Sayuki first thing. i.e it is the FIRST thing that anyone sees when they look Sayuki up. It is offensive and uncalled for. If she wasn’t the real thing how do you think she has lasted three years inside the geisha world? It is difficult for any white person to be the first to do anything in Japan given the very racist attitudes here. Sayuki deserves congratulations.
February 14th, 2010 at 12:25 pm
I would be overjoyed if my mediocre drawing {Fair use – Parody} was that popular but a number of pictures come before mine such as this one on deviantart.com:
Other sites I have no relation with carry the drawing like http://www.asianoffbeat.com.
See “sayuki” and “geisha” on Google Image Search.
February 24th, 2010 at 6:27 am
Mom: Did you get a good place in the geography test?
Fred: Yes, Mom, I sat next to the cleverest kid in the class.
March 4th, 2010 at 2:50 am
What lies on the ground 100 feet up in the air & stinks? A dead centi-pede.
March 4th, 2010 at 2:51 am
Yo mama’s head is so big dats she gotta step into her shirts.