Mizuage
Encyclopedia
was a ceremony undergone by a Japanese
maiko
(apprentice geisha
) to signify her coming of age
. When the older geisha (in charge of the maiko's training) considered the young maiko ready to come of age, the topknot of her hair was symbolically cut. Afterward, a party would be held for the maiko.
During the Edo period
, courtesan
s undergoing mizuage were sponsored by a patron who had the right of taking their virginity
. Mizuage has also historically been connected with loss of virginity of maiko, but this practice became illegal in 1959.
According to research by anthropologist Liza Dalby
, mizuage was an important initiation to womanhood and the geisha world. Mizuage gave way to the next ritual often referred to as ‘turning the collar’ or ‘Erikae
’: where a maiko exchanges her red collar (maiko) for a white collar (geisha). Previously to the mid twentieth century, all maiko had to go through this ceremony in order to become a full fledged geisha. Once the mizuage patron's function (of deflowering the young maiko) was served, he was to have no further relations with the girl. Mizuage was not considered by geisha to be an act of prostitution. The money acquired for a maiko’s mizuage was a great sum and it was used to promote her debut as a geisha.
Since 1959, mizuage has become the equivalent of a sweet sixteen
party. Mineko Iwasaki, one of the geishas that Arthur Golden
met while writing "Memoirs of a Geisha" described mizuage in her autobiography as being an initiation party. Mizuage was demonstrated on the to-be geisha by a change in hairstyle. It is a celebration of the passage of girl (maiko) to woman (geisha).
portrays the mizuage as a financial arrangement in which a girl's virginity is sold to a "mizuage patron."
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
maiko
Maiko
is a Japanese word for dancing girl and is an apprentice geisha. Maiko is also a feminine Japanese given name.-Possible writings:Maiko can be written using different kanji characters and can mean:*舞子 or 舞妓, apprentice geishaas a given name...
(apprentice geisha
Geisha
, Geiko or Geigi are traditional, female Japanese entertainers whose skills include performing various Japanese arts such as classical music and dance.-Terms:...
) to signify her coming of age
Coming of age
Coming of age is a young person's transition from childhood to adulthood. The age at which this transition takes place varies in society, as does the nature of the transition. It can be a simple legal convention or can be part of a ritual, as practiced by many societies...
. When the older geisha (in charge of the maiko's training) considered the young maiko ready to come of age, the topknot of her hair was symbolically cut. Afterward, a party would be held for the maiko.
During the Edo period
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
, courtesan
Courtesan
A courtesan was originally a female courtier, which means a person who attends the court of a monarch or other powerful person.In feudal society, the court was the centre of government as well as the residence of the monarch, and social and political life were often completely mixed together...
s undergoing mizuage were sponsored by a patron who had the right of taking their virginity
Virginity
Virginity refers to the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. There are cultural and religious traditions which place special value and significance on this state, especially in the case of unmarried females, associated with notions of personal purity, honor and worth...
. Mizuage has also historically been connected with loss of virginity of maiko, but this practice became illegal in 1959.
According to research by anthropologist Liza Dalby
Liza Dalby
Liza Crihfield Dalby is an American anthropologist and novelist specializing in Japanese culture. For her graduate studied, Dalby studied and performed fieldwork in Japan of the geisha community which she wrote about in her Ph.D dissertation. Since that time she has written five books. Her first...
, mizuage was an important initiation to womanhood and the geisha world. Mizuage gave way to the next ritual often referred to as ‘turning the collar’ or ‘Erikae
Erikae
is a ceremony where a maiko becomes a geisha and begins to wear the white collar of a geisha instead of the red worn by apprentices. Her hairstyle would also be changed to the shimada worn by older women, from the ofuku-style....
’: where a maiko exchanges her red collar (maiko) for a white collar (geisha). Previously to the mid twentieth century, all maiko had to go through this ceremony in order to become a full fledged geisha. Once the mizuage patron's function (of deflowering the young maiko) was served, he was to have no further relations with the girl. Mizuage was not considered by geisha to be an act of prostitution. The money acquired for a maiko’s mizuage was a great sum and it was used to promote her debut as a geisha.
Since 1959, mizuage has become the equivalent of a sweet sixteen
Sweet Sixteen
Sweet Sixteen may refer to:*Sweet sixteen , a party thrown in honor of a girl's or very rarely, a boy's, sixteenth birthday, primarily in the United States...
party. Mineko Iwasaki, one of the geishas that Arthur Golden
Arthur Golden
Arthur Golden is an American writer. He is the author of the bestselling novel Memoirs of a Geisha .Golden is a member of the Ochs-Sulzberger family . He was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, grew up on Lookout Mountain, Georgia, and attended Lookout Mountain Elementary School in Lookout Mountain,...
met while writing "Memoirs of a Geisha" described mizuage in her autobiography as being an initiation party. Mizuage was demonstrated on the to-be geisha by a change in hairstyle. It is a celebration of the passage of girl (maiko) to woman (geisha).
In fiction
Arthur Golden's novel Memoirs of a GeishaMemoirs of a Geisha
Memoirs of a Geisha is a novel by American author Arthur Golden, published in 1997. The novel, told in first person perspective, tells the fictional story of a geisha working in Kyoto, Japan, before and after World War II...
portrays the mizuage as a financial arrangement in which a girl's virginity is sold to a "mizuage patron."
External links
- Remaking a memoir - A new autobiography, former geisha Mineko Iwasaki
- Mizuage at wikidictionary