Geishas in Anime and Manga?

[Rod G]

Geishas (NOT prostitutes,mind you) are so inherently japanese,yet there are few depicted in anime and manga.


Can any of you offer a list anime and manga which feature geishas?

[Violently Apathetic]

I believe Shia in Pita-Ten was intended to be a geisha, and there are a few in the anime/manga Peacemaker, but I wouldn't say they are featured. Those are the only two I can think of, off the top of my head.

[Rod G]

All right,who else has something to contribute?

[Pikachu]

There's an entire episode of "Samurai Champloo" which focuses on the story of a Geisha. It's on the second or third volume of the DVD.

Jin comes arcoss a taco-yaki stand and meets a vivacious and lively woman who helps him with his lack luster cooking skills. They quickly realize they have a strong connection, but Jin finds something else barried behind her sad eyes. Realizing that she was about to jump off the bridge, the woman explains to Jin the reasons why. As she is destined to live out her life in the brothel, since her irresponsible husband has a gambling problem, he uses his wife as an income to support his habbit. Without the chance of divorce or ever being free, Jin takes pitty on this wonderful spirit, as he sees her as a human being and not a mere object to be had.

In Tokugawa times, men could divorce women with a simple letter of divorce (mikudarihan). Yet for the woman, divorce wasn't so easy to come by. Although, women who had poor families, families with large dept, or husbands who couldn't make a living often times would become a Geisha. The brothel head would then pay the debt in full, often much to large for the woman to work off in one lifetime. Most women who became Geisha's worked there until dissease, abuse, or starvation killed them off. Only the young and popular Geisha were able to make money. At this time period, the younger the better.

There was but one other option for women, in which they could find a "Kakekomidera" (literally "run-into-hiding temple") that was licensed to give runaway women sanctuary (the first and most famous being the Tokiji, in Kamakura). After three years in hiding, the marriage was considered dissolved. These woman often chose to remain as shrine-maidens, not desiring to go back to prostitution and slavery.

At the end of the episode, Jin asks the woman to run away with him, but fearing for Jin's safety, as he illegally broke her out of the brothel and killed her idiot of a husband, she flees to a woman's temble for sanctuary. Jin watches as the love the blossomed so radiantly fades away, like a cherry blossom.

(Note: Samurai Champloo is actually mixing several historical periods. Although the facts are true, they aren't in the correct time slot or context. If you want to read about accurate history concerning Geisha and Courtisan women, I recommend history texts, or novels such as The Pillow Book, or Tales of Genji)

Pika!