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29-534: Gion ( 祇園 ) is a district of Higashiyama-ku , Kyoto , Japan , originating as an entertainment district in the Sengoku period , in front of Yasaka Shrine (Gion Shrine). The district was built to accommodate the needs of travellers and visitors to the shrine. It eventually evolved to become one of the most exclusive and well-known geisha districts in all of Japan. Gion is the Japanese translation (via Chinese Qiyuan ) of

58-636: A fee, allowing them to walk through the streets of Gion and have their photo taken; by law in Kyoto, these tourists are required to dress inaccurately, so as not to impersonate geisha or maiko . Geisha and maiko both perform in public dance events staged yearly, such as the Miyako Odori ; some also perform dances for tourists at Gion Corner. There are also many modern entertainment establishments in Gion – restaurants, bars, clubs, pachinko , off-track betting , and

87-482: A fire-prevention measure, and the section is now primarily a pedestrian street, lined with cherry blossoms. These are lit up in the evening in the spring, and the area is active year-round. The geisha and maiko of Gion both perform annual public dances, as do all five geisha districts in Kyoto . The oldest of these date to the Kyoto exhibition of 1872. The more popular of these is the Miyako Odori , literally "Dances of

116-411: A high number of okiya and ochaya , and would also contain a kaburenjō ( 歌舞練所 ) as well – a communal meeting place for geisha, typically containing a theater, rooms where classes in the traditional arts could be held, and a kenban (registry office) who would process a geisha's pay, regulation of the profession, and other related matters. Gion , a geisha district in Kyoto , also has

145-420: A national historical preservation district. The City of Kyoto has undertaken a number of restorative projects to enhance the beauty and historical authenticity of Kyoto's hanamachi , such as relocating overhead utilities underground. Since 1986, the city has removed electric poles from a number of popular tourist destinations such as Nene no Michi (ねねの道), Hanamikoji (花見小路), and Pontocho (先斗町). Gion retains

174-533: A number of old-style Japanese houses called machiya , which roughly translates to "townhouse", some of which function as ochaya , or "teahouses", where geisha entertain guests at parties, involving singing, traditional dance performances, drinking games and conversation. Both geisha and maiko can be seen travelling throughout the district to attend parties, lessons and various other engagements. A number of dressing-up parlors, known as henshin studios, will dress tourists up as maiko or geisha for

203-473: A place of work for both yūjo ( 遊女  [ ja ] , lit.   ' prostitute ' ) and oiran (courtesans). Tayū , technically the highest rank of courtesan, also lived in the red-light districts; however, unlike oiran , they did not engage in sex work, and were instead renowned as upper-class entertainers prized for their training in the traditional arts, which typically began at an early age. Tayū were only engaged by men of

232-431: A similar dance in early November, around autumn leaves, known as Gion Odori; this is more recent and has fewer performances. The Kyoto Municipal Board of Education operates public elementary and junior high schools. Gionmachi Kitagawa and Gionmachi Minamigawa are zoned to Kaisei Elementary and Junior High School ( 開睛小中学校 ). Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto Higashiyama ( 東山区 , Higashiyama-ku, meaning "east mountain" )

261-426: A very large number of tourist-oriented establishments, particularly along Shijō Street ; the region is both a major tourist hub, and a popular nightlife spot for locals. Though a number of streets are modern in construction, a number of quieter streets featuring traditional architecture also exist, such as Hanami Lane ( 花見小路 , Hanami-Kōji , " flower-viewing lane") and its environs, ranging from Shijō Street at

290-625: A vocational school, called nyokoba . Many of the teachers there are designated as Living National Treasures . Hanamachi were preceded by the registered red-light districts of Japan, known as yūkaku ( 遊廓  [ ja ] /遊郭 ) . Three yūkaku were established in Japan in the early 1600s: Shimabara in Kyoto in 1640, Shinmachi in Osaka between 1624 and 1644, and Yoshiwara in Edo (modern-day Tokyo ) in 1617. Yūkaku were originally

319-527: Is one of the eleven wards in the city of Kyoto , in Kyoto Prefecture , Japan . It was created in 1929 when it was split off from Shimogyō-ku . During the years 1931 to 1976 it also covered the area of present-day Yamashina-ku , which was an independent town until its merger into the city in 1931. The name literally means "Eastern Mountain District". Due to the restrictions against urban development,

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348-810: Is the Miyako Odori performed in Gion Kōbu, which is one of the two oldest and has the most performances. The dances are as follows (listed in order of performance through the year): The district of Shimabara previously produced the Aoyagi Odori ( 青柳踊 ) from 1873 to 1880. There is also a combined show of all five districts, which is called "Five Geisha District Combined Public Performance" ( 五花街合同公演 , gokagai gōdō kōen ) , or more formally "Kyoto's five geisha districts combined traditional theater special public performance" ( 京都五花街合同伝統芸能特別公演 , Kyōto gokagai gōdō dentō geinō tokubetsu kōen ) . This takes place during

377-725: The Namikawa Cloisonne Museum . This Kyoto Prefecture location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Hanamachi#Kyoto hanamachi A hanamachi ( 花街 , lit.   ' flower town ' ) is a district where geisha live and work in Japan . Each hanamachi typically has its own name, crest , and distinct geisha population, with geisha not typically working outside of their own district. Hanamachi usually contain okiya (geisha houses) and ochaya (teahouses where geisha entertain). Historically, hanamachi could contain

406-572: The Buddhist term Jetavana . Yasaka Shrine , located in this district is the center of the Gion faith . The geisha in Kyoto do not refer to themselves as geisha, instead using the local term 'geiko' . While the term geisha means "artist" or "person of the arts", the more direct term geiko means essentially "a woman of art". Gion houses two hanamachi , or geisha districts: Gion Kobu ( 祇園甲部 ) and Gion Higashi ( 祇園東 ) . The two were originally

435-503: The Old Capital" (sometimes instead referred to as the "Cherry Blossom Dances"), staged by the geisha of Gion Kobu, which dates to 1872. The dances run from April 1 through April 30 each year during the height of the cherry blossom ( sakura ) season. Spectators from Japan and worldwide attend the events, which range from "cheap" seats on tatami mats on the floor, to reserved seats with a small tea ceremony beforehand. Gion Higashi holds

464-518: The city of Kyoto. The western part consists mainly of residential areas, whereas the eastern part is covered by forests. In the north, between the Kamo River and Higashi-oji street, there is a commercial district, and in the south there is a semi-industrial zone. Many of the locations central to the development of 15th-century Japanese culture known as Higashiyama Bunka are found here or in Sakyō-ku . Both

493-405: The daytime on two days (Saturday and Sunday) on a weekend in late June (typically last or second-to-last weekend) at a large venue, and tickets are significantly more expensive than those for individual districts. Connected with this event, in the evening on these two days there are evening performances with kaiseki meals, either a combined event, or separate ones per district. This is known as

522-569: The district of Shimabara is defunct; having previously formed part of the city's six districts (collectively referred to as the rōkkagai ("six flower towns") ), when Shimabara's last geisha departed in the late 20th century, the district was considered defunct, despite the continuation of tayū within the district. The geisha districts of Kyoto are primarily clustered around the Kamo River , from Sanjō Street (3rd Street) to Gojō Street (5th Street), particularly around Shijō Street – four of

551-517: The entertainment district of Gion in front of Yasaka Shrine , and the area around the stone-paved roads Ninenzaka and Sannenzaka that lead up to the World Heritage Kiyomizu Temple , enjoy protected status to preserve the traditional style buildings. Other temples and shrines in the ward include Tōfuku-ji , Kennin-ji , Kōdai-ji , and Sanjūsangen-dō . The Kyoto National Museum is also located inside Higashiyama-ku, as well as

580-503: The five districts are in this area. Kamishichiken is separated from the others, being far to the northwest, while the defunct district of Shimabara is also located to the west; most districts are roughly centered around their respective rehearsal halls, known as kaburenjō ( 歌舞練場 , lit.   ' singing and dancing training space ' ) . Each district has a distinctive crest ( kamon or mon ), which appears on geisha's kimono, as well as on lanterns. A summer tradition around

609-629: The north end, anchored by the famous Ichiriki Tei , and running south to the major temple of Kennin-ji . The stretch of the Shirakawa River before it enters the Kamo river is also a popular preserved area. It is lined on the south side with traditional establishments which directly face the river, and some are accessed by crossing bridges from the north side. The north side was previously also lined with buildings, but these were torn down in World War II as

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638-529: The performing arts of upper-class courtesans in Shimabara, Kyoto, and some conventional sex work establishments continue to exist in Yoshiwara, Tokyo. There are currently five active hanamachi in Kyoto, generally referred to as kagai in the local Kyoto dialect instead of hanamachi , and sometimes referred to collectively as the gokagai ( 五花街 , "five flower towns") : As a hanamachi for geisha,

667-561: The population inside the ward is continually decreasing. Higashiyama-ku has the lowest population of all the wards in Kyoto, and a disproportionate number of elderly people. Interposed between the Kamo River and the Higashiyama mountain range, Higashiyama-ku is roughly bounded by the Sanjō street in the north, and the Jūjō street in the south. Historically, this area lay outside the official boundaries of

696-569: The same controlling contracts that many courtesans were. Having developed from a previously-male profession of entertainers who performed at the parties of some yūjo , geisha were at times legally prevented from operating outside of yūkaku , despite also being legally prevented from appearing as, operating as and stealing clients from courtesans; as a result, many yūkaku went on to develop into hanamachi . All three yūkaku are now defunct, both as courtesan districts and geisha districts, though tayū reenactors continue to practice

725-467: The same district, but split many years ago. Gion Kobu is larger, occupying most of the district including the famous street Hanamikoji , while Gion Higashi is smaller and occupies the northeast corner, centered on its rehearsal hall. Despite the considerable decline in the number of geisha in Gion in the last century, the area is still famous for the preservation of forms of traditional architecture and entertainment. Part of this district has been declared

754-484: The spring – four hanamachi hold them in the spring with one (Gion Higashi) holding theirs in the autumn. Different districts started public performances in different years; the oldest are those of Gion Kōbu and Pontochō, whose performances started at the Kyoto exhibition of 1872, while others (Kamishichiken, Miyagawachō) started performing in the 1950s. There are many performances, with tickets being inexpensive, ranging from around 1500 yen to 4500 yen. The best-known

783-411: The summer months. All the Kyoto hanamachi stage public dances annually, known as odori (generally written in the traditional kana spelling of をどり , rather than modern spelling of おどり ), featuring both maiko and geisha. These also feature an optional tea ceremony (tea and wagashi served by maiko ) before the performance. These are performed for several weeks, mostly in

812-649: The time of the Gion Festival among the hanamachi of Kyoto is to distribute personalized uchiwa ( 団扇 , flat fans) to favored patrons and stores that both maiko and geisha frequent. These feature a crest of the geisha house on the front, and the geisha's name on the back (house name, then personal name). These are produced by Komaru-ya Sumii ( 小丸屋 住井 ) , and are known as Kyōmaru-uchiwa ( 京丸うちわ , Kyoto round uchiwa) . Establishments such as bars that are particularly frequented by geisha often accumulate many of these fans, and typically display them in

841-505: The upper classes, and could choose which clients they wished to engage, unlike other courtesans. Following the development of the geisha profession in the yūkaku in the mid-1700s, many geisha, working inside the yūkaku alongside yūjo and courtesans, began to compete with them; though the entertainment they offered was mostly (and in official terms, entirely) devoid from sex work, geisha instead offered companionship and entertainment to men at parties, and were commonly not bound to

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