THE REAL GEISHA

Hokitika Guardian, 5 January 1921, Page 1

THE REAL GEISHA

(By Gonnoske Komai. the well-known .Japanese poet now resilient, in London. ) He who i' 41 ot drawn to lort; The soft crimson that enfolds her That reveals and half conceals her

Fair white skin and dazzling feet Tie is made of wood or stone, And is cold as a bronze Budlia!

The Geisha is not a ilemi-mondaini;, as is so often thought in the \\ est. While the latter is confined to the Yoshiwara quarter, the Cejsha, is as tree as she is harmless and quite, respectable. The word “ Geisha ’ signifies one who excels in art. Our Geisha is a delightful public entertainer —no less and no more—whom we invite to join us when wi; entertain our friends. She comes to sing, dance and play, while we sit at dinner and watch her. When not performing feats 0 f art she pours out sake for us and quietly sees that everything is in order. In a word, she acts as a highly rebuild and well-cultivated waitress. The whole truth is that the Geisha is one of the necessaries lo f out life in .Japan, where there is scarcely any chance of mixing with the other sex publicly unless we are on exceptionally intimate terms with their families. Here, in the West, there is practically no need of Geisha, for whenever and wherever one goes he is sure to be introduced to beautiful and charming ladies who are as nice as, if not njeet than our Geisha-.

Besides their knowledge of art t literature, and e.tiifuettc, Western ladies are so conversant with the topics of the day that it is exceedingly pleasant to talk with them, or, rather, to listen to their fluent conversation. In Japan we are oftijrt compelled to invite Geisha, to whom we pay so much per hour, to create for us the magic atmosphere of feminine wit and gaiety for which we long. ' Ttnt in the East, as in the West, humanity is everywhere the same. Although disguised as, rain, hail, snow and ice, these are all the familiar water that streams through our native valley. Everywhere the great theme of human society is Love. Why should the lovely Geisha, pure and fair, lie excluded from the realm of Love? It happens, as the romances have it. when she is invited to play the “ chaiuison ” Oiat, wonderful three-stringed instrument —which she lays on her wellshaped knee while sitting gracefully m our rooms (where no shoes are allowed) that Cupid sometimes joins the party as an uninvited guest. Strangely enough, the romance is almost, always between the less influential of the guests and the most charming and brialliant of the Geishas. For she is ever the friend of the weak and poor.