Talk:Misedashi

Additional information on shikomi and misedashi

I feel like an explanation of the process of misedashi needs to be added here. The attire section is a little unfocused in places, though it does offer insight and doesn't need to be removed completely.

But additional kanji, an explanation of what the words mean, extra info on the history of the process and how it has evolved, all are necessary. A lot of the articles on Wikipedia surrounding geisha suffer from a lack of sources and some relatively vague, inaccurate information that revolves more around the Image Of Japan and the Mystery Of Their Arts than any actual content. This is a relatively mild example of that.

I have some extra information, from the same source referenced in the article currently, but I need extra references to back it up. Until I have the time to get those out, I'll put it here for future reference. This is all in the context of the training shikomi once went through, before child labour laws were introduced:

Page 47, Geisha, same ed.

• Learning by observation once meant gradually becoming accustomed to the geisha world by...being around other geisha. Girls of ten to twelve years old, laboring in teahouses as maids (shikomi), were thought to be learning by observation for their eventual careers as geisha...Long hours of arduous work and strict shamisen and dancing lessons were the rule. Most places drew the line at out and out cruelty, at least.

^ Note that 'were the rule' could be seen as more opinion than objective fact. Just watch for that if you're going to put it in the article.

Page 267, ditto.

• [A young woman who had contacted the author] was then living in a boarding house where the middle-aged woman in charge had once been a shikomi in Gion. This woman told [the woman] stories of how roughly she had been treated, the strict lessons she had had to endure, and the fussy and never satisfied mistress of the house.

^ This does paint the common misconception that violence and mistreatment was widespread in trainees, but it's important to steer away from that observation. Painting geisha into a corner of stereotype is conjecture; it's true that cruelty happened, though. It's also not true that a large proportion of geisha were sold into the profession like broodmares at a young age, from poor families who could not do anything else, but again, this still happened. Also, see pages 226 through 231 for additional information on this subject. It may be useful for a to-be-added history section. --Ineffablebookkeeper (talk) 23:11, 28 April 2019 (UTC)