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Fukagawa Geisha (深川芸者) is a geisha house located in Fukagawa, Tokyo, the oldest geisha district in Japan, established in 2015. It is headed by the geisha mother Sayuki (紗幸), formerly of Asakusa district of Tokyo. Offering traditional Japanese cultural services to both Japanese and foreign tourists, the proceeds from tourist activities are used to fund the training of new geisha as a non-profit venture. There are currently three geisha living in her home.

Fukagawa is one of the oldest geisha districts in Japan, and a number of elderly geisha still work in the district having been geisha all their lives. Geisha were historically one of the main financial supporters of the arts, mainly through groups known as renjū, supporting institutions such as such as kabuki theatres and kimono tailors.

It has been given coverage in several media outlets, such as NHK and overseas television broadcasters, due to its attempts to revive the Fukagawa district as a home for geisha, previously in decline after the start of World War 2. The house does not only offer the traditional services of geisha, such as the traditional arts of theatre, dancing and music, but also offers non-profit experiences such as tours of the geisha school and cheaper services for tourists.

History

The business is located in the historic geisha district of Fukagawa, the birthplace of the female geisha. The first woman to call herself a geisha was from Fukagawa district, in around 1750, at a time when all geisha were male. Though initially offering the sensual services that the prior male geisha did not offer, in 1779 the first 'Geisha Supervision Office' placed restrictions on how much contact that patrons could have with geisha. The district went into decline during the turmoil of World War 2, and other forms of entertainment became popular, with geisha increasingly being seen as a conveyor of the traditional arts. The number of geisha had fallen to around five, though by 2020 it has increased to ten. Fukagawa itself was historically a working class suburb of Tokyo; the marshy flatlands allowed locals to collect cheap seafood at low tide and the easiest mode of transport was by boat.

In 2015, Sayuki (紗幸) and several native Fukagawa elderly geisha established a new geisha house in the district, with the intention of reviving the area and its associated traditional arts, using income from provide tourist services to fund the training of new geisha as a non-profit venture. It allows tourists to get up close to geisha and discover what is behind-the-scenes of the tradition, while still offering the traditional services of geisha.

Geisha mother

Sayuki (lit. 'transparent happiness') is a geisha mother currently working as the head of a geisha house in the Fukagawa district of Tokyo. She also lectures at Waseda University in traditional Japanese culture. She also practices several arts, including the transverse flute an shamisen. Sayuki has acquired her permanent residency and finds historical significance in the revival of the dying geisha culture.

"The lesson fees for young geisha are very expensive," said Sayuki. "It's hard to finance for the young geisha. You have to train first. So, we decided to open our lessons to foreign tourists so they can watch. They've had something like that in the sumo world. But, this is the first time we've done it. It's a charity project. All the proceeds of inviting tourists to watch our activities go straight into geisha training. It provides some income from older members of community who are teaching us. And, it helps support the young geisha training."

Sayuki

She holds a psychology degree from Keio University, a PhD and MBA in Social Anthropology from Oxford University, and has been working in Japanese media for several years with Reuters and NHK. She remains active as a lecturer at Waseda and as a visiting lecturer worldwide, and is still contacted by both domestic and foreign media for interviews and media coverage.

She came to Japan as an exchange student at the age of 15. She was inspired by the movie "Sayuri" to work as a geisha. Though the American cultural anthropologist Liza Dalby was the first westerner to formally dress as a geisha in the 1970s, she did not undergo formal training, and Sayuki was the first foreigner to undergo a formal training period.

She officially made her debut as a geisha in 2007, December, 18 in Asakusa. In 2015, she revived her Hanayanagi with other senior native geisha, and launched the Fukagawa geisha federation in 2020 in order to preserve the geisha tradition. She is one of the few remaining geisha in Fukagawa and lives with her young disciples. She also recently found success with an online tatami room. It is possible for tourists to observe various practices of geisha at her school, such as dancing, shamisen, tea ceremony, or flower arrangement. She also hosts on-site performances of festival music with large drums, flutes and bells.

Other activities

Fiona Graham's primary qualification at university was in social anthropology, and hence she has produced several documentaries for media outlets worldwide. She has produced and directed comparative cultural documentaries and has produced numerous documentaries on NHK, National Geographic Channel (USA), Channel 4 and the BBC (UK). She also directed, hosted, and narrated a program for Japanese viewers on NHK, which is extremely unusual for a foreigner. She mainly produced documentary programs on social phenomena that pursued deep relationships.

A property owned by Fiona Graham in New Zealand, Wanaka Gym Ltd, was fined by the Queenstown Lakes District Council in a dispute about whether the accommodation section of the property housing several tenants in a dormitory should be classified under building regulations as a single housing unit or as tourist housing. The dispute was taken to court but thrown-out on a technicality due to the appeal by Graham being too late. She contends that the ruling is unfair. The New Zealand Ombudsman had ruled in favour of her.

Graham is frequently invited to present talks around the world as part of her Machizukuri Project to discuss machizukuri or town revitalization and tourism. She also does public talks throughout Japan and the world .for institutions and universities.

She also supports the charity HandsOnTokyo. In late 2007 she auctioned off a geisha event with proceeds going to the charity.

She has discussed the idea of holding a travelling roadshow in the US.

Timeline

• 2014 Invited by the Japanese Government to speak and perform at the 150th Anniversary of Swiss-Japan relations
• 2013 Invited to Hyper Japan funded by Tokyo Government and British Airways
• 2010 Nominated for Japanese Government funding (JSPS) by the semi-governmental Nichibunken Research Institute
• 2005 Winner, Asia Television Forum Superpitch, Asia’s premier television market: won the prize for the top documentary idea and pitch, judged by a panel of international broadcasters and Singapore’s Media Development Authority.
• 2005 NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Research Support Fund ($5,000)
• 2000 Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan Journalism Prize ($5,000)
• 1995-6 Waseda University Research Scholarship (2 years)

Services

Geisha are associated with many of the traditional arts, having traditionally been one of the primary financial backers of kabuki theatres and kimono tailors. The geisha are trained in traditional dance, music and conversation. They wear traditional kimonos costing as much as $10,000. The company makes use of a traditional tea house near the geisha school, with a private room and traditional Japanese cuisine, and offers tours of the Kabuki Theatre in Ginza, Tokyo and local traditional markets selling classical items such as kimonos and various accessories.

"At a geisha banquet, you get to see the most beautiful of traditional architecture. You see the art and paintings on the walls. You see the beautiful geisha kimonos. You experience Japanese cuisine and Saki and dance and music. It's a totally intense Japanese cultural experience."

Sayuki

The geisha house also offers several services to tourists which are used to fund the training of new geisha at the geisha school. These include the traditional services of geisha such as banquets, geisha dances, tea ceremonies, boat trips, lunch, call-outs to private facilities such as ski lodges and use of a traditional tea house close to the geisha house. It also offers other services aimed at tourists including lunch, kabuki, kimono shopping, antique market tours and geisha school tours.

Countryside tea house

The tsukikage-tei (literally "Teahouse of the Shadow of the Moon") is a old teahouse located in Kamakura, a rural area to the south of Tokyo, owned by the Fukagawa Geisha. It offers geisha experiences, overnight stays and food from a famous and historic restaurant located in Kamakura.

Transport links

Mozen-nakacho station - Tokyo Metro Tozai line, Toei Ōedo Line

Etchūjima Station - JR Keiyō Line (part of the Tokyo Mega Loop)

Etchūjima Pier - Tokyo Mizube Line (Tokyo Waterway Line)

Tomioka-Itchōme (Tomioka 1) - 20, 22, 07 (Toei bus)

Monzennakacho Kokufunebashi Bike Locker - temporary bicycle parking

External links

• www.fukagawageisha.com