Onsen Geisha - Early History

Early History

In pre–World War II history, the term "onsen geisha" had a negative connotation, as geisha who lived and worked at hot spring resorts or towns were often regarded as the lowest of geisha, they were unbound by contracts, and could move to any other onsen town, and thus had no "history" or professional genealogy. During this period, it happened that some onsen geisha were sponsored by businessmen who made yearly visits; these patrons were known as danna. Masuda Sayo, an onsen geisha in the late 1930s and early 1940s and author of Autobiography of a Geisha, the first book of any kind about the geisha lifestyle, wrote that a typical geisha's contract was bought out by a danna for about 30 yen (around 20,000 yen today), and never for more than 100. Interaction even with other customers beyond party entertainment was common; therefore, the concept of onsen geisha as prostitutes was not entirely incorrect in pre-WWII days.

Masuda Sayo also wrote that geisha in this time were taught some traditional geisha skills, but they were frequently pressured into having sex. Mizuage for onsen geisha always involved losing virginity, and geisha held onto a sense of pride amongst themselves for only having sex with their dannas. Even before debuting as full-fledged geisha, they practiced acting as sexy as possible to attract wealthier dannas, further bolstering the perception of onsen geisha as prostitutes. In addition, she wrote that many geisha had serious problems with alcohol due to the sake drinking contests they frequently participated in, which she said persisted in many geisha even after they retired.