Constructing the Geisha from the Inside Out
Some of the most rigorous training, though, restructures the girl from the inside, out. She had to learn how to sit the geisha way. She had to learn how to speak in an old dialect from her okiya’s district. Students learned how to walk in the restricting kimono and extra-long sleeves and pour sake without spilling it. As part of entertainment training, she learned the hierarchy of the guests, and who to speak to first at parties. Training to be a geisha meant fighting natural instinct to react with annoyance or impatience. They had to lose the accent and dialect they used since birth. They had to learn to express themselves the geisha way, with wit, diplomacy, intelligence, and grace. These skills are vital to a geisha’s success. But they don’t come naturally to every young girl stepping inside the nyokoba.