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were Japanese female entertainers in the
Heian The Japanese word Heian (平安, lit. "peace") may refer to: * Heian period, an era of Japanese history * Heian-kyō, the Heian-period capital of Japan that has become the present-day city of Kyoto * Heian series, a group of karate kata (forms) * ...
and
Kamakura period The is a period of History of Japan, Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura, Kanagawa, Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the G ...
s who sang songs and performed
dances Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...
. They danced dressed as men. The profession of became popular in the 12th century. They would perform for the nobility, and at celebrations. The word can also refer to the songs they sang and the dances they performed. They are sometimes referred to as
courtesan A courtesan is a prostitute with a courtly, wealthy, or upper-class clientele. Historically, the term referred to a courtier, a person who attended the court of a monarch or other powerful person. History In European feudal society, the co ...
s in the English language, but by nature they were performers. Some did sometimes sleep with their patrons and give birth to nobles' children, but this was not their intended purpose as entertainers. The best known were Shizuka Gozen, Giō and Hotoke, who were featured in ''
The Tale of the Heike is an epic account compiled prior to 1330 of the struggle between the Taira clan and Minamoto clan for control of Japan at the end of the 12th century in the Genpei War (1180–1185). It has been translated into English at least five times. ...
''.


History

The name may be interpreted as "white beat" or "simple rhythm"; it may refer to the white robe they wore, or alternatively the rhythm of the songs that they sang and danced to, which were also performed by . means "white", although scholars believe that it should be interpreted as ; in this interpretation therefore refers to the lack of musical accompaniment apart from the rhythmic percussion. appeared during the mid-
Heian period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kammu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means in Japanese. It is a ...
(794–1185). During a time of transition of power and societal change, a change in fortune for some aristocratic families resulted in the daughters of these families needing to perform as in order to survive. As educated and cultured ladies, they become a superior group of courtesans noted for their singing, dancing and poetry as well as beauty. became popular as entertainers in the 12th century, and many women then chose to be because of their popularity. A was always a woman who dressed in men's attire. They were popular in the late Heian and early
Kamakura period The is a period of History of Japan, Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura, Kanagawa, Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the G ...
in the 12th century, but during the 13th century, their status declined. They disappeared around the end of the Kamakura or the beginning of the
Muromachi period The , also known as the , is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate ( or ), which was officially established in 1338 by the first Muromachi ...
in the 14th century. It has been said that the culture greatly influenced Noh drama by bringing forth , an unorthodox form of dancing, and introducing it to Noh.


Attire and appearance

were recognizable for their clothing, which was
Shinto , also called Shintoism, is a religion originating in Japan. Classified as an East Asian religions, East Asian religion by Religious studies, scholars of religion, it is often regarded by its practitioners as Japan's indigenous religion and as ...
-inspired. It was a man's outfit and featured the following: * A hat; tall black hat worn at court * A a samurai's sword * Red , worn primarily by men * White and red , a male Shinto outfit * A
hand fan A handheld fan, or simply hand fan, is a broad, flat surface that is waved back and forth to create an airflow. Generally, purpose-made handheld fans are folding fans, which are shaped like a Circular sector, sector of a circle and made of a thi ...
, which men carried also wore , white face makeup. This would cover their face and neck, and their eyebrows would be painted higher on the forehead (). Their hair was worn simply, and was left long and pulled back into a loose ponytail secured with a ribbon called a . The hat and the sword were only worn by in the early period, and in later eras, they danced only in white , which gave rise to the belief that were named after the robe they wore.


Music

songs were mostly based on Buddhist prayers. The songs were usually slow and rhythmic, with great meaning in the words. They also would sing songs, which were poems using images of nature to convey meanings of circumstances in their lives. These songs typically had lines of seven and five syllables. Trademarks of their music included their voices, the
drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a ...
and the
flute The flute is a member of a family of musical instruments in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, producing sound with a vibrating column of air. Flutes produce sound when the player's air flows across an opening. In th ...
.


Famous


Shizuka

Shizuka, commonly referred to as Shizuka Gozen, was the
concubine Concubinage is an interpersonal relationship, interpersonal and Intimate relationship, sexual relationship between two people in which the couple does not want to, or cannot, enter into a full marriage. Concubinage and marriage are often regarde ...
and lover of
Minamoto no Yoshitsune was a commander of the Minamoto clan of Japan in the late Heian period, Heian and early Kamakura period, Kamakura periods. During the Genpei War, he led a series of battles that toppled the Ise-Heishi branch of the Taira clan, helping his half-br ...
, the tragic hero of many folk legends. She was possibly born in 1168, and is popular in folk legends herself. She and Yoshitsune met and fell in love, but by the time she had become pregnant, Yoshitsune was on the run for his life. Shizuka was captured and taken to the ,
Minamoto no Yoritomo was the founder and the first shogun of the Kamakura shogunate, ruling from 1192 until 1199, also the first ruling shogun in the history of Japan.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Minamoto no Yoriie" in . He was the husband of Hōjō Masako ...
in
Kamakura , officially , is a city of Kanagawa Prefecture in Japan. It is located in the Kanto region on the island of Honshu. The city has an estimated population of 172,929 (1 September 2020) and a population density of 4,359 people per km2 over the tota ...
, Yoshitsune's older brother. There she gave birth to a son, who was, according to some versions of the tales, promptly killed by his uncle Yoritomo, but survived in others. In some tales, Shizuka was then forced to perform a dance for Yoritomo and his wife
Hōjō Masako was a Japanese politician who exercised significant power in the early years of the Kamakura period, which was reflected by her contemporary sobriquet of the "nun shogun". She was the wife of Minamoto no Yoritomo, and mother of Minamoto no Yori ...
at a temple celebration, where she sang a song of praise for her lover Yoshitsune. This greatly angered Yoritomo, and he intended on having her put to death but Masako begged for her life. Shizuka was freed and sought to follow Yoshitsune, but she learned of his death. She became a nun and died in 1189. Her song is famous and is still sung today by
geisha {{Culture of Japan, Traditions, Geisha {{nihongo, Geisha{{efn, {{IPAc-en, lang, ˈ, ɡ, eɪ, ., ʃ, ə, {{IPA, ja, ɡei.ɕa, ɡeː-, lang{{cite book, script-title=ja:NHK日本語発音アクセント新辞典, publisher=NHK Publishing, editor= ...
.


Giō and Hotoke

The story of Giō and Hotoke, featured in the , tells of the most famous , Giō, who had won the heart of Taira no Kiyomori, being ousted by a younger and more talented named Hotoke. Kiyomori cruelly sent Giō away, which grieved her greatly, and Hotoke was constantly ridden with guilt. A year later, Giō was asked to perform a dance for Hotoke at Kiyomori's command, who actually intended on humiliating her. In her grief and humiliation, Giō, her sister and their mother became nuns seeking for a happier life. A few years later, the guilt was too great for Hotoke and she too became a nun. She asked for forgiveness from Giō, who willingly forgave her and the four women lived out the rest of their days in prayer.


See also

*


References


External links


A brief explanation of shirabyoshi

Japan print gallery: shirabyoshi
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Shirabyoshi Theatre of Japan Dances of Japan Cross-dressing Sexuality in Shinto Buddhism and sexuality Types of geisha