Ian C. Kuzushi wrote:Geisha culture is certainly not the right term here. Maybe something made up by GIs? Geisha were never prositutues. Geisha/Oiran were once men, but not men who crossed dressed. Kabuki, on the other hand, started out as troops of women who acted on stage and also made money as prostitutes. They were outlawed very quickly and so men began playing the female roles and acting as prostitutes. There is a long history of cross-dressing in Japan, but it is not all tied to mizu shobai or vice versa. Nor is it tied to Geisha, although there are some cross-dressing geisha in the modern remake of Zatoichi by Beat (Kitano) Takeshi.
I read Adelstein's book when it first came out as a mutual friend recommended it. I was incredulous about some parts, as are some of his coworkers from that time. But, in my expereince, many Japanese will claim that things are "impossible" or "could not happen" when I know that they can. Anyway, I look forward to enjoying the show for what it is. Not everything is worth nitpicking, although the misuse of the word geisha is.
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