The truth.

The truth is

My love for you van only be compared

To the fear I feel...

That you may not be real.

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Todos los textos e imágenes publicados son copyright ©2010, MadderSky

Geisha: High-class prostitute or Artist?

       Oftentimes, when I ask a person their opinion of what a geisha is, it feels like what I'm asking is a taboo. Their faces shrug a bit, and suddenly they give me this look, like telling me “why do you ask me this? Do you really want me to say it?” until someone comes along and actually answers that she's a high-class prostitute. But little do they know, that the mistaken concept they have of the geisha is that of another kind of entertainer, the oiran, who no one really knows about; also, the mizuage and the American Occupation after World War II were the key factors that contributed to the misconception that the geisha is a prostitute. Before laying out my stand regarding as to why not the geisha is a prostitute, it is important that things are made clear and explain the differences between these professions.

       First, let's explain what the oiran is. The word “oiran” is composed of two kanji ideograms: “flower” and “leader”. The oiran in many ways are the predecessors of the geisha and at the same time, they are  nothing like them; "they knew who and what they were and turned wanton provocation into an art." (Richie, 2002) The oiran were “woman of pleasure” because they also performed the arts of dance, music, poetry, and calligraphy to entertain their clients, because of this, they were not considered merely prostitutes. Since they did sell their bodies, their obi1 is tied to the front so it would be easier for them to take off their kimono several times a day. Among other reasons, only oiran and yûjo2 would tie their obi to the front for these two are the only ones that sold sex. The oiran tradition died around 1750, when the geisha became popular.

       “Geisha”, on the other hand, is composed of two kanji ideograms: “art” and “ doer (doing that work)”. As Tiefenbrun explains, the first female geisha of the l750s were not like courtesans because they were not bound by tradition or formality, and could take sexual partners or lovers if it pleased them. One good example as to why geisha were not prostitutes, is that by l779 the geishas were taking business away from the brothels, so rules of conduct were established to distinguish the geisha from the courtesans and prostitutes and to ensure that the geisha did not steal their customers. The rules were as follows:
       1) Geisha were to be recruited from the less beautiful women. 

       2) They had to wear a severe kimono and a very simple hairstyle.
       3) They were to work in twos or threes and never be alone in order to discourage propositioning of sex.
       4) They were not to sit too close to guests.
       5) If a geisha was found to contravene the regulations, she was liable to lose her license for several days or permanently.
       If a geisha chose to enter into a sexual relationship with a client, that was legally classified as “misconduct” and not “prostitution”. Such activities were the free choice of the geisha. Prostitution was never something geisha were forced to do. (Tiefenbrun, 2003) 

Also, Tiefenbrun gives us a forceful argument that the geisha were legally not recognized as prostitutes:this event happened in 1841 the government passed a series of edict in order to remedy the problem of public morality.  Several thousands of prostitutes and geisha were rounded up from the unlicensed districts and dumped into Yoshiwara, Edo's red-light district. In contrast to the prostitutes, geisha were allowed to return to their work so long as they promised to restrict their activities to music and dance. (Tiefenbrun, 2003) It is wise to mention that the geisha would always tie their obi on their back and it was very hard for a geisha to untie her obi on her own. When a geisha is dressing up, at least two people are required to help her dress.

       Thirdly, we have the geisha trainee or the maiko. The word “maiko” is composed of two kanji ideograms: “dance” and “girl”.  Maiko would begin their training since they were children. They would help maintain the okiya3 doing severe chores and eventually taking dancing, music and singing lessons. When she was of the appropriate age, she would be taken under the wing of a senior geisha (or big sister) and would accompany her to parties. Normally teenagers, the maiko would dress flamboyantly, compared to the geisha, and would maintain a pure girl and childlike image in hairstyle, make-up, clothing, (her neck collar was red, and her geisha counterpart wore her neck collar white). Maiko are the ones who use the think white make-up; when someone thinks of "geisha" and the white face comes to mind, it's really the maiko they're thinking about. Geisha only wear the white make-up on special occasions.

   

       Now that we know the differences between these professions, we can safely discuss why a geisha is not a high-class prostitute, or a prostitute alone, but a rather flirty entertainer. The first key that plays a huge role in this misconception, is the argument that geishas sell their virginity to the highest bidder. This idea has been brought to us by recent movies and books, but to say this is true, is totally unfair and erroneous; it would be like affirming that we are all prostitutes for selling ourselves when attending a job interview, or that we support prostitution by paying teachers for their time and presence in order to educate.

       "The word 'mizuage' is a term used to describe a woman's first sexual experience." (Dalby, 2000) It was a transformation from girl to woman and the male “perpetrator” was just a man who  had turned a girl into a woman. It was not embarrassing at all, it was normal. What was embarrassing about it, was to delay it. It marked a transition from maiko to geisha, from girl to woman and it was a requirement for the change of collar; it was a sign of maturity. A virgin geisha would be as ridiculous as  a virgin wife. The okiya had already invested a large sum of money in the girl, from her purchase (if she was recruited), education, housing, clothing, and so on, the mizuage was the first step to recover from that initial investment. The payment was not made to deflower the girl, but the cover the cost of her debut. (Downer, 2004)

       Nowadays, maiko and geisha chose their boyfriends and clients when they feel ready; there were even maiko who became geisha with their virginity intact. (Dalby, 2000) It was against the law to force a girl with a patron if she did not want to, but in that time, the girl's opinion was not taken into consideration and retiring before the mizuage was required was a solution that simply did not exist. The money the patrons payed for mizuage was used in celebrations around the community. Some geisha even claimed that, with this that money,  they could afford such meals that someone outside the geisha communities could seldom afford. (Downer, 2004) Going through this experience, was not a colorful ritual like it is now: it meant to mature and become and adult in the whole sense of the word. After the maiko went trough her mizuage, her clothing would change: they would leave those childish attires and dress like a geisha; more sophisticated, toned down and mature. This was the most transparent sign of their transformation.

        So we can see, that the claim of “geisha selling their virginity to the highest bidder” is false. Geisha did not sell their bodies; the maiko, on the other hand, never saw this as prostitution, it was something that it was even looked forward to; but movies and books who have to exaggerate certain scenes or acts to add more dramatic effects: to add more feeling to the Asian fairy tale they are narrating. We must not believe everything we see on TV or that is clearly marked as fiction.

       The second argument that claimed geisha are prostitutes, is that in fact, geisha sold their bodies to American soldiers. Let's look at the context of that day and age. The country was nothing more than rubble thanks to the two atomic bombs that struck the country. Most of the geisha were forced to leave their luxurious lifestyle and went from spoiled princesses to humble factory workers if they wanted to survive. However, during the American Occupation in Japan, prostitutes were more clever: they disguised themselves as geisha, claimed to be geisha and aimed to have some of their prestige by calling themselves authentic geisha. By servicing the GIs almost exclusively, the American soldiers called them “Geesha girls”; a mispronunciation. (Prasso, 2005) Americans, unfamiliar with the Japanese culture, could not tell the difference between legitimate geisha and these costumed prostitutes. Eventually, the term "geisha girl" became a general word for any female Japanese prostitute, "kimonoed" artists; it even included bar hostesses and streetwalkers. Geisha girls are speculated by researchers to be largely responsible for the continuing misconception in the West that all geisha engaged in prostitution.

       A prostitute is someone who is hired specifically for sex and we can clearly see that the geisha were not prostitutes; their job was to entertain men. They chose to have affairs if they felt like it, just like in any other kind of profession.  They couldn't even take off their kimono because her obi was tied in the back. Oiran, on the other hand, did sell their bodies and entertained customers. Maiko, however, did have it harder, since their rite of passage and requirements to become geisha her a bit more extreme; however, even they kind of looked forward to it; it was a painful yet necessary thing to go through. It was hard at first, but then they eventually celebrated it.  (Downer, 2004). Television and novels have greatly contributed to the misconception that geisha and maiko were forced to sell their bodies and that they lived unhappy lives which couldn't be further than the truth itself: these women were cunning and charming; they know how to handle men by boosting their ego. It was their job to make them actually believe that it was them who were in control. But it were the prostitutes who, disguised as geisha, made Americans believe (and even Japanese today do not know exactly what geisha do) that they were not only geisha, but prostitutes.

1. The “belt” used to tie the entire kimono and hold it in place. It is about 7 meters long.

2. Prostitute.

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Todos los textos e imágenes publicados son copyright ©2010, MadderSky

A Bittersweet Description of Someone I Knew.

      When I first heard of this assignment, his memory pierced through my mind like a violent arrow in the darkness of my mind, heading straight for the target; puncturing it aggressively, tyrannically, evilly; right in the bulls-eye of my pride. Naturally, I immediately went into a defensive or denial state of mind. Now that I could not delay it any longer, I took a deep breath and began writing. The words that come into my mind and that I instruct my fingers to write, still cause an effect on me; a feeling I rather not harbor again; but there is really no one I would want to write about, but him.
     More than I'd like to admit, I've been dependent on someone else's wisdom and company so I could feel safe and stable. If I could find one metaphor to explain how my life has been, I would picture something from the top of my head, randomly, and say it would be like a Greek temple that is barely sustained by one pillar, which is keeping the roof from falling over preventing it from breaking into millions of pieces if it was to crash on the floor. However, even though the most important people in my life have subtly come and chaotically gone, I've been quite lucky, since I realize that up until now, I've never been alone per-sé: there has always been someone who has taken over the place of that person who left.

     The man who I want to talk about had a huge impact on my life; for both good and bad, he became my most trusted and loved friend and pillar, and I madly hung on to him: his wisdom, his maturity, his cleverness, his “badassness”... I could go on and on, so, using a small amount of words, I adored his whole self. And after all this time even though I've overcome my denial over his unexpected departure, my eyes begin to water as I write these words by the mere thought of his name; and if my thoughts could be heard, the voice that speaks would surely break in the same way he broke my heart. It was the first time I loved someone for who they really were. It's funny... I don't even remember his real name anymore, maybe it's a self defense mechanism, maybe I have really forgotten it, but I will always remember the nickname I would call him by: "Tío Lechuga"; and he would lovingly joke back with me and call me his “Sobrina Manzana”. He lived in Venezuela and was 21 years old, if my memory still serves me right. I can only come up with a vague description of his physical appearance, since I only saw him once. He was very weary of showing how he looked like. He was a tall person, chubby, huggable. He had light colored hair, and had quite a bald spot. He hated it, even though the mere thought of it makes me smile albeit faintly. He was also Caucasian; I think his eyes were dark and he had a prominent chin. I would say he had small eyes and an icy stare, maybe even dark, somewhat evil, but then again I may be biased on how things turned out. The sound of his voice makes my heart freeze in anger now, but before it made me feel like a vocal, ethereal hug; it soothed me. I can't help but notice that adorable subtle little sigh of air that he spoke in between his s's when I listen to his recorded messages in his lovely accent.

      I remember how jealous I felt when he talked about my best friend. I remember hating both of them though I really didn't: I hated the fact that I lost before it even began. In those days, I was tagged in a meme1 to describe some friends, including himself. He was the hardest to describe because he was a mixture of good and evil; extremely cunning, an excellent manipulator yet noble, loving and caring. He would know what to tell to everyone to achieve his own purposes; he had a strong presence that could be felt even if our communication was strictly between computers. His love interest was once caught in a bad situation were, because of a mistake she made, had the worst reputation and and was severely criticized; the person she loved at the time decided to not forgive her. He manipulated the circumstances in order that her love interest at the time returned and decided to give her another chance despite the facts that he loved her and wanted her to be with him and no one else. That captured me in such a way, that it made me look up to him and admire him even more. That was the moment that made me admit to myself that I felt for him more that just friends. I knew it was going to be hard, but I decided to stick by his side; I valued his friendship over any other thing in the world.

      However, our friendship wouldn't last as much as I would have liked. It was a bitter ending, left with unanswered questions and unvoiced thoughts. I don't know what I would say or do if I have to face him again, even if it's virtually. There is an intense ambivalence stirring up inside, and my conscience is trying to smooth out any emotional outbursts, though clearly is losing ground. I haven't met anyone else quite like him: so cunning, so righteously evil, noble, sweet and kind. Up to this day, his wisdom is still remembered as a legend in my memory; and the way he always defended his ideals left an indelible garnish, like if it was made with a burning iron, on myself. However, up until now, I would not change anything. Why? Well, because I may not like how things end, I may even hate the way they turned out, but, then again, thanks to this, I learned many things: like who he really was and who I thought he was, who I was and who I thought I was, that emotion knows no boundaries, and that definitely, I rather be hurt with the truth and not be lead on with a sweet lie.

1 A phrase used to describe a catchphrase or concept that spreads quickly from person to person via the Internet.

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Copyright © 2010, MadderSky.

Symbolisms Behind "Revolutionary Girl Utena".

“The Ohtori Academy. It's like a beautiful, prison isn't it? Students obey insignificant rules and yet they are surrounded by luxury. A cage worthy of a king. It's easy to forget the real world, the one that awaits us just behind the prison's gates.”

      -- Akio Ohtori

     Revolutionary Girl Utena is, at simple glance, a Japanese animation about Utena Tenjou; a tomboyish teenage girl who after meeting a prince as a child, swore to become a prince herself (in manner of dressing and personality) in order to save princesses. Guided by his promise to meet again using a ring he gave her, she arrived at Ohtori Academy where she meets a girl named Anthy Himemiya who is involved in an abusive relationship. Utena fights in Anthy's behalf and gets pulled into a series of sword duels against the members of the student council, who are also involved in this dueling game. Anthy, known as the “Rose Bride”, becomes engaged to the winner of each duel and is thought to be the key of “bringing the world revolution” since she is said to be capable of granting any wish when the game is defeated; so the champion of the last duel gets challenged constantly.
     This story about a “prince” saving a princess is told in its own unique way using elaborate metaphysical, surreal and allegorical symbolisms. However, all of these elements combined explain implicitly that this story is not just about a mere duel championship. Revolutionary Girl Utena is really about adolescence, it's scars and the process that every teenager must go through in order to mature.

     One of the biggest (and yet hardest to find) metaphysical symbols, is the high school campus itself. For instance, in the television series, the school represents that stage of the immature teenager who thinks he or she can live in his or her comfort zone; whether it is a psychological self-defense mechanism or an actual physical place that the teenager is scared to leave. In Anthy's case, for example, once she becomes conscious the awful position she's in by witnessing Utena's sacrifice, she decides not to continue being the Rose Bride, her comfort zone, any longer; leaving everything behind and implicitly telling us she does not have the need to be part of these duels any longer (Ep. 39); whereas in the movie, the school is physically her comfort zone. This symbolism is taken to another point of view throughout the film: the walls, stairs and blackboards move constantly; representing Utena's confusion or state of mind in a current situation. However, once she decides she does not want to dwell any longer in her self-pity and decides to take Anthy with her to “the outside world”, the campus' walls stop moving and become firm. In the movie, “the outside world” is a metaphysical metaphor of “maturity”; school life is considered immaturity and fantasies, compared to “the real world”.

     A great example of the use of allegorical metaphors in the television series, happens with Nanami Kiryuu, the most childish and immature character as she goes through her menarche during the series. This is represented in such a subtle way that this goes unnoticed until the episode is seen at least two times. One day, Nanami wakes up noticing she has lain an egg and, this being anything but normal, keeps it a secret. As the episode progresses, she suspects she may be the last person on campus to actually lay an egg. Embarrassed, she seeks the advice of the beautiful and wise Juri Arisugawa, the president of the fencing club. Hilarity ensues when Nanami is talking to her about an “egg” and Juri about a “ball” that she has had since she was younger which got bigger and heavier as she got older. Nanami thinks Juri is very experienced and feeling humiliated that it has taken her so long to lay an egg, runs away. Eventually, we realize it's a huge misunderstanding as we are shown that Juri was referring to a bowling ball. At the end of the episode, Nanami wakes up thinking it was all a dream, but when she looks under her covers, we see that very same egg, only broken.

     Akio Ohtori, Anthy's older brother and acting headmaster by marriage of Ohtori high school is the hugest allegorical symbol yet. He represents the adult world and all its components: lust, money, power, greed, politics, corruption and much more; he is the devil himself. Akio is the only character who physically resembles an adult, meaning, his dreams and nobility have been corrupted and perverted by power. He seduces Utena (and everyone else in the story for that matter) to do as he pleases, and just like irony and consequence should have it, uses it against her. He also enslaves his own sister for his very dark and sinister purposes.

     The movie offers more surreal metaphors than its counterpart, one of these examples is the beautiful dance scene between Utena and Anthy. In the film, these girls apparently switch personalities intermittently, creating some conflict that they need to solve in order to move on. This happens when they decide to get to know each other by dancing on the flooded rose garden. Not only the visual elements of this scene are breathtaking, but the fact that their reflection on water is different from what they really look like, makes you think if that is what they are to become. Or better yet: when the scene is turned upside down and their reflections have now become the real persons, tells you Utena's insecurities are being replaced by her true feelings about herself; and both Anthy and Utena are speaking now with their hearts.

     Also in the film, Utena has managed to overcome the majority of her obstacles except one. Enter Touga Kiryuu. Utena's (unrequited) love interest and ex-boyfriend who no one knows and no one can see but her alone. She harbors resentment towards him and it is incredibly hard for her to get over him as she feels abandoned unjustly by him. Eventually, she feels brave enough to confront him and we realize that Touga is dead and is a figment of her imagination. Soon we learn that he drowned when she was younger as he tried to save a little girl in a river. As soon as Utena comes to peace with this and is able to say her goodbyes to him, she is ready and confident to bring forth revolution and save Anthy, taking her in her ride to “the outside world.”

     There are so many symbolisms in both the movie and the television series that it is impossible to explain them clearly and see how important they are, given the fact that both animations are a metaphor inside a metaphor that, at the same time, is also inside another metaphor.
     Everything becomes a symbol in Revolutionary Girl Utena: colors, clothing, props, sounds, background music and the epic choruses that take part before every duel just to name a few. However, no matter how you look at it, once you get past the “where the creators on acid when they wrote this” phase, you can witness that the story is much deeper than it says it is, realize how great these animations are; and witness that apocalyptic battle of adolescence portrayed beautifully with all kinds of symbolisms. Or even better: you are left with a feeling that, when you conquer your adolescence, victory, does in fact, feels like you have just obtained revolution.

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Copyright © 2010, MadderSky.

My Experience with Online Role Playing.

        Two years ago, I re-discovered an online Japanese animation community that took place in a specific chat room. However, the users did not behave like in a typical chat room; their conversations were intelligent, there was a topic and even when there were subtopics, they were still organized despite the fact there were many ongoing, apparently random conversations. However, something caught my attention: some phrases were either between asterisks or dashes and were (mostly) narrated in third person. I was no stranger to that system; I'd seen it before and used in on several sporadic occasions; but these were constructed in a more sophisticated and complex way. After a moment of careful observation, I realized: they were role-playing. After becoming an active member of this community, I became convinced that role playing1 can help you develop creativity and writing skills by practicing character creation and development, by stating actions and dialogues. However, there is a very dangerous side to this activity.

        Role-playing is a set of interactions between two or more people who interpret the role of an anime2, manga3, video-game or movie character using a system of dialogue and actions, which are distinguished by being in between asterisks and dashes. It was very intriguing to me because I read wonderful interpretations faithful to the character interacting with another; some of them, where fighting. I was immediately captured by this small cyber-world and, as I got to know it more, I discovered there was more to it that meets the eye.

        There are three types of role-playing: Social role-play, which is based on characters getting to know each other or doing mundane things; where characters merely interact in general, pacifist ways to kill time. Combat role-play is where characters fight in one of many styles which have their own set of rules and adult role-play (or hentai4), where it's pretty obvious what they do.
 
        Adopting a character to interpret can be done in two ways: by using a character that already exists from a video game or anime series for instance, or you can make one of your own. If you chose to use an existing one, it is expected to be faithful to his or her personality when interpreting the character; and use his or her exact same virtues and flaws. However, if you chose to interpret a character of your own, you can develop the character as much as you want and even add special abilities; however, God-mode5 is never well seen.

        One benefit that this type of role playing-games have is that it helps you develop creativity and writing skills. When creating a character, you must make note of how the character looks and thinks like, so when you are required to introduce it, you must detail what the character looks like, his or her personality, and character background. All these things must be taken into consideration when making your moves. Depending on the atmosphere of the scene, other characters playing, one is expected a certain degree of description: from simple to whole paragraphs.

        Non-dialogue descriptions and actions always are in between symbols. Asterisks and dashes are generally (even internationally) recognized and used as standard. Again, depending on gaming conditions, the length of description can vary. It can go from simple, one line actions using plain narrative to beautifully poetic written paragraphs. One can be as extensive as desired, but in this community the more the better, and good grammar and spelling is a sign of quality, status and professionalism; so most players develop an honest interest in learning new vocabulary and spelling.
 
        However, there are dangers that must always be taken into consideration which can affect the player tremendously. It was not long before I noticed that some, if not the vast majority, have ill will towards other players, high egos and lie. For instance, most of the times “pros” look down on those whose writing abilities are not good enough to be considered decent, which often leads to resentment. Normally, “pros” are elite people who have really high egos and think themselves better than the rest. They take the game quite personally, they are also very proud of their writing skills, and their influence on the rules that were accepted on combat RPGs. Generally more popular than the rest, they tend to only socialize with their “equals” or peers; they believe all there is to role playing is only combat, and look down on social and adult; it's quite hard to get along with them if they don't accept you first. Most of these players like to lie, cheat and abuse the trust of other more naive players. It is important to note that not all of them behave this way; there are respected players who don't have this kind of prejudice. “Noobs”, on the other hand, are quite friendly and easy-going; however their writing skills are not that developed, not to mention their descriptive abilities. They abuse the use of smileys and mix (bad) Japanese grammar with spelling.
        Another danger is that it's quite easier to lie and pass as someone else online. It is easy to cheat and fool the naive and innocent. Although there are some ways to try to find out who really is the user they are talking to, these methods tend to be somewhat inaccurate. The primal way of communicating is via Instant Messaging services, like MSN, so it's quite easy to have a lot of accounts and pose as someone else. Throughout my time spent in this community, I learned it is possible to make alliances, develop friendships and even romance. This is when the game can become something even more complex and dangerous. It is common practice for two players to have a relationship, leaving aside character use. However, the riskiness of being subject to lies is still there. Most of the users, whether “pros” or “noobs” tend to cheat, show off how they have more than one partner or using “love” as a tool for avenging others or hurt pride on earlier occasions. Liking someone or being in love with another player regularly used against each other; they tend to abuse and blackmail the other to do certain kind of things, whether in an RPG session or more dangerous ways, for example, over a microphone and web-cams that later can and will be used against them. Like any other relationship, it is important to get to know the other person and always apply common sense.
 
        In conclusion, even though Online Role-Playing can be dangerous if you believe everything and everyone without practicing common sense, you need to keep in mind that it is still a game, though a more complex and interactive one due to its nature. If you decide to engage in a more personal level, you need to make sure the other party is aware of it as well. However, if this activity is carried out with trustworthy friends, it can be a really wonderful experience since you can develop excellent writing skills and creativity as well as long-lasting friendships in other parts of your city, country or any other part of the world.

1 For the purpose of this essay, “role-playing” will only refer to this particular style. Massive Multi-player Online Role Playing Games and RPG video games will not be considered nor table-type RPGs.
2 Anime: A term for which “Japanese animation” is known.
3 Manga: Japanese comic books.
4 The word "hentai" has a negative connotation to the Japanese and is commonly used to mean "sexually perverted".
5 A character that is invincible; perfect in every single way.

Copyright © 2010, MadderSky.  16/04/2010