Япония: цивилизация, культура, язык 2022

«ISSUES OF JAPANOLOGY, vol. 9» St-Petersburg State Univ 2022 525 Orientalism (one of the sources of and often associated with Japonisme), an embodiment of eroticism for non- Japanese men, and an icon of “authentic,” traditional culture in Japan— “associated with the gratification of sexual pleasures by Western men,” and a “symbol of Japanese beauty” within the country (Nishihara 246) 11 . The geiko and maiko from Kyoto are currently a symbol of the city, a very sought-after object of photography for the multitude of tourists who visited Japan before the pandemic started. They represent the “traditional culture” mentioned above, wrapped (to use Joy Hendry’s concept 12 ) in layers of material culture—exquisite kimonos, hair and obi accessories—and art—music, dance, the art of conversation. Before being recognized as a geiko, a young woman learns to speak using a slightly outdated Kyoto dialect, to elegantly enter a room on her knees, to wear without complaining an outfit that weighs as much as half her body weight, to play an instrument, to dance, to smile, and to adapt to all styles and topics of conversation. While entertainers on conventional stages get to return to their normal lives once they leave the stage, the geiko rarely get to exhibit their real selves to the world. Their make-up (not only the well-known white one, which is for maiko and for special occasions, but also the special, distinctive make-up a geiko wears), their hairstyles, their speech, their impeccably fitted kimonos become part of their daily lives, and sometimes part of themselves as well. 11 Carmen Sapunaru Tamas. 2021. “One Year in Pontochô: Research Notes on the Geiko World in the 21st Century” (co-authored with Noriko Onohara), in Annals of “Dimitrie Cantemir” Christian University. Linguistics, Literature and Methodology of Teaching , vol. XXI. Pro Universitaria. pp. 91~109 Daisuke Nishihara. 2005. “Edward Said and Critical Decolonization” in Alif: Journal of Comparative Poetics , 5002, No. 25 12 Joy Hendry. 1989. “To Wrap or Not to Wrap: Politeness and Penetration in Ethnographic Inquiry” in Man , New Series, Vol. 24, No. 4. pp. 620-635