Issendai.comGeisha Names: Adakichi to Fusao
Chikayû, "Thousand congratulations lily," a maiko in the 1930's. Photo courtesy of Blue Ruin.
Lafcadio Hearn waxes effusive about the names of the geisha he knew in the late 19th century:
But there are many geimyo here, 'artistic names,'--names of mischievous geisha who worship the Golden Kitten, written by their saucy selves: Rakue and Asa and Wakai, Aikichi and Kotabuki and Kohachi, Kohana and Tamakichi and Katsuko, and Asakichi and Hanakichi and Katsukichi, and Chiyoe and Chiyotsuru. 'Fortunate-Pleasure,' 'Happy-Dawn,' and 'Youth' (such are their appellations), 'Blest-Love' and 'Length-of-Days,' and 'Blossom-Child' and 'Jewel-of-Fortune' and 'Child-of-Luck,' and 'Joyous-Sunrise' and 'Flower-of-Bliss' and 'Glorious Victory,' and 'Life-as-the-Stork's-for-a-thousand-years.'
These names, which express such lighthearted joy, are not chosen lightly at all. Geimyo are artists' names, just as much as the stage names of No actors or traditional singers, and though geisha do not pass on their names unchanged like other artists, their names do express their place in their lineage. Each new geisha is placed under the wing of an older and more experienced geisha, her oneesan or "older sister," who helps to teach her the social skills needed in the hanamachi and uses her influence to launch the new geisha in society. The younger geisha takes one element of her older sister's name as her own: Tamaryô, "Jewel Dragon," might sponsor Tamakichi, "Jewel of Fortune," who might sponsor Tamayu, "Excellent Jewel." The spelling of the shared element doesn't change, and the element doesn't change position within the name—Tamayu's younger sister would not be named Kotama, "Little Jewel." [footnote]
The second element is chosen based on a combination of fashion and fortune. Fashion, because geimei elements go in and out of style, and fortune, because names are believed to affect the fortune of the bearer. There are at least two ways to determine an auspicious name. In his essay on Japanese female names, Lafcadio Hearn describes an old system in which the sound of the Chinese reading of the first character of the name had to match the bearer's birth element. (For more information, see Shadowings, "Japanese Female Names," page 144.) A more recent method is to count the number of strokes in the name and compare it to... to something. According to Japanese people who have talked about the system online, there's more than one method, they're all fabulously complicated, and Japanese people who take it seriously go to priests and other specialists to make sure they get it right. If you Google 名づけ (nazuke, "naming"), you can find Japanese sites that explain various systems or do the calculations for you. Geisha used to be known for their reliance on luck and superstition, so stroke count was probably very important in the past. How important it is to modern geisha probably varies widely.
Once established, geishas' name lineages can go on for several decades—an eternity in a business where turnover is high and careers are short.[footnote 2] The Ichi- line started by Ichiko in 1916 is still going strong in Pontocho. Even the eccentric Uno- line that began in Pontocho in the 1920's lasted through at least the 1950's, and possibly even later.
Masculine Geimei
Quite a few geisha, especially 18th- and 19th-century geisha, have names with male endings: Aitarô, Hatsutarô, Kotarô, Mametarô, Tamatarô; Fukusuke, Harusuke, Tamasuke, Unosuke, Utanosuke. While explanations are thin on the ground, one Japanese commenter suggests that the tradition began as an Edo-period attempt to get around restrictions on female geisha. Male geisha weren't as heavily policed as female geisha because male geisha weren't involved in prostitution; so if the local commissioner saw a male name on the list of newcomers to the district, and he didn't care to follow up in person...
Having a male name would have seemed dashing. Stylish women had been appropriating male symbols since at least the 12th century, when the shirabyôshi danced before the imperial court wearing men's clothing and carrying a sword. By the early 1600's, trendy young girls might dress their hair like men, even dress themselves like men, following the fashions set by the cross-dressed actress/prostitutes who pioneered a hot new style of theater called "kabuki." The trends were subtler by the mid-1700's, when female geisha began their rise to prominence, but masculine touches still looked daring, high-spirited, gallant. When female geisha wore men's jackets and took on a man's profession, why be surprised when some of them took on men's names?
Name Elements
Geimei are constructed of a surprisingly small number of elements. To spell most names of the pre-war era, you would need fewer than 150 kanji. Even after it became fashionable to play with spellings, the same 150 kanji get heavy use; and even if a modern name is spelled completely differently, it may sound exactly like a name from the 1800's. Modern geishas' names are still full of Kimi- and Kiku-, Tsuru- and -zuru, Mame- and -chiyo and Teru- and -kichi. Just like geisha themselves, geimei are a blend of adaptation and tradition.
| Name | Meaning | Era by Decade | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
Adakichi |
Adakichi (resenting good luck, 仇吉) appeared as a geisha character in a popular and much-adapted 1830’s novel, Shunshoku Umegoyomi. I don’t know whether the name predated the novel, but in later years, there were real Adakichis in the floating world. The 1890’s geisha Adakichi wrote her name partially in hiragana, Ada + luck, thereby removing the meaning of “resentful, enemy, opponent” from the original name. |
1830’s |
|
Ai |
Written in hiragana: あい. Probably intended to mean love (愛). |
1810’s |
|
Aichiyo |
Love + eternal (愛千代) |
1920's |
|
Aihachi |
Beloved + eight (愛八), with the connotation of being increasingly loved or increasingly loving. |
1890's |
|
Aika |
Loving/beloved and beautiful (愛佳) |
1910’s |
|
Aikichi |
“Blessed love (愛吉),” according to Hearn. Written with characters meaning “love” and “good luck.” |
1870’s |
Hearn |
Aiko |
Loving child (愛子) |
1890's |
|
Aimatsu |
Girl whose love is as steadfast as the pine (愛松) |
1910's |
|
Aitarō |
Loving firstborn son (愛太郎) |
1910’s |
|
Akiko |
1930's: Autumn child (秋子) |
1930’s |
|
Ariko |
The original name is illegible. |
1890's |
|
Asa |
“Happy dawn,” according to Hearn. Probably written with the kanji for morning, 朝. |
1870’s |
Hearn |
Asakichi |
“Joyous sunrise,” according to Hearn. Probably written with the kanji for morning and luck, 朝吉. |
1870's |
|
Asao |
Shallows of a river + -o [female name ending] (浅尾) |
1810’s |
|
Ayakazu |
Splendidly colorful ruler (絢佳司) |
2000's |
|
Ayako |
Asian arrow child (亜矢子) |
2010's |
|
Ayako |
Child of patterned cloth (綾子). Pronounced rinzu, the same combination of characters means “figured satin.” The name refers to the gorgeously figured clothes of a geisha. |
1910’s |
|
Ayano |
Aya + field [female name ending] (あや野) |
2000's |
|
Azuma |
Possibly “spring (春),” “east (東),” or “thunder (雷),” among many possible readings. |
1890's |
|
Baichō |
Plum-blossom butterfly (梅蝶). 梅 is an exceedingly rare character for plum-blossom, and B is an exceedingly rare sound for the start of a female name—voiced consonants like B, D, and G are considered less refined than unvoiced consonants like P, T, and K. Overall, an unusual and memorable geimei. |
1910’s |
|
Baishō |
Ascending plum-blossom (梅昇) |
1910’s |
|
Botan |
Peony, known as the “king of the flowers,” symbol of nobility and feminine beauty. Written in hiragana: ぼたん |
1910’s |
|
Charyōei |
Tea + good + excellence (茶良榮). This is the only instance of the “tea” element I’ve seen in geimyō. “Charyō” may be intended as a homonym for 茶寮, the room where tea ceremonies are held. |
1910’s |
|
Chieko |
1930's: One whose glory is thousandfold (千榮子) |
1930’s |
|
Chikafuku |
Thousandfold blessings and good fortune (千賀福) |
1970’s? |
|
Chikafumi |
Beautiful lotus who has been blessed a thousandfold (千賀芙美) |
2000's |
|
Chikano |
Thousandfold elegance + no [female name ending] (千雅乃) |
1940’s |
|
Chikashizu |
Thousandfold blessings and tranquility (千賀静) |
2000's |
|
Chikayoshi |
Thousandfold congratulations and beauty (千賀美) |
2000's |
|
Chikayū |
Thousand congratulations lily (千賀勇) |
1930’s |
|
Chikayuki |
Thousandfold congratulations and blessings (千賀幸) |
2000's |
|
Chisako |
Thousand-gossamer child (千紗子) |
2000's |
|
Chiyo |
Possibly “eternal (千代)” |
1940’s? |
|
Chiyoe |
Eternal blessings (千代恵) |
2000's |
|
Chiyoha |
Eternal leaf (千代葉) |
1900’s |
|
Chiyokichi |
Eternally fortunate (千代吉) |
1910’s |
|
Chiyoko |
1910's and 1960's: Eternal child (千代子) |
1910’s |
|
Chiyoryō |
Eternal dragon (千代龍) |
1920’s |
|
Chiyoteru |
Eternal light (千代照) |
1920’s |
|
Chiyotsuru |
Eternal (literally, a thousand years) crane (千代鶴). Lafcadio Hearn glosses the name as "Life as the stork's for a thousand years." |
1870’s |
Hearn |
Chiyowaka |
Possibly “eternally young (千代若)” |
1920’s |
|
Chiyoyakko |
Eternal maidservant (千代奴) |
1910’s |
|
Chizu |
A thousand cranes (千鶴), a common girl's name. |
2000's |
|
Chizuha |
Leaf of a thousand cranes (千鶴葉) |
1960’s |
|
Chizuru |
The modern geisha Chizuru writes her name in hiragana: ちづる. Chizuru is traditionally spelled 千鶴, “a thousand cranes.” |
2000's? |
|
Chō |
Butterfly (蝶) |
1910’s |
|
Chōchō |
Butterfly (蝶々) |
1910’s |
|
Dan |
Written in hiragana: だん |
1920’s |
|
Dan’ei |
Dan + splendid (だん榮) |
1950’s? |
|
Danji |
Dan + reign, be at peace (だん治) |
1930’s |
|
Danko, Dango |
1910’s: Sociable child (團子) |
1910’s |
|
Edagiku |
Branch of chrysanthemums (枝きく) |
1810’s |
|
Eiji |
1810's: Splendid peace (栄治) |
1810’s |
|
Emi |
Splendid + mi (榮み). |
1910’s |
|
Emichō |
1913: Splendid, beautiful butterfly (榮美蝶) |
1910’s |
|
Emigiku |
Laughing chrysanthemum (笑菊) |
1910’s |
|
Emiyo |
Laughing generation (笑代) |
1910’s |
|
Emon |
|
1730’s |
|
Enko |
Circle child (圓子) |
1910’s |
|
Entarō |
Circle + eldest son (圓太郎) |
1910’s |
|
Eriko |
|
1890's |
|
Fuji |
Written in hiragana: ふじ Possibly refers to the wisteria 藤, a symbol of filial piety because the flowers bloom close to the stem. |
1910’s |
|
Fujie |
Splendid wisteria (藤榮) |
1910’s |
|
Fujigiku |
Wisteria and chrysanthemum (藤菊) |
1910’s |
|
Fujiha |
Wisteria leaf (藤葉) |
1910’s |
|
Fukichiyo |
Riches and honors eternally (富貴千代) |
1910’s |
|
Fukiha |
Riches and honors + leaf (富貴葉) |
1910’s |
|
Fukimi |
Increasingly great riches and honors (富貴彌) |
1910’s |
|
Fukiyo |
Generation of riches and honors (富貴代) |
1910’s |
|
Fukizō |
Riches and honors + third son (富貴三) |
1910’s |
|
Fuku |
1790's, 1910's: Fuku (ふく). Good fortune (福), a common girl's name. |
1790’s |
Eishi |
Fukuai |
Fuku + love (ふく愛). Possibly intended as a reference to fortunate love (福愛) |
2000's |
|
Fukuaya |
Fuku + brilliant color (ふく彩) |
2000’s |
|
Fukuchiyo |
Eternal good fortune (福千代) |
1910’s |
|
Fukuchō |
1910’s: Fortunate butterfly (福蝶) |
1910’s |
|
Fukudama |
Possibly “fortunate jewel (福玉)” |
1910’s |
|
Fukuha |
Fuku + leaf (ふく葉). Possibly intended to mean “fortunate leaf (福葉).” |
2000's? |
|
Fukuhana |
Fuku + blossom (ふく花). Possibly intended to mean “fortunate blossom (福花).” |
2000's |
|
Fukuharu |
Abundantly wealthy and long-lasting springtime (富久春) |
2010's |
|
Fukuhina |
Fuku + adorable little thing [lit. doll] (ふく雛). Possibly intended to mean “fortunate little adorable one (福雛).” |
2000's |
|
Fukuhiro |
Fuku + large (ふく紘). Possibly intended to mean “fortunate + large (富紘).” 紘 may refer to largeness in the sense of broad expanses, so it almost certainly refers to a mental or spiritual characteristic rather than physical size. |
2000's |
|
Fukumi |
Fuku + beauty (ふく美) |
2000's |
|
Fukumusume |
Daughter of luck (福娘) |
1910’s |
|
Fukunae |
Fuku + seedling (ふく苗). Possibly intended to mean “fortunate seedling (福苗).” |
2010's |
|
Fukusato |
Fuku + village (ふく里) |
2000's |
|
Fukusuke |
Doubly helpful (副助) |
1890's |
|
Fukusuzu |
Fuku + bell (ふく鈴) |
2000's |
|
Fukuteru |
Fuku + sunshine/light (ふく光) |
2000's |
|
Fukuya |
1920’s: Flourishing good fortune (福彌) |
1920’s |
|
Fukuyo |
Fortunate generation (福代) |
1910’s |
|
Fukuyoshi |
Fuku + good, excellent (ふく好) |
2000's |
|
Fukuyū |
Possessing abundance for a long time (冨久有) |
2000's |
|
Fumi |
1930's: Fortunate beauty (富美) |
1930’s |
|
Fumichiyo |
Abundantly beautiful for eternity (富美千代) |
1940’s |
1966 Miyako Odori |
Fumichō |
Abundantly beautiful butterfly (富美蝶) |
2000’s? |
|
Fumihana |
Abundantly beautiful and excellent (富美英) |
2000's |
|
Fumiko |
1910’s: Probably “feminine literary composition + child (章子)” |
1910’s |
|
Fumino |
1960's: Husband + beautiful + no [name ending] (夫美之) |
1960's |
|
Fumukazu |
The feminine literary composition of a beautiful/excellent official (章佳司) |
2000's? |
|
Fusakichi |
Probably “fortunate tassel (房吉)” |
1870's |
|
Fusako |
Tassel child (房子) |
1910’s |
|
Fusao |
Written in hiragana: ふさを |
1810’s |
Footnote However, not all geisha have an older sister. In the past, a geisha who retired and then returned to work often took a new geimei, and may not have had an older sister sponsoring her; geisha who moved between hanamachi also tended to take new names, and may not have had older sisters. In recent decades, quite a few maiko have simply debuted alone, for reasons not known to the public. How did these geisha choose their geimei? Some joined an okiya that was known for a particular name element, so the maiko adopted that element and joined the lineage without having it transmitted to her by an older sister. For the rest of the geisha, there's not enough information in English for us to say.
Footnote 2 The well-respected geisha practicing her arts into her 40's, 60's, or even later is the exception, not the rule. Historically, most geisha left the business early, whether for security or to escape exploitation. Nowadays many women don't even make it out of the maiko stage. The respected role of older women in the geisha community must be balanced against the reality that for most women, being a geisha is a young woman's game.
Updated 12/16/2014