paper or thin , wooden walls , which , again , seem workmanlike . I do wonder if I have not entered a poorhouse but been charged the price for staying in a luxury establishment ?
We all gathered in a certain room and were introduced to a kindly Geisha , who looks very young and beautiful , but claims to be years older ! If the world would like a beauty regimen that actually works , they need only consult her , I daresay . She explained that Geisha means Artist , or Artisan , and the Geisha are skilled in music , dance , literature , history , and conversation . They entertain guests with their superior talents .
She was quite entertaining indeed , as she told the story of the Akuma Sentō bathhouse .
The bath house was haunted by an Onryō . This is a powerless victim in life who achieves power in death . She was an onsen geisha , whose name does not bear repeating , we are told , and who once worked in the historical bath-house . Our Geisha explained that these onsen geisha had the bad reputation of selling sexual favors and providing erotic dances . I was quite shocked to hear this ! To
think that a true Geisha , with that perfect beauty regime , should ever be compared to a prostitute ! The true Geisha do not approve of the onsen geisha , thankfully .
This Onryō was sold into the establishment as a child , where she suffered abuse at the hands of her employers as well as her clients . It is said her flower was taken even before her Mizuage , or coming of age ceremony , where her virginity was sold to the highest bidder ! I cannot imagine such a life ! I am an Englishwoman , and to hear of such an outrage causes my emotions to spiral inward . I felt that I was boiling like a kettle !
On the night of her Mizuage , the Onryō was savagely violated , and she went mad . She took up a katana , or sword , and killed her patron . She went on to kill her masters , the other geisha and patrons , who were all taken by surprise and could not overpower her rage . The Onryō could not be stopped , and the authorities decided the only way to end the rampage was to set fire to the bath-house and burn the woman alive ! ( We were presented with some lovely prints of the incident .)