05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Asahi Shimbun
Fixture in Mito's nightlife leads revival of geisha party tradition
Yasuko Yasuhara performs traditional geisha dance in Mito on May 20. (Kazunori Haga)
MITO--Yasuko Yasuhara, once a top party hostess in this Ibaraki prefectural capital, made an inevitable career shift as she grew older.
In the process, she revived and protected not only her livelihood but also a generations-old 'ozashiki' entertainment culture that has now become an official part of Mito city's identity.
The word ozashiki refers to a tatami-mat drawing room, particularly at fancy 'ryotei' restaurants, or to a party held in such a setting. The tradition features elegant dances accompanied by samisen music performed by geiko, as geisha are known here.
Such events date back to at least the 19th century in Mito, once the seat of a branch of the Tokugawa Shogunate.
Although it once nearly disappeared, the practice was recently recognized as an intangible cultural property of Mito.
That designation came after the career shift of Yasuhara, a well-known local figure who has spent more than 30 years in Mito's nighttime economy.
PARTY GAMES
On a warm evening in mid-May, four female dancers led by Yasuhara took to the ozashiki room of a ryotei restaurant in Mito's Daikumachi nightlife district.
Clad in formal kimono despite unseasonable heat, she danced with grace and charm, later switching to the samisen to lead party games.
'Even in this heat, you have to wear a lined kimono in May. It's tradition,' Yasuhara, 61, said, chuckling. 'The young girls probably think I'm a nag, but someone's gotta teach them.'
NO. 1 HOSTESS
Yasuhara entered the nightlife industry straight out of high school, working in bars and clubs that catered to local nuclear plant workers and young members of the Self-Defense Forces.
At 23, she started working as a party hostess, a role similar to that of a geisha but typically without the traditional performances or kimono.
She thrived during the economic boom in the late 1980s, often attending three parties a night.
'I could be No. 1 as a party hostess,' she said. 'It was my calling.'
By 29, she had gone independent. At her peak, she managed a party hostess team of more than 60 staff members.
However, traditional restaurant parties disappeared in Mito after the economic bubble burst. Demand for party hostesses declined further as customers shifted toward modern hostess clubs.
Similarly, geisha numbers shrank in the city. In the 1980s, Mito had more than 90 geisha, but by the 2000s, only two remained.
REVIVAL AND SURVIVAL
To protect the endangered tradition of geisha performance, Yasuhara founded a local group in 2010 where geisha provide formal training in dance and samisen.
Holding an instructor's license in traditional Japanese dance, Yasuhara believed she could help preserve the tradition by performing it herself.
'As I approached 40, continuing as a party hostess became more difficult,' she said. 'Reviving ozashiki culture was both a personal goal and a means of survival.'
At first, Yasuhara and her colleagues were called to parties only to pour drinks, not to perform. Undeterred, they went on to perform at popular local festivals across Ibaraki Prefecture.
Despite disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the group continued to host monthly performances in private venues, gradually building public interest.
With Mito's formal recognition of the tradition this year, Yasuhara sees new possibilities.
'It's more responsibility now that we're recognized,' she said with a laugh. 'But it also opens more doors.'
She hopes to introduce ozashiki dance to younger generations through school festivals and promote cultural tourism.
'This is a tradition passed down in the land of the Tokugawa,' she said. 'We can't afford to lose it.'
