Articles

This article examines the role imposed on and adopted by Kyoto's geisha during wartime, and analyzes the complex situation in which geisha assumed the appearance of housewives, suppressed their own identity, and actively cooperated with the war effort. The Women's National Defense Association, established in Osaka in 1932, sought to engage women from geisha districts. When the Kyoto Headquarters opened in 1934, geisha also participated, and each district formed its own branch. The Association's branch in Gion Kōbu, the renowned geisha district in Kyoto, eventually contributed three airplanes to the army and navy. The military, local governments, and the women's associations themselves all orchestrated competition to support the war effort. Media coverage of the fundraising campaigns and their contributors further fueled this competition, amplifying the success of the campaign. This article argues that geisha were participants in this competition, and through their activities sought to showcase their significant contribution to the war effort. The identity these geisha adopted took on elements associated with domesticity—most notably, the attire of housewives—despite geisha being seen as the antithesis of the domestic housewife. The situation of the geisha illustrates the challenges of establishing identity in a patriarchal society where women were expected to remain invisible beyond the domestic sphere. This article examines the role imposed on and adopted by Kyoto's geisha during wartime, and analyzes the complex situation in which geisha assumed the appearance of housewives, suppressed their own identity, and actively cooperated with the war effort. The Women's National Defense Association, established in Osaka in 1932, sought to engage women from geisha districts. When the Kyoto Headquarters opened in 1934, geisha also participated, and each district formed its own branch. The Association's branch in Gion Kōbu, the renowned geisha district in Kyoto, eventually contributed three airplanes to the army and navy. The military, local governments, and the women's associations themselves all orchestrated competition to support the war effort. Media coverage of the fundraising campaigns and their contributors further fueled this competition, amplifying the success of the campaign. This article argues that geisha were participants in this competition, and through their activities sought to showcase their significant contribution to the war effort. The identity these geisha adopted took on elements associated with domesticity—most notably, the attire of housewives—despite geisha being seen as the antithesis of the domestic housewife. The situation of the geisha illustrates the challenges of establishing identity in a patriarchal society where women were expected to remain invisible beyond the domestic sphere.