Kikuya

Kikuya
菊屋
Born	Tokyo, Japan
Died	Fukagawa, Japan
Other name	菊弥
Occupations	geisha, teacher

Kikuya was a Japanese geisha active from the late 17th to the mid-18th century. She is considered the founder of the formal "female geisha" system in Japan.Around 1750, she was officially recognized by society.

Kikuya was a dancing girl (odoriko) at an ochaya in Nihonbashi, renowned for her skills in dance, Kouta and shamisen playing. The Nihonbashi ochaya was located next to the Kabuki theater, where "geisha" were predominantly male and known as "taikomochi". Kikuya's exceptional skills made her popular and famous, but this also led to jealousy from male performers, resulting in her being driven out of the Nihonbashi entertainment community by the Kabukis and taikomochis. Ultimately, she was forced to travel to Fukagawa to make a living as a performer, where she quickly regained fame as a singer thanks to her beautiful voice and appearance, attracting a large male audience. Around 1700, Kikuya opened an ochaya near the Fukagawa Hachiman Shrine, where she taught girls etiquette, dance, koto and shamisen playing. Her success inspired many girls to earn a living through art and poetry rather than becoming prostitutes. Her ochaya also offered food and drink, and was famous for its eels, oysters and clams. Kikuya is generally considered the first formal "female geisha". She is also regarded as the founder of "Tatsumi geisha": Tatsumi geisha were known for their art, not prostitution. Kikuya also imitated the attire of samurai, adopting a more masculine style of clothing, and thus popularized the black haori worn by geishas. Therefore, Tatsumi geisha are also known as "haori geisha".