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Gueixas lutam para sobreviver e manter tradições na pandemia

Parte milenar da cultura japonesa, a profissão tem cada vez menos adeptas e precisa lidar com regras de distanciamento pelo temor da covid-19

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Ikuko, the "big sister" of Tokyo's Akasaka geisha district, came to the capital to seek her fortune in 1964, the year Tokyo first hosted the Olympics. But the novel coronavirus pandemic has made her fear for her centuries-old profession as never before. Though the number of geisha - famed for their witty conversation, beauty and skill at traditional arts - has been falling for years, Ikuko and her colleagues were without work for months due to Japan's state of emergency and now operate under awkward social distancing rules. "There were more than 400 geisha in Akasaka when I came, so many I couldn't remember their names. But times changed," Ikuko, now 80, said. Only 20 remain, and there aren't enough engagements to take on new apprentices - especially now. Coronavirus-induced austerity has slashed expense accounts, and many people remain wary of spending hours in the elegant but closed traditional rooms where geisha entertain. Engagements are down 95 percent, and come with new rules: no pouring drinks for customers or touching them even to shake hands, and sitting 2 metres apart. Masks are hard to wear with their elaborate wigs, so they mostly don't. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "GEISHA COVID-19" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
Mayu and Koiku, who are geisha, wait for their customers, who are hosting a party at Asada, a luxury Japanese restaurant, where they will entertain with other geisha, during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, in Tokyo, Japan, June 23, 2020. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "GEISHA COVID-19" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.
A kimono dresser helps Koiku, who is a geisha, put on her kimono as Koiku gets ready at Ikuko's home to work at a party being hosted by customers at a restaurant, where she will be entertaining with other geisha, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Tokyo, Japan, June 23, 2020. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "GEISHA COVID-19" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.
Koiku paints the back of Mayu's neck, both of whom are geisha, as they get ready at Ikuko's home to work at a party being hosted by customers at a restaurant, where they will be entertaining with other geisha, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Tokyo, Japan, June 23, 2020. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "GEISHA COVID-19" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.
Koiku paints the back of Mayu's neck, both of whom are geisha, as they get ready at Ikuko's home to work at a party being hosted by customers at a restaurant, where they will be entertaining with other geisha, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Tokyo, Japan, June 23, 2020. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "GEISHA COVID-19" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.
Koiku who is a geisha, gets into a taxi as she makes her way to work at a party being hosted by customers at a restaurant, where she will be entertaining with other geisha, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Tokyo, Japan, June 23, 2020. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "GEISHA COVID-19" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.
Koiku and Mayu, who are geisha, enter Asada, a luxury Japanese restaurant where their customers are hosting a party, which they will be entertaining at with other geisha, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Tokyo, Japan, June 23, 2020. "We arrange things in the largest room possible", said Shota Asada, the owner of Asada. "Anything to keep this culture alive." REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "GEISHA COVID-19" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.
Senior geisha help Koiku put on a protective face mask to have a portrait photo taken of her wearing one for Reuters, before working at a party being hosted by customers, where she will entertain with other geisha, at Asada, a luxury Japanese restaurant, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Tokyo, Japan, June 23, 2020. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "GEISHA COVID-19" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.
Koiku, Maki, Ikuko and Mayu, who are geisha, perform a dance routine for Reuters, before they work at a party being hosted by customers at Asada, a luxury Japanese restaurant, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Tokyo, Japan, June 23, 2020. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "GEISHA COVID-19" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.
Koiku, who is a geisha, wears a protective face mask to pose for a photograph, before working at a party being hosted by customers, where she will entertain with other geisha, at Asada, a luxury Japanese restaurant, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Tokyo, Japan, June 23, 2020. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "GEISHA COVID-19" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.
Ikuko, who is a geisha, gets ready at her home to work at a party being hosted by customers at a restaurant, where she will be entertaining with other geisha, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Tokyo, Japan, June 23, 2020. "When you sit close, you can talk with feeling, your passion comes through", Ikuko said. "When you're two metres apart, conversation breaks down." REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "GEISHA COVID-19" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.
Old photographs of Ikuko that were taken after she moved to Tokyo in 1964, are seen at Ikuko's home in Tokyo, Japan, July 11, 2020. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY SEARCH "GEISHA COVID-19" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.
Ikuko, who is a geisha, wears an apron printed with Kumamon, a mascot created by the government of the Kumamoto Prefecture where she was born, before working at a party being hosted by customers, where she will entertain with other geisha at Asada, a luxury restaurant, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Tokyo, Japan, June 23, 2020. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "GEISHA COVID-19" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.
Maki and Ikuko, who are geisha, perform a dance routine for Reuters, as they wait for customers to arrive, who are hosting a party where they will be entertaining with other geisha, at Asada, a luxury Japanese restaurant, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Tokyo, Japan, June 23, 2020. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "GEISHA COVID-19" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.
Maki, Mayu, Koiku and Ikuko, who are geisha, wear protective face masks as they walk to a restaurant after attending a dance class, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Tokyo, Japan. July 13, 2020. Ikuko fears an extended pandemic could prompt some geisha to quit. "Now is the worst of the worst", she said. "How are we going to get through? It'll take all of our body and soul." REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "GEISHA COVID-19" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.
Shoichi Sanagashi, a kimono dresser, wears a protective face mask as he dresses Tokijyo Hanasaki, a jiutamai dancer, before Hanasaki is recorded dancing for a film supported by the Tokyo Metropolitan government in order to support artists during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, at a studio in Tokyo, Japan, June 29, 2020. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "GEISHA COVID-19" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.
Tokijyo Hanasaki, a jiutamai dancer, performs a dance routine for a film supported by the Tokyo Metropolitan government in order to support artists during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, at a studio in Tokyo, Japan, June 29, 2020. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "GEISHA COVID-19" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.
Mayu and Maki bow to Ikuko, who are all geisha, before making their way to work at a party being hosted by customers at a luxury restaurant, where they will be entertaining with other geisha, at Ikuko's home, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Tokyo, Japan, June 23, 2020. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "GEISHA COVID-19" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.
Mayu, a geisha, uses a tablet to film other geisha practising a dance routine during a dance class for geisha only, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Tokyo, Japan, July 13, 2020. "I was just full of anxiety", said Mayu. "I went through my photos, sorted my kimonos... The thought of a second wave is terrifying." REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "GEISHA COVID-19" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.
Koiku, who is a geisha, folds a traditional umbrella made out of oli paper, as she arrives at a restaurant where she will work at a party hosted by her customers, where she will entertain, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Tokyo, Japan, July 13, 2020. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "GEISHA COVID-19" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

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Ikuko, the "big sister" of Tokyo's Akasaka geisha district, came to the capital to seek her fortune in 1964, the year Tokyo first hosted the Olympics. But the novel coronavirus pandemic has made her fear for her centuries-old profession as never before. Though the number of geisha - famed for their witty conversation, beauty and skill at traditional arts - has been falling for years, Ikuko and her colleagues were without work for months due to Japan's state of emergency and now operate under awkward social distancing rules. "There were more than 400 geisha in Akasaka when I came, so many I couldn't remember their names. But times changed," Ikuko, now 80, said. Only 20 remain, and there aren't enough engagements to take on new apprentices - especially now. Coronavirus-induced austerity has slashed expense accounts, and many people remain wary of spending hours in the elegant but closed traditional rooms where geisha entertain. Engagements are down 95 percent, and come with new rules: no pouring drinks for customers or touching them even to shake hands, and sitting 2 metres apart. Masks are hard to wear with their elaborate wigs, so they mostly don't. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "GEISHA COVID-19" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
Mayu and Koiku, who are geisha, wait for their customers, who are hosting a party at Asada, a luxury Japanese restaurant, where they will entertain with other geisha, during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, in Tokyo, Japan, June 23, 2020. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "GEISHA COVID-19" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.
A kimono dresser helps Koiku, who is a geisha, put on her kimono as Koiku gets ready at Ikuko's home to work at a party being hosted by customers at a restaurant, where she will be entertaining with other geisha, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Tokyo, Japan, June 23, 2020. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "GEISHA COVID-19" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.
Koiku paints the back of Mayu's neck, both of whom are geisha, as they get ready at Ikuko's home to work at a party being hosted by customers at a restaurant, where they will be entertaining with other geisha, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Tokyo, Japan, June 23, 2020. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "GEISHA COVID-19" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.
Koiku paints the back of Mayu's neck, both of whom are geisha, as they get ready at Ikuko's home to work at a party being hosted by customers at a restaurant, where they will be entertaining with other geisha, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Tokyo, Japan, June 23, 2020. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "GEISHA COVID-19" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.
Koiku who is a geisha, gets into a taxi as she makes her way to work at a party being hosted by customers at a restaurant, where she will be entertaining with other geisha, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Tokyo, Japan, June 23, 2020. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "GEISHA COVID-19" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.
Koiku and Mayu, who are geisha, enter Asada, a luxury Japanese restaurant where their customers are hosting a party, which they will be entertaining at with other geisha, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Tokyo, Japan, June 23, 2020. "We arrange things in the largest room possible", said Shota Asada, the owner of Asada. "Anything to keep this culture alive." REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "GEISHA COVID-19" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.
Senior geisha help Koiku put on a protective face mask to have a portrait photo taken of her wearing one for Reuters, before working at a party being hosted by customers, where she will entertain with other geisha, at Asada, a luxury Japanese restaurant, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Tokyo, Japan, June 23, 2020. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "GEISHA COVID-19" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.
Koiku, Maki, Ikuko and Mayu, who are geisha, perform a dance routine for Reuters, before they work at a party being hosted by customers at Asada, a luxury Japanese restaurant, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Tokyo, Japan, June 23, 2020. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "GEISHA COVID-19" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.
Koiku, who is a geisha, wears a protective face mask to pose for a photograph, before working at a party being hosted by customers, where she will entertain with other geisha, at Asada, a luxury Japanese restaurant, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Tokyo, Japan, June 23, 2020. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "GEISHA COVID-19" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.
Ikuko, who is a geisha, gets ready at her home to work at a party being hosted by customers at a restaurant, where she will be entertaining with other geisha, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Tokyo, Japan, June 23, 2020. "When you sit close, you can talk with feeling, your passion comes through", Ikuko said. "When you're two metres apart, conversation breaks down." REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "GEISHA COVID-19" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.
Old photographs of Ikuko that were taken after she moved to Tokyo in 1964, are seen at Ikuko's home in Tokyo, Japan, July 11, 2020. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY SEARCH "GEISHA COVID-19" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.
Ikuko, who is a geisha, wears an apron printed with Kumamon, a mascot created by the government of the Kumamoto Prefecture where she was born, before working at a party being hosted by customers, where she will entertain with other geisha at Asada, a luxury restaurant, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Tokyo, Japan, June 23, 2020. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "GEISHA COVID-19" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.
Maki and Ikuko, who are geisha, perform a dance routine for Reuters, as they wait for customers to arrive, who are hosting a party where they will be entertaining with other geisha, at Asada, a luxury Japanese restaurant, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Tokyo, Japan, June 23, 2020. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "GEISHA COVID-19" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.
Maki, Mayu, Koiku and Ikuko, who are geisha, wear protective face masks as they walk to a restaurant after attending a dance class, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Tokyo, Japan. July 13, 2020. Ikuko fears an extended pandemic could prompt some geisha to quit. "Now is the worst of the worst", she said. "How are we going to get through? It'll take all of our body and soul." REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "GEISHA COVID-19" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.
Shoichi Sanagashi, a kimono dresser, wears a protective face mask as he dresses Tokijyo Hanasaki, a jiutamai dancer, before Hanasaki is recorded dancing for a film supported by the Tokyo Metropolitan government in order to support artists during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, at a studio in Tokyo, Japan, June 29, 2020. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "GEISHA COVID-19" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.
Tokijyo Hanasaki, a jiutamai dancer, performs a dance routine for a film supported by the Tokyo Metropolitan government in order to support artists during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, at a studio in Tokyo, Japan, June 29, 2020. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "GEISHA COVID-19" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.
Mayu and Maki bow to Ikuko, who are all geisha, before making their way to work at a party being hosted by customers at a luxury restaurant, where they will be entertaining with other geisha, at Ikuko's home, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Tokyo, Japan, June 23, 2020. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "GEISHA COVID-19" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.
Mayu, a geisha, uses a tablet to film other geisha practising a dance routine during a dance class for geisha only, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Tokyo, Japan, July 13, 2020. "I was just full of anxiety", said Mayu. "I went through my photos, sorted my kimonos... The thought of a second wave is terrifying." REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "GEISHA COVID-19" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.
Koiku, who is a geisha, folds a traditional umbrella made out of oli paper, as she arrives at a restaurant where she will work at a party hosted by her customers, where she will entertain, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Tokyo, Japan, July 13, 2020. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "GEISHA COVID-19" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Figuras tradicionais na cultura japonesa, as gueixas também enfrentam as consequências da pandemia do novo coronavírus. A luta agora é para se adaptar a novas regras e ao distanciamento social e não deixar as tradições morrerem Coronavírus: por que os...

Figuras tradicionais na cultura japonesa, as gueixas também enfrentam as consequências da pandemia do novo coronavírus. A luta agora é para se adaptar a novas regras e ao distanciamento social e não deixar as tradições morrerem Coronavírus: por que os japoneses já usavam máscaras muito antes da covid-19

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