‘A system of slavery’: ex-geisha apprentice on the dark side of the Japanese tradition

When Kiyoha Kiritaka left Kyoto’s geisha district in 2016, she was escaping what she now calls “a system of slavery”, exposing a darker reality behind one of Japan’s most celebrated traditions. Kiritaka entered the geisha world as a teenager, drawn to its traditional arts. She practised Japanese dance, the shamisen (a Japanese stringed instrument) and the tea ceremony, hoping one day to become a fully fledged geisha. But after just over a year as a maiko – an apprentice geisha – she says she found herself trapped in what she describes as an “extremely abnormal world”. Her path began in junior high school. Aspiring to become a fashion model, she joined a talent agency and performed in underground idol groups and local shows. Her interests shifted after she discovered Japanese dance. Watching a master perform at a studio, she recalls being mesmerised by the fluidity of the movements – “an almost unbelievable smoothness, like something a real person wouldn’t do”, she says. In the spring of her final year of junior high school, a man approached her after a recital. “How about becoming a maiko?” asked the man, a regular customer of the geisha district. Initially hesitant, Kiritaka says financial difficulties at home made education uncertain. She decided to pursue the opportunity. Just before graduating, she joined an okiya, an agency that introduces geisha and maiko to clients, and began her training in February 2015. By November, she debuted as a maiko in Kyoto’s Pontocho district. Geisha districts are known for their historic streets and refined entertainment, where geisha and maiko perform at banquets, but Kiritaka says the reality was far removed from that image. As customers drank, she says, their behaviour often escalated into sexualised contact. Touching through openings in the kimono was treated as part of the atmosphere, and games at banquets frequently involved suggestive or physical interactions. She says there was an unspoken expectation that “girls who couldn’t do it would have to quit”. Kiritaka says she was subjected to repeated harassment, including having her kimono lifted and being touched on her lower body. She also describes being forcibly kissed by customers in taxis while travelling between venues. Despite this, she endured, telling herself that once she had become a maiko, there was “no going back”. A turning point came during a trip to a hot spring with customers, accompanied by other geiko – the term for a geisha in Kyoto – and maiko and a teahouse proprietress. Kiritaka says she had heard of a custom in which maiko and geiko bathe with customers. In the hotel room, she says, events unfolded in line with those fears. “There’s no way I can do this,” she recalls thinking. A senior geiko sensed her discomfort and injured herself by banging her head against a wall, bringing the situation to an end. “I thought that if something like this happened again, I wouldn’t be able to escape,” she says, deciding to quit. By then, more than a year had passed since she entered the okiya. She describes a life of near-daily banquets, late nights and only two days off per month. Restrictions on leaving the house and the demanding schedule left little time to reflect, she says. Hierarchy within the okiya was strict. Mistakes could result in slaps or objects being thrown, she says, leaving her with bruises. Verbal abuse was frequent. Kiritaka also describes being confined to a room for nearly eight hours without food, water or access to a toilet. “I was constantly restrained, my will wasn’t respected and I had no right to speak,” she says. “I lost track of who I was.” She left in July 2016. After quitting, she received a resident tax bill, despite having no recollection of earning a formal salary. During her time at the okiya, she says she received about 50,000 yen (US$310) a month in what was described as pocket money. For tax purposes, however, it appeared she had been recorded as receiving wages. She paid the bill without challenging it. Kiritaka says there had been no employment contract. Instead, the relationship was formalised through a traditional ritual, and she was instructed not to defy her superiors. When she sought to leave, she says, she was asked to repay 30 million yen, a sum she does not recall borrowing. When she refused, she says the proprietress suggested a patron who would pay the amount in exchange for a personal relationship. She resisted and was eventually allowed to leave without being shown a breakdown of the alleged debt. Similar complaints have surfaced in the past. In 1994, several maiko ran away from their okiya, citing long working hours and corporal punishment. They alleged being slapped, having personal correspondence opened and belongings discarded, and being unable to keep tips earned from customers. At a press conference, they said they feared for their lives if they remained. In June 2025, lawyers and academics established a network to examine issues surrounding maiko and geisha district culture, raising awareness of cases like Kiritaka’s and calling for reform. The Kyoto Traditional Musical Art Foundation, which oversees the city’s geisha districts, said in a written response that there were no formal contracts but that customs were explained in advance, with consent obtained from both the individual and their parents. It said mixed bathing with customers did not occur and that underage drinking was prohibited, adding that efforts were made to protect maiko from sexual harassment. Kiritaka and others dispute that account. She says she continues to receive consultations from current maiko reporting inappropriate touching by customers, including allegations of assault, pregnancy and abortion. Lawyers involved say elements of forced labour and human trafficking may apply, citing the level of control and lack of freedom described. Kiritaka spoke at the press conference announcing last year’s launch of the network to examine issues surrounding maiko and geisha district culture. “There are still many people suffering [from sexual abuse],” she said. “The wounds inflicted as a child never heal, no matter how many years pass.”

‘A system of slavery’: ex-geisha apprentice on the dark side of the Japanese tradition

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Kiyoha Kiritaka says she left Kyoto’s geisha world after experiencing sexual harassment, physical and verbal abuse, and more

Kiyoha Kiritaka says she left Kyoto’s geisha world after experiencing sexual harassment, physical and verbal abuse, and more