World War II Demolished the Geisha Districts
Before World War II, there were roughly 80,000 geishas working in Japan. As Japan fought its war across Asia and against Allied forces during WWII, tea houses shut down and okiya closed as the nation struggled to provide basic needs, much less luxurious extravagance. Geisha districts closed down, many never reopened.
Geisha who trained their whole life in the performing arts and entertainment sector had to stow their kimono for the duration of the war. They left their okiya to take on labor jobs. They flocked to factories for stable work to support themselves with a steady income, despite the vastly different conditions and skills they had to use. Even after the war, many geisha stayed at their factory jobs for the steady, stable pay. Some never went back to geisha life.
