Oooh, pretty.

Geisha in traditional clothing.

Where the HELL did they come from, Caity?

Well, my sweet little implicated adherent bookworm, I will tell you. Geisha's appeared in the 600's. Some of these young geisha sold sex services, while others became entertainers for high-class meetings. After the imperial court moved to Kyoto, Japan in 794, it became a perfect breeding grounds for these soon-to-be Geisha's. The country became a beauty-obsessed elite. Skilled female performers thrived. Soon, sexual services from Geisha's became outlawed, and became a purely business transaction between the performer and client. Geisha's became sold for their beauty, not for sexual favors.  
 The tradition has continued on to present day, however, there are only a few still in practice in Japan today.


Source.
"Question On Japanese Geisha. Do They Still Exist Today And Where In The United States?? - Yahoo! Answers." Yahoo! Answers - Home. Web. 01 May 2011. <http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080327201628AAU9k3z>.

Movies you must see: Memoirs of a Geisha

I'm sure a lot of you have heard about this movie, written based off the book Memoirs of Geisha by Arthur Golden, which came out in 2005. The movie/book is basically about a girl from a poor fishing village whose parents pass away, which leads to her being sold into the Geisha business, and becomes a famous and most prized Geisha. The time is during the 1950's, after post World War II, while Americans were occupying Japan. Many eager soldiers came to the Geisha for sex, which is where the westerners got the idea of Geisha's being prostitutes. This is one of the many very interesting (and true) facts in the book.
     Being one of my favorite movies/books, I thought I'd give you a little perspective on it. Arthur Golden actually based this fiction book off of Mineko Iwasaki's book. (I had originally read Memoirs first, and while reading Geisha, A Life, It seemed eerily similar. I come to find they actually were matched closely.)
     It's worth your time to read or watch the movie, so I suggest you get off your ass and do it. (:

Source:
"Memoirs of a Geisha (2005) - IMDb." The Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Web. 01 May 2011. <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0397535/>.

Geisha, A Life

~A Review~
Geisha, A Life by: Mineko Iwasaki
       This nonfiction book written by a famous Geiko (Geisha) of her time wrote this story to show the legacy and steps it takes in order to become a Geisha. The book is full of hardship, pain, but over all glory. Mineko is a stubborn, shy girl, and always has been. Born in Kyoto, Japan, Mineko had over 9 brothers and sisters and two parents. Once chosen to become a Geisha, she left to live in her "Big Sister's" home until her apperance as a full-fledged Geisha. This story is very personal and tells a hard story of what it's like to become famous in her country.
        If you'd like to read my informational essay, a further look into this book, it will be in the following link: Book Report!

Source:
Iwasaki, Mineko, and Rande Brown. Ouchi. Geisha: a Life. New York: Atria, 2002. Print.

Hello!

My name's Caity Minard, and the focus of this blog is all things Geisha. Geisha's are women of art, raised on a strict regimen of music, dance, and manners. Geishas are precious entertainers, not street women like many people believe. Geishas were most famous in the 1950s to the 1970s in Japan, shortly after World War II. Many people from Western countries came to visit these beautiful dancers, which gave tons of fame to these women. The tradition of Geishas are not as popular as they were, but the memory will be there forever. I'm hoping by creating this blog, I may further hold this memory for generations to come.

Welcome to my world. :D