Kyoto: The Spirit of Japan

       Kyoto was the capital of Japan for over 1000 years, and is home to a major urban-industrial region. Kyoto literally means "capital city". From 794-1868, Kyoto was the site of the imperial family's residence, giving it it's historical importance. This city has always been a major Kabuki supporter, and still is today. Geisha's have been playing Kabuki for centuries, dancing and playing shamisen. The Kyoto district has been producing famous Geisha's since the 600's. By the pictures I've shown, you can easily see the beauty that Kyoto has to offer.

Source:  Dougill, John. Kyoto: a Cultural History. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2006. Print

Timeline of Geisha's: 600's-Present

• 600s- Saburuko (servant girls), mostly wandering girls who need money, sold sex services, others entertained at high class social gatherings
• 794- Kyoto began to form beauty-obsessed culture, where Shirabyōshi (female dancers) thrived.
• 1617- Prostitution illegal, created pleasure quarters instead where yūjo (play women) women were licensed, beginning of kabuki theater
• 1680s- odoriko (dancing girls) very popular paid entertainers for upper-class samurai, though many still in prostitution
• 1750- First woman to called geisha- Kikuyu- a skilled prostitute that played shamisen and sang
• 1760s-1770s- Geisha's very popular
• 1800- Geisha became an occupation
• 1830s- Geisha style very fashionable, some stopped only sold art, others still prostitution along with dance and music
• 1944- WWII, all things in the geisha world shut down, people put into factories.
• 1945- Allowed to reopen, some followed western tradition and others stayed true to their culture 
• 1959- Maiko's (apprentice Geisha) virginity auctions declared illegal
• 1960s-1970s- Japan undergoing post feudal- modern society

Source:

Encyclopedia Britannica. Chicago, IL: Encyclopedia Britannica, 2002. Print.

Geisha makeup??

Geisha Lips

Anyone who is familiar with a Geisha knows the original, hand painted face makeup they always wear. Well defined brows, white china doll face, and beautiful red lips. Simple, but elegant, and always the same. 

But some myths have come about since the meeting between the westerners and the easterners. The white facial powder, called Oshiroi, was believed to be made from the poop of Gooses.
Really, guys? Really?

Well, as you can tell, that is obviously just a myth. Some people used Nightingale poop for facial cleansers way back in the day, but now that is not a common practice. The Oshiroi was made from either lead (poisonous), mercury (horrible), sticky rice, or millet. For awhile, zinc was used until titanium dioxide was introduced in 1923. Lead is a bad no-no, and has been banned for quite a while now.
Source.
"Same as Modern Cosmetics?" Japan-Guide.com. Airline Tickets. Web. 1 May 2011. <http://www.japan-guide.com/forum/quereadisplay.html?0+7101>.

Wanna see how the process is done? Watch below. :D

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/>.