The geishas from yesterday to today

The history of geisha dates back to the 13th century. In Kyoto , the entertainers invited to entertain the emperor were men wearing white powder makeup. Later, this discipline was exercised by women until they became the so-called “geishas” in the seventeenth century.

They could be seen in tearooms and ryokan (traditional Japanese accommodation where short-term visitors were welcomed) where they performed their artistic activities or prostituted themselves to wealthy clients. The virginity of a geisha was a commodity that could be bought at a high price!

The golden age of geisha was during the 19th and 20th centuries: tens of thousands of geisha practiced their trade in Japan and, in particular, in Kyoto, in the Gion district. At the forefront of fashion and very popular, this business was the most profitable of the time.

The Second World War marked the end of the okiya , which are shelters that house geishas during the development of their work. The geisha were subsequently able to resume their activities, but few returned to work. The government hit the geisha market in the 1950s by prohibiting girls from leaving school before the age of 16.

Today, there are still a few geisha, but the number is negligible compared to a century ago. The tradition continues and in fact there is a fashion that has developed around art in recent years.