About Geisha

Filed under: offshore

If we split the word Geisha into two, we find that it has a real meaning. So, gei means art and sha means in japanese person. If we put the two separate words together we obtain the “translated” word artist. Many prostitutes of those days co-opted the name and the attire of the geisha, but prostitutes were selling their body for few money. On the other hand, geisha were entertaining the audience.

Another way to distinguish these two different things is the look or the appearance. Prostitutes wear the bow of their sash, or obi, in front of their kimono, but geisha wear their obi at the back. True geisha usually had the luxury of a professional aide to help them in the difficult process of dressing; their clothing is made up of several layers of kimono and undergarments, and an obi is more than a simple band of cloth. Dressing could take over an hour, even with professional help. Prostitutes, however, had to take off their obi several times a day, so theirs were far less complex, and tied at the front for ease of removal and replacement.

A true geisha always wears a kimono. After the colors of the kimono and after the we can tell the age of the geisha and her statute. The make-up, the dress and the hairstyle are absolutely lovely. Even years had passed, geisha style is still prospering although it suffered many modifications.

I’ve seen recently a movie about the confessions of a real geisha, Memoirs of a Geisha, which I liked very much, even the end was quite unexpected.

More details about their unusual cloths and about their dressing style in the following article.

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.