Geisha : The Traditional Japanese Ideal of Beauty

Geishas are one of the things i'm interesting, to those of us raised in jeans and T-shirts, the world of geisha (or geiko in Kyoto)- with their elaborated hairstyles, white-painted skin, and heavy silk kimonos- is almost incomprehensible.

"Geisha must train themselves in various traditional arts such as classical dancing, playing the Shamisen, and several styles of singing in the hanamachi (geisha community.)" http://marian.creighton.edu/~marian-w/academics/english/japan/geisha/geisharole.html

They embody the traditional Japanese ideal of beauty and provide amusement to paying customers.

I been reading about geishas since i was 16, their culture and the traditional skills they have to learned when they are trained.By the early eighteenth century, geisha had so established themselves that they gained a registry office."The total number of geisha in the 1920's was 80,000, but today the number of geisha has dropped to 10,000 due to the westernizing of Japanese culture." http://marian.creighton.edu/~marian-w/academics/english/japan/geisha/whatgeisha.html. Geisha in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries supported a whole economy of servants and dressers.Although they earn their pay from performing for men, geisha live within a matriarchal environment. An okasan (mother) manages each okiya (geisha house), running the household and serving as a sort of agent to the geisha. Geisha today are respected for preserving Japanese traditions and culture rether than for being on the cutting edge of fashion. They still have to attend banquets and parties.Also they're still expected to know traditional dances, songs, know how to play musical instruments and master the etiquette of the highly complex tea ceremony.