A Geisha (祇園囃子, Gion bayashi) is a 1953 Japanese film directed by Kenji Mizoguchi. It stars Michiyo Kogure as Miyoharu, the eponymous geisha. Kenji Mizoguchi (æºå£ å¥äº Mizoguchi Kenji; May 16, 1898 â August 24, 1956) was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. ... August 12 is the 224th day of the year (225th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1953 (MCMLIII) is a common year starting on Thursday. ... Kenji Mizoguchi (æºå£ å¥äº Mizoguchi Kenji; May 16, 1898 â August 24, 1956) was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. ... Women dressed as maiko (apprentice geisha) in Kyoto, Japan Characters for Geisha, lit. ...
In fact, geisha are performers who are skilled in many traditionalJapanese arts including nihon-buyoh (Japanese dance), music (singing accompanied by the three stringed instrument, the shamisen), sadoh (tea ceremony), ikebana (flower arrangement), shodoh (calligraphy), poetry, the art of kimono, etiquette, conversation and social graces.
Geisha therefore became an integral part of business entertainment by serving as gracious hosts at the many ryokan (inns), ryotei (restaurants) and o-chaya (teahouses) where banquet facilities were rented for this purpose.
Geisha belong to a well established association which is committed to upholding tradition and sponsors a test which maiko must pass before being promoted to the status of geisha.
The word geisha itself literally means 'person of the arts' - indeed the earliest geisha were men - and it is as performers of dance, music and poetry that they actually spend most of their working time.
Geisha have their roots in female entertainers such as the Saburuko of the 7th century and the Shirabyoshi, who emerged around the early 13th century.
Young girls were sold into the geisha life by their families until the mid-20th century and were often subject to the ritual of 'mizu-age,' whereby their virginity was sold to the highest bidder.