Geisha - Female Dominance in Geisha Society

Female Dominance in Geisha Society

"The biggest industry in Japan is not shipbuilding, producing cultured pearls, or manufacturing transistor radios or cameras. It is entertainment." —Boye De Mente, Some Prefer Geisha

The term geisha literally translates to mean "entertainer". Some prostitutes refer to themselves as "geisha", but they are not. A geisha's sex and love life is usually distinct from her professional life. A successful geisha can entrance her male customers with music, dance, and conversation.

"Geishas are not submissive and subservient, but in fact they are some of the most financially and emotionally successful and strongest women in Japan, and traditionally have been so." —Iwasaki Mineko, Geisha, A Life

Geisha learn the traditional skills of dance and instruments and hold high social status. Geisha are single women, though they may have lovers or boyfriends whom they have personally picked, who support them financially.

"There is currently no western equivalent for a geisha—they are truly the most impeccable form of Japanese art." —Kenneth Champeon, The Floating World

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