Danielle Kearney- Geisha 4/15/11

In 1929, a underprivileged child named Chiyo, from a fishing village was sold to a geisha house in Kyoto’s Gion district. She was enslaved and abused by the older geisha of the house, Hatsumomo, because of her stunning beauty. Eventually, Hatsumomo’s rival took Chiyo under her guidance paying for her artistic and social classes. The Geisha perform dances at teahouses for wealthy men, in addition to conducting seasonal plays. It’s such a unique society compared to the one that we live in today. These women are idolized in their culture and work so hard to become the flirts of parties. They could be compared to rich slaves. As children they work for their houses’ following all orders; they then go to school for hours to learn how to impress men. Finally they are sold for their virginity. Later they are sold again to another man who wants to be their danna; where the women become mistresses and receive beautiful jewelry. They women are ranked in their society according to their beauty, dance, music and social skills.