Geisha (芸者) are traditional Japanese female entertainers who act as hostesses, performing various arts such as classical music, dance, games, and conversation, traditionally to entertain male customers.

After the imperial court moved the capital to Kyoto in 794 the conditions that would form Geisha culture began to emerge, as Kyoto became the home of a beauty-obsessed elite.

Serving girls sold sexual services, while others with a better education made a living by entertaining at high-class social gatherings.

Traditional Japan embraced sexual delights and men were not constrained to be faithful to their wives.

The ideal wife was a modest mother and manager of the home; by Confucian custom Love had secondary importance.

For sexual enjoyment and romantic attachment, men did not go to their wives, but to courtesans. It was traditional in the past for established geisha to take a patron, typically a wealthy man, sometimes married.

Women in the Geisha Society are some of the most successful businesswomen in Japan. In the Geisha society, women run everything.

The Geisha system was founded, to promote the independence and economic self-sufficiency of women. Becoming a Geisha was a way for women to support themselves without becoming a wife.

The secrets and sacrifices of the Geisha lifestyle