The first geisha were actually men!
Surprisingly, the first geisha were actually men. Known as the Taikomochi, these men, like their later female counterparts, were expert musicians, dancers and amusing story-tellers who liked to touch upon taboo subjects. This lesser-known tradition still exists but there are now only a handful of Taikomochi still working in Japan. <…>
Modern geisha still live in traditional houses known as okiya which are situated in areas called hanamachi or ‘flower towns.’ Even more alluring is the name given to the refined, high culture world that geishas live in - this is known as karyukai or ‘flower and willow world.’ <…>
The way of the geisha has been invaluable in keeping alive centuries-old traditions. Dance, music, literature and even dress codes have been handed down directly from generation to generation in an unbroken line for over 500 years and, as such, have remained authentic and relatively unchanged. Sadly, these ‘keepers of the arts’ are dwindling in numbers; only a handful of girls apply to become maikos each year now and even fewer make it all the way through training to become fully-fledged geishas.