Japan: Two 'geiko' at Kyoto's Gion Temple, 1903. Inset 'Cooling at Shijyo-Kawara, Kyoto'.

The Gion Temple (Gion Shrine) is now known as Yasaka Jinja.

Gion is a district of Kyoto, Japan, originally developed in the Middle Ages, in front of Yasaka Shrine. The district was built to accommodate the needs of travelers and visitors to the shrine. It eventually evolved to become one of the most exclusive and well-known geisha districts in all of Japan. The geisha in the Gion district do not refer to themselves as geisha; instead, Gion geisha use the local term geiko. While the term geisha means 'artist' or 'person of the arts', the more direct term geiko means essentially 'a child of the arts' or 'a woman of art'.

Despite the considerable decline in the number of geisha in Gion in the last one hundred years, it is still famous for the preservation of forms of traditional architecture and entertainment. Part of this district has been declared a national historical preservation district. Recently, the City of Kyoto completed a project to restore the streets of Gion, which included such plans as moving all overhead utilities underground as part of the ongoing effort to preserve the original beauty of Gion.

There is a popular misconception that Gion was a red-light district. It was a geisha district, and as geisha are entertainers, not prostitutes, Gion is not, and never was, a red-light district. Shimabara was Kyoto's red-light district.

Copyright:

Supplier: CPA Media Co. Ltd.

Credit:

Pictures From History

Theme:

Japanese Art