Geisha

What is a Japanese Geisha? Japanese Geisha are female entertainers like strippers in Western culture. Japanese Geisha performs for the nobility and concubines to the emperor.

Young girls were sold into the geisha life by their families until the mid-20th century and were often subject to the ritual of 'mizu-age,' whereby their virginity was sold to the highest bidder. Such practices were eradicated after World War II and the geisha profession went into a steady decline. Today, if Japanese Geisha are hired to entertain at a private party outside the upper echelons of society, they are most likely to be seasoned veterans, more akin to your favorite aunt or even grandmother than the girl next door.