History of Geishas
Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society
History Hit
4.8 • 1.6K Ratings
🗓️ 3 May 2024
⏱️ 44 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
What does it mean to be a geisha? How does someone become one? And how do they differ from sex workers?
The geisha world is famously very secretive and private, and taking us into it today is Lesley Downer, who spent years befriending geishas in research for her book Geisha: The Secret History of a Vanishing World.
This episode was edited by Tom Delargy and produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer is Charlotte Long.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello my lovely betwixters it's me Kate Lister and you are listening to betwixt the sheets and I'm so glad that you are I have loads of fun doing this and I'm glad that you are fun too but before any fun can continue, I have to warn you, this is an adult podcast spoken |
| 0:16.8 | by adults to other adults about adulty things in an adulty way covering a range of adult |
| 0:20.5 | subject I'd you should be an adult too. And now no one can write as |
| 0:25.4 | angry letters or get kk-k-k-k-k- because they heard something that they were |
| 0:28.3 | offended by because fair dues, you were warned. |
| 0:41.0 | Join me for an evening stroll betwixters through 18th century Kyoto. While we walk the cobbled streets of the so-called pleasure |
| 0:45.3 | quarter with lantern lighting our path geishas seem to glide by us in their beautiful |
| 0:51.2 | kimonos their stunning appearance from their immaculate dress to the elaborate |
| 0:56.8 | mask of makeup painted on their faces is frankly putting the rest of us to shame. |
| 1:01.6 | Not to mention their exquisite skills in music, dance, |
| 1:06.8 | conversation. It's no wonder that these women are in hot demand from those who can afford |
| 1:11.8 | them, which is not us by the way, we're just going to have to make do with each other. |
| 1:15.8 | But what does it take to become a geysha? |
| 1:18.9 | What is their history? |
| 1:20.1 | Well, I am ready to find out if you are. |
| 1:23.0 | Camonos at the ready betwixters, let's do this. |
| 1:29.0 | What do you look for me, |
| 1:32.0 | Oh, money money of course. You're supposed to rise when an adult speaks to you. |
| 1:36.0 | I make perfect copies of whatever my boss needs by just turning a knob and pushing the button. |
| 1:42.0 | You're right! Now! enough and pushing the button. He or right. |
| 1:44.0 | Now! |
| 1:45.0 | Yeah! |
... |
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