The 1st Ever Angmoh Geisha in Japan
She is a doctor some more!. I wonder, if the cost to engaging her will be higher, since Japanese are also kind of idolizing angmoh stuff!. But, with the thick thick cosmetic on the face, we can’t really tell if she is a angmohor not…
An Australian woman has become the first non-Japanese geisha to debut since the ancient tradition began.
It took more than a year for Anthropologist Doctor Fiona Graham to be granted permission and another year in training but she has finally made history, becoming ‘Sayuki’.
The former Mount Waverley school girl is the first foreigner to enter the 400 year old sisterhood.
‘I am honoured and I also feel a huge weight of responsibility,’ Sayuki said.
Sayuki headed to her debut wearing a $21,000 kimono, dressed in silks and sashes and her face painted white.
‘The make-up takes me a long time because I am still working out what is most flattering,’ she said.
‘And because obviously I am white. The make-up wasn’t designed for white faces,’ she added.
Her interest in the culture and traditions started when she was just 15 on an exchange trip to Japan.
Sayuki now spends her days learning the geisha arts – bamboo flute is her specialty.
At night the geishas go to banquets and entertain customers.
Despite misconceptions, the geisha world has no link with prostitution. Geishas sell their skills as entertainers, not their bodies.
Ms Graham will earn about $315 for a two hour engagement, which includes serving food and sake to guests, entertaining, dance and music.
But classes can cost up to $1050 a month and the cost of a new kimono could pay for a car.
Ms Graham said she wants to explain the geisha world when she leaves, and will film her experiences over the next year.
It is certainly a long way from a Melbourne high school.
Source: Sky News
