Ruben Vicente & João Maia | Hidden Gion

Here's a lovely multimedia piece (in video form) of photographs by Ruben Vicente and João Maia of the famous Gion neighborhood.

Gion is a district of Kyoto, Japan, originally developed in the Middle Ages, and built to accommodate the needs of travelers. 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 (and Kyoto generally) 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".

I read that Gion's structures boast wooden lattice windows made of thin wooden beams in a grid pattern to create a lace effect, and its streets are lined with stores selling traditional Kyoto crafts, such as 'kanzashi' (ornamental hairpins), incense and kimono accessories.

Ruben Vicente is travel photographer based in Lisbon who, apart from loving photography, is a senior programmer in the telecom industry. João Maia is a part-time freelance photographer in Lisbon specializing in landscape, nature and travel. He is also a software architect with a major Japanese company.

Arif Iqball | Maiko & Geiko

Photo © Arif Iqball. All Rights Reserved

The work of Arif Iqball was recently featured in Burn Magazine, and showcased a photographic essay on the traditional Geishas in Kyoto. Arif is well qualified to document this often misunderstood and mischaracterized tradition as he completed a Masters Degree in Japanese Studies with an interest in Japanese Literature and the visual aesthetic of old Japanese movies.

Exploring Arif's own website revealed a lovely monochromatic photo essay on these Geishas; more accurately referred to as Maiko and Geiko. In his words, they are women who are living art as well as the pinnacle of Japanese eloquence, good manners, style and elegance and are highly respected in Japanese society as artists.

A Maiko is an apprentice geisha in western Japan, especially Kyoto. Their jobs consist of performing songs, dances, and playing the shamisen (three-stringed Japanese instrument) for visitors. Maiko are usually aged 15 to 20 years old and become geisha after learning how to dance, play the shamisen, and learning the dialect of Kyoto. A Geiko is another name for geisha, and usually used refers to geishas from western Japan, which includes Kyoto.

Arif is an avid travel photographer, who is attracted to traditions and artists who are fading away in this modern world. When completed, his interim work on the Geiko and Maiko in Kyoto will be presented both as a book, and as an exhibit.

His Japan related photographs have appeared in the Washington Post, Lonely Planet, and in children books.

Miehina the Kyoto Geisha

This is an extremely well made short documentary of a day in the life of a Geisha in Kyoto. It's by Glen Milner, a London based documentary and commercial director, who produced a number of U.K / U.S broadcast films. His work includes ongoing Video-Journalism for Telegraph.co.uk and camera work on feature films.

(I'm technically on holidays, so I'll upload just quick and short posts for a few days)