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Geisha and Courtesan: Role/Occupation
 The Bearers of Art and Culture
Both courtesans and geisha were highly trained in the arts, a fact that separated them from the common Japanese women. Especially in the Edo Period (1615-1867 A.D.), they were icons, sophisticated and representative of the latest in fashion and coiffure. As purveyors of art, their elite cultural practices included, although not exclusively, calligraphy, painting, ikebana, tea ceremony, dance, and musicianship with the shamisen. Because the cultivation of the arts represented the cultivation of the self, both courtesans and geisha were considered intellectually and spiritually refined.
The picture on the right depicts a woman engaging in ikebana, or flower-arranging.
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