Introduction

I always remember the sunset over the pavalion by the river. So tipsy, we could not find our way home. Our interest exhausted, the evening late, we tried to turn the boat homeward. By mistake, we entered deep within the lotus bed. Row! Row the boat! A flock of herons, frightened, suddenly flew skyward.Li Qingzhao

Four years ago I was a curator Asian art in a Dutch museum and organized an exhibition called 'Princesses and Mistresses. The Female Image in Asia.' It was during my research that I stumbled upon the poems and tales of Chinese and Korean courtesans. Proud and educated women, their voices spoke to me through time. Sadly, though Geisha are famous all over the world the skilled and glorious courtesans pre-dating the geisha remain forgotten.

In fact, the origin of the now so famous Japanese Geisha came from a country across the sea; the mainland of China. It was here that a culture of courtesans developed in which arts were praised above beauty. Here a unique class of educated women evolved, often they were the only females allowed to have an education. This culture reached Korea, resulting in the development of the skilled Kisaeng, and later it reached Japan, resulting in the Tayu- the stars of the Japanese floating world one can still admire on the famous ukiyo-e prints.

In this blog I aim to lift the dusty veil covering the histories of the Chinese, Korean and Japanese courtesans from which the geisha developed.