Monday 9 December 2013

Geisha Girls - Nippon Bunka Film co LTD

Found this box of film slides "Geisha Girls" - Nippon Bunka Film co LTD  from 1963.  The text is from the booklet insert. The slides are dated 1963 and the colour has faded despite a "Auto colour" adjustment in photoshop.  There are a few more boxes in this set so let me know if you have an interest in this type of archive materials.

Introduction text reads : 
Geisha are women who attend on guests at banquets or drinking parties, serving wine, keeping merry conversations with the guests and entertaining them with music and dance. Geisha meaning women in of arts or entertainers who add to amusement with their music and dance appeared first during the middle part of the 18th century. Discriminated from the yujo or courtesans who solve favour in the red light quarters they were known as machi geishas (entertainers of the town), and were strictly disciplined in their arts and good manners. They were called for to restaurants as well as to banquets held at private dwellings and added to the atmosphere of merriment with their gay appearance and behaviour. Their bright appearance still remains as it was in the feudal age, but recently they are gradually decreasing in number.

One.  To the guest house by rickshaw. 
Rickshaws which were popular in the late 19th to early 20th centuries have been replaced by motorcars but they are still now favoured by geisha girls. The unique attire of the rickshaw man also remains as it was in the good old days.

Two. About to enter the guesthouse. 
Called for by guests through the restaurant office gave geisha go the appointed place carrying requisites for entertainment.

Three. New Year. 
In the New Year déjà dressed even more brightly than ever. They universally dress their hair in traditional Japanese style and we are specially luxurious dresses which add to their charm.

Four. At the banquet. 
Geisha waiting on guests at a banquet, comfort them with their rich smart conversations and tender services.

Five. entertaining the guests with dance. 
When the guests begin to feel merry geisha girls entertain them with dance or simisen music and song.

Six. Salute to the guest.
Upon entering the room of their guests to geisha greets them politely and thank them for their favour.

Seven. Samisen geisha music instrument. 
The samisen is a musical instrument indispensable for the geisha. Her pose tuning the three strings and playing it on her knees is full of classical grace.

Eight. The Beautiful nape. 
Everything is beautiful with the geisha girl, but the most charming must be her nape seen below her black hair.

Nine. Prayers at a shrine  
Geisha are generally pious believers in a divine power. They frequently visit Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines and offer prayers to god whom they believe to be their tutelary deities.

Ten Dance exercise. 
Geisha girls study music and dance throughout the year and display their arts at e a theater at least once ever year.













And finally the box inserts showing the other pictures in this tourist series.




7 comments:

adsausage said...

Are you willing to sell the slides?

adsausage said...

Are you willing to sell the slides?

Gannett said...

They are my Dad's slides Not for sale just now.

Unknown said...

I have about 40 boxes of slides from my father's Army time in Japan 1955-1957. They are all different subjects Ikebana, Kabuki, Tea Ceremony. Puppets, Wrestling, Flower Arranging, and many different cities.

I am willing to sell if interested.

Gannett said...

Sure ping me an email with details & cost + location.

Daniel González said...

I found these slides in my house! They were hidden among many other family pictures. I guess a family member traveled to Japan back in the day :)

Daniel González said...

I found these slides in my house! They were hidden among many other family pictures :) I guess some family member went to japan back in the day.