Geisha & Maiko of Kyoto: Beauty, Art, and Dance: Beauty, Art, & Dance

John Paul Foster is one of the few (if not only?) Western photographers who has managed to build a good reputation for himself inside Kyoto's notoriously closed geisha world. If you read his blog you can get a good sense of his personality, with the respect for the women and the 'society' clearly filtering through his work'. Part of the reason why he has managed to do what no others haven't (i.e. build a good relationship with the geisha world as an 'outsider') is down to his politeness, respect and willingness to invest time and energy and not necessarily expecting anything in return, and constantly thankful and grateful for opportunities that are offered to him.This respect and patience investing in relationships over many years has allowed this unique book to be published. I say 'unique' as I know of no other book where a variety of Maiko and Geiko are given a clear voice in a Q&A format. The closest thing is 'A Geisha's Journey' but that focuses on one maiko/geiko only and her overall journey from maiko to geiko, rather than particularly on the arts of dancing and performance. (I also highly recommend a GEisha's Journey for the gorgeous photos and personal look at the life of a maiko and transitioning to geiko.)The book is a good size, and printed extremely well on heavy glossy paper (imagine a deluxe magazine with excellent binding). I admit the design/graphics of the book does look a bit amateur and outdated, and a cleaner presentation style would be beneficial (sometimes pictures are overlapping and you feel there is often odd wasted white space which doesn't add anything aesthetic). This is the one (only!) thing that could be updated/changed about the book, but I'd leave everything else exactly as it is.The book starts by giving a brief overview of maiko and geiko, and the annual dance performances each group puts on. Foster focuses on women from Gion Kobu and Miyagawa-Cho only in this book, so there are no photographs of women/performances from the other geisha hanamachi.This pictures throughout the book are a mixture of posed photoshoots, as well as dance performance photographs of the four geiko and maiko who feature in this book. Each of the four gets their own chapter, where Foster asks a Q&A around the dances they have performed, as well as some more personal questions about their daily life and why they chose to become a geiko. The questions to each woman are broadly the same, and the direct speech of the women printed as they would have said it (give or take some translation) is so refreshing. To 'hear' their actual voices, not obfuscated by a third party changing their text from speech to prose is something that is very rare and makes me wish it was done more.Throughout the book, the amazing thing is you can tell Foster really cares about these women, in the sense that the relationships he has with them are genuinely important to him (not just for financial benefit on his part). I wouldn't go as far to say they are 'friends', but there is certainly a mutual respect you can feel between the women and Foster. He enjoys learning about their lives and their work, and isn't the type of photographer that just hires a geisha for some pictures without having a conversation, or worst, the type that stalk maiko/geikos in the streets like paparazzi. Foster explains how he met the particular women he's selected for this book at the start of each chapter, and in the introduction talks about how he built up his reputation over many years.There is also a chapter where he interviews the owner of an ochaya (tea house/restaurant), which gives a really interesting perspective not frequently shown in these types of books, and provides for some old black and white photographs from the early 20th century which add another level of diversity and depth to the book.The final chapter is another treat - it chronicles one of the maiko in the book's transformation into a geisha (erikae) which provides for some more stunning photographs and another insightful Q&A.Overall, any lover of geiko/maiko or even Japanese culture should enjoy this book. Yes the design isn't perfect but the content (photography, text, and information) is top quality and Foster's writing really conveys a level of feeling, making the book a lot more personable than if it had been written in a third person tone by a generic narrator.As an aside, I also own both of Foster's other books on maiko/geiko. 100 views of maiko I would also highly recommend for it's photographs of maiko/geiko walking the streets during night and day, which provide a sense of authenticity that photoshoots don't have. Now a Geisha is also worth getting, though oddly it feels a bit less personal than this book, as the Q&A format here provides the women with a real voice, whereas in now a geisha you simply get snippets of quotes interspersed which feels a bit detached. If you only want a cleanly designed book with street photography and a variety of maiko/geiko buy 100 views. However if you want to learn more about the geisha world and about the women themselves, this is the clear the winner.

I have such a interest in this subject, and have found it difficult to obtain such a amazing book.Lavish photos,wonderful writing. If there is ever a book that you wish to know about the ''flower world''and the beauty of the Geisha & Maiko ,this is the book. Highly recommended.

Beautiful book about the Geisha!Extra information in English!Worth buying!