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35°00′13″N 135°46′30″E / 35.003496°N 135.775051°E
Gion (祇園)[a] is a district of Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto, Japan, originating as an entertainment district in the Sengoku period, in front of Yasaka Shrine (Gion Shrine). The district was built to accommodate the needs of travellers and visitors to the shrine. It eventually evolved to become one of the most exclusive and well-known geisha districts in all of Japan. Gion is the Japanese translation (via Chinese Qiyuan) of the Buddhist term Jetavana.[1][2] Yasaka Shrine, located in this district is the center of the Gion faith.[3]
The geisha in Kyoto do not refer to themselves as geisha, instead using the local term 'geiko'. While the term geisha means "artist" or "person of the arts", the more direct term geiko means essentially "a woman of art".
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- ^ "Jetavana Monastery". Nichiren Buddhism Library. Soka Gakkai. Retrieved 2021-08-24.
- ^ Muller, Charles (2010). "祇園精舍". Digital Dictionary of Buddhism. Retrieved 2021-08-24.
- ^ kyotokankoyagi (2021-01-06). "Gozu Tenno and Yasaka shrine: The Deity is still alive in the fear of COVID-19 牛頭天王英語で説明". ヤギの京都観光案内/KYOTO GOAT BLOG (in Japanese). Retrieved 2022-06-16.