Geisha Expert

Peter MacIntosh is a Geisha Expert. He is one of the few (if not only) foreigners to have such exclusive access to the geisha world. He has a unique perspective in this world as a foreign male, fellow partioner of the arts, customer, friend of geisha for over 10 years.

Peter at his first meeting with a maiko.

From humble beginnings being introduced to the world of geisha by a chance encounter with a geisha customer who soon became a friend, Peter has become the leading expert on geisha. He doesn't just live in the same town as them, but he lives in their world- The Flower and Willow World. Since he moved to Japan he has studied the traditional arts, such as calligraphy, flower arrangement, Japanese dance and Geisha song. With a deep understanding of the arts the geisha also practice, he is in a position to truely understand their lives and work.

Peter cutting the hair of Umechika at her dampatsu-shiki.

Through the friends he has made in Kyoto, he has been in a unique position to bring geisha to the world. He has translated books about the hairstyles of the maiko into English, and has been an interpreter for the geisha for countless interviews and television programs. He has been interviewed for many Documentaries on Geisha, such as "The Secret Lives of Geisha" and "Geisha, the Twilight of Flowers". In June 2004 he became the first non-Japanese to take maiko and geiko abroad without the help of a Japanese intermediatry, and has continued to take them abroad for culture events in America and Europe.

He has lectured about geisha at many universities and events and has helped several university students write thesis. Recently he has been appearing on Japanese TV, teaching Japanese people about geisha culture on such programs as "Eigo de Shaberi NAITO" and "Naru Tomo".