We know what the original, traditional geishas looked like thanks to old scrolls and prints, as well as through the words of the poet Ihara Saikaku, one of the most prominent figures of the 17th-century revival of Japanese literature.

原始的传统艺伎形象归功于旧式卷轴和版画，以及诗人井原西鹤的言辞，井原西鹤是17世纪日本文学复兴中最杰出的人物之一 。