Gion, the famous district of Kyoto, was originally developed in the Middle Ages, in front of Yasaka Shrine. it is still famous for the preservation of forms of traditional architecture and entertainment. The geisha in the Gion district (and Kyoto generally) does not refer to themselves as geisha; instead, Gion geisha use the local term geiko. While the term geisha means 'artist' or 'person of the arts', the more direct term geiko means essentially 'a child of the arts' or 'a woman of art'..