Aoi Tayū never ceases to amaze me with her beautiful kimonos. In ancient Japan, highly ranked courtesans (oirans and tayū s) were basically traditional idols embodying the dream wife and the tastiest fashion trends. So they were wearing very flashy and sophisticated garments with up to 5 layers of kimonos. Tayū (太夫) are the highest class of traditional entertainer in Japan. Though technically the highest class of geisha, a general term for the highest-ranking entertainers, tayū were distinguished historically from other geisha by the quality of their intensive training from a young age in numerous traditional artforms, and that they lived and worked in Kyoto