In the courtyard.

There are rows of chairs.

Ordinary guests can place their sign here and participate in the subsequent bidding.

What Inagawa Yutaka received was a VIP invitation letter, which was an independent private room on the second floor.

There is another door opening towards the inner courtyard, where distinguished guests can clearly see the performance hall downstairs.

Overall, it's a bit like some of the big theaters in China.

at this time.

The auction has not started yet.

The organizer obviously knew how to heighten the atmosphere and arranged some performances for guests to enjoy.

Several geishas were on the stage, wearing luxurious geisha costumes and heavy makeup, playing the flute and the pipa, accompanied by harps and chords, performing Japanese classical music.

A geisha in a bright red kimono was performing superb dancing skills in the middle, performing various difficult moves from time to time while performing amazing tricks with the paper fan in her hand.

Geishas are not just ordinary ladies.

He has learned various skills, dance, music, tea art, painting, etc. since he was a child, and used them to perform for the upper class.

And if you only know how to perform, you are not a geisha, but just the beginning of geisha.

A true geisha is the highest honor for artistic skills.

Not only do you need to be proficient in various singing and dancing instruments, but you also need to understand Japanese culture and history, and you even need to be familiar with international news and gossip.

During the long-term development and training of geishas, ​​they must also learn how to cater to the guests' preferences, be good at observing words and expressions, understand the guests' thoughts, and maintain the dignity and face of the guests.

In short, it is to use art to provide customers with satisfactory service and complete relaxation, and to allow customers to not only enjoy Japanese traditional culture, but also relax their tired body and mind and smile.

In terms of identity and social status, geisha are closer to the Qing husbands of the Tang Dynasty, performing arts rather than selling themselves.

The previous identities of Aso Orizuki and Shinkawa Masako were also geishas.

Of course, whether this is an artist or not depends on the situation.

Just like in ancient times, Japanese daimyo would train geishas and, when needed, give them to people who needed to be won over to maintain relationships with each other.

During World War II, Japanese consortiums also gave carefully trained geisha to foreigners to obtain some resources.

It is actually true to say that geishas are beautiful women.

Because the origin of geisha is based on the heyday of male dominance, women who can become geisha are extremely understanding of men's thoughts. Not only are they beautiful, have excellent figures, are proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting, they can also read men's eyes and understand them.

Thoughts.

Therefore, the cost of finding a geisha for entertainment is very high, and it is simply not within the reach of the ordinary middle class.

In particular, young and beautiful high-level geishas are worth much more, and ordinary people, even the middle class, and corporate executives dare not care about them.

In Kyoto, the cost of having a geisha accompany you for one hour is US$500 per guest. If you go with several people and it lasts more than two hours, the cost is about US$3,000 to US$4,000.

The economy has been bad in the past few years, and ordinary people are burdened with bank debts that they will never pay back in their lifetimes. How can they dare to participate in this kind of consumption?

Sentiment also needs money to cultivate.

Of course, the cost of training a geisha is also very high. A hand-sewn kimono costs US$15,000.

The things that a geisha needs to learn from a young age are nutritious and comprehensive foods, and they need to understand the various skills that the upper class is exposed to. When a geisha grows up, a million dollars may not be enough to become a qualified geisha.

live.

It is precisely because of this that ordinary people have no access to geisha performances.

There is no way, the consumption is too high.

According to some people's thinking, if you go to Shibuya for a few thousand dollars and spend a lot of money on a girl, you can spend it many times.

But in the past two years, major companies have gone bankrupt, bosses have jumped off buildings, and countless former high-rollers packed up their bags and divorced their wives and went to the park. Who has any money left to spend?

It is precisely for this reason that there are currently only about two hundred geishas in Kyoto, and public performances can only be seen on some particularly top-notch occasions.

Different from popular music on the market.

The melodies performed by geishas have a classical flavor, which is dignified, elegant, and simple. They are not about pleasing men with their sexual bodies.

Not only can't you see any exposed skin, you can't even see their true appearance.

However, most people cannot appreciate this kind of skill.

Shen Jiannan also doesn't appreciate them, but as Romans do, the entire upper class in Japan favors geishas, ​​so even if they don't appreciate them, they won't feel irritated.

On the other hand, Inagawa Yutaka was fascinated by it, and seemed to be immersed in the classical rhythm and the geisha's flexible dance.

When the geisha on the stage performs a special trick, this guy will even applaud.

Soon, the geisha performance on the stage came to an end.

As the actress hosting the event made a speech, a middle-aged man wearing a traditional samurai uniform walked onto the high platform.

The crowd below became commotion, and the whispering was completely different from the silence just now, because this person was about to perform the stunt of cutting bullets with a knife.

Shen Jiannan was also very interested in this. A knife can cut bullets, which is something only seen in movies.

I just heard the host announce this person’s name, Yagyu Kurato. This surname inevitably reminds people of Yagyu Jubei and Yagyu Itken, the villains who often appear in movies.

At this moment, the following was ready.

Yagyu Hidden Sword held the handle of the sword and stood alone on the stage. A man below pointed a pistol at him.

The entire hall became silent.

The knife splitting the bullet is just crazy.

Shen Jiannan was also watching intently, some not believing that a knife could really cut through a bullet. You know, the bullets of even the most broken guns can shoot at a speed of more than three hundred meters per second. At a distance of thirty meters, the human eye can't see it at 0.01 seconds.

It's impossible to catch it, let alone break the bullet with a knife.

The red high platform has a large wooden board behind it to prove the authenticity of the following performance.

Below, Yagyu Zangtou nodded towards the man holding the gun, like a big cat standing bent over, his eyes became extremely solemn.

boom!

Gunfire rang out.

Then, everyone present saw Yagyu hiding his sword, and there were two bullets embedded in the wooden board behind him.

too fast.

Whether it was the trajectory of the bullet or the moment when Yagyu drew his sword, most people did not see it.

When he saw it again, he realized that he had already put the knife into its sheath.

Shen Jiannan narrowed his eyes slightly and said to Tang Dunhou: "Monkey, did you see how he drew the sword?"

Tang Dunhou was also stunned. He didn't expect that there was such a terrifying sword skill in the world. He shook his head and said, "I saw it, but if he cuts me, I can't hide away at all."

Yutaka Inagawa could understand Chinese and interjected: "Yagyu-kun is a direct bloodline of the Yagyu family. It is said that he is a fusion of Shinin-ryu and Iaido. He practiced swordsmanship at the age of five. He swung his sword a thousand times a day and drew his sword a thousand times.

After decades of hard training, a normal person would definitely not be able to avoid his sword draw."

Tang Dunhou didn't speak Japanese, but he could understand it now. He said with some disbelief: "How can he support his family by practicing swordplay every day?"

Inagawa Yutaka shook his head and said: "I don't know about this. But the ancestor of the Yagyu family was the swordsmanship instructor of the Tokugawa family. The Tokugawa family allowed him to come here to perform. The relationship between the two families must be very unusual. With the Tokugawa family,

With his family's support, Yagyu will definitely not be short of money, and he also has many disciples, and the gym alone has an annual income of hundreds of millions of yen."

Is there such a person still alive these days?

Martial arts!

Sticking to one thing for decades is something only a few people can do.

Shen Jiannan found it very interesting and glanced at the Yagyu Hidden Sword below, appreciating and respecting this man's will.

At this time, Yagyu Zangtou walked off the stage amidst applause and was about to leave. Sensing Shen Jiannan's gaze, he raised his head and glanced up.

Shen Jiannan smiled back as a courtesy.

Yagyu Zangtou nodded in return and strode away on his wooden clogs.

It didn't take long.

After cleaning up on the stage, actress Nakamoto Kuriko took the microphone and gave the opening speech of the auction: "Dear guests, on behalf of the organizer, I warmly welcome you all to participate in this auction..."

"The first auction item is a famous sword from the shogunate era. This sword is called Kurofeng. According to the appraisal by our company's appraiser, this sword is about three hundred years old. It belongs to the great swordsman Yagyu Tan during the shogunate era.

The weapon of Ma Shou's soldiers. It is well preserved and well made, making it very valuable for collection."

"The starting price for this lot is 30 million yen, and each increase in price must not be less than 3 million yen."

On the stage, a black samurai sword with a metallic texture and a faint light was held in the hand of a man wearing Warring States-style armor.

The armor on this person's body, various protective gears are in complete positions, the two small horns on the helmet and the face mask make this armor look a bit scary. Carrying a long knife and being with the sweet-looking actress, he is simply a devil.

Pictures of angels.

This auction house obviously knows how to do business.
To be continued...