Geisha: A Life

Name: Geisha: A Life
Rating: 4.0 (505 reviews)

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320 pages4 hours

Summary

GEISHA, A LIFE
"No woman in the three-hundred-year history of the karyukai has ever come forward in public to tell her story. We have been constrained by unwritten rules not to do so, by the robes of tradition and by the sanctity of our exclusive calling … But I feel it is time to speak out."

Celebrated as the most successful geisha of her generation, Mineko Iwasaki was only five years old when she left her parents' home for the world of the geisha. For the next twenty-five years, she would live a life filled with extraordinary professional demands and rich rewards. She would learn the formal customs and language of the geisha, and study the ancient arts of Japanese dance and music. She would enchant kings and princes, captains of industry, and titans of the entertainment world, some of whom would become her dearest friends. Through great pride and determination, she would be hailed as one of the most prized geishas in Japan's history, and one of the last great practitioners of this now fading art form.

In Geisha, a Life, Mineko Iwasaki tells her story, from her warm early childhood, to her intense yet privileged upbringing in the Iwasaki okiya (household), to her years as a renowned geisha, and finally, to her decision at the age of twenty-nine to retire and marry, a move that would mirror the demise of geisha culture. Mineko brings to life the beauty and wonder of Gion Kobu, a place that "existed in a world apart, a special realm whose mission and identity depended on preserving the time-honored traditions of the past." She illustrates how it coexisted within post-World War II Japan at a time when the country was undergoing its radical transformation from a post-feudal society to a modern one.

"There is much mystery and misunderstanding about what it means to be a geisha. I hope this story will help explain what it is really like and also serve as a record of this unique component of Japan's cultural history," writes Mineko Iwasaki. Geisha, a Life is the first of its kind, as it delicately unfolds the fabric of a geisha's development. Told with great wisdom and sensitivity, it is a true story of beauty and heroism, and of a time and culture rarely revealed to the Western world.

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Publisher: Atria BooksReleased: Oct 15, 2002ISBN: 9780743453042Format: book

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Geisha - Mineko Iwasaki

form.

2

ICAN IDENTIFY THE EXACT MOMENT when things began to change.

I had just turned three. It was a cold winter afternoon. My parents had a visitor. A woman. A very old woman. I was shy in front of outsiders and hid in the closet as soon as she stepped into the entranceway. I sat in the dark listening to their conversation. There was something oddly compelling about this woman. I was fascinated by the way she talked.

The visitor’s name was Madame Oima. She was the proprietress of the Iwasaki okiya in Gion Kobu and had come to ask if my sister Tomiko might be interested in becoming a geiko. Tomiko had visited the Iwasaki okiya a number of times, and Madame Oima could see her potential.

Tomiko was the most delicate and refined of my sisters. She loved kimono, and traditional music, and fine ceramics, and was always asking my parents questions about these things. She was fourteen. I didn’t understand everything they were talking about but I understood that this lady was offering Tomiko a job.

I didn’t understand that the Iwasaki okiya was in severe financial straits. All I knew was that my parents were treating her with a marked degree of respect and that she projected the greatest air of authority of anyone I had ever met. I could feel the regard in which my parents held her.

Drawn by her voice, I slid open the door of the closet about 3 centimeters and peeked out to see who the voice was coming from.

The lady noticed that I had opened the door and said, Chiesan, who is in the closet?

My mother laughed and said, That’s my youngest, Masako.

When I heard my name I came out into the room.

The lady looked at me for a second. Her body was very still but I saw her eyes widen. Oh, my goodness, she said. What black hair and black eyes! And such tiny red lips! What an exquisite child!

My father introduced us.

She kept looking at me but addressed my father. "You know, Mr. Tanaka, I have been looking for an atotori (one who comes after or successor) for a very long time and I have the oddest sensation that I may have just found her."

I had no idea what she was talking about. I didn’t know what an atotori was or why she needed one. But I felt the energy in her body change.

It is said that a person who has the eyes to see can penetrate to the core of a person’s character, no matter how old that person might be.

I’m serious, she said. Masako is a magnificent little girl. I’ve been in this business a long time and I can tell she is a treasure. Please consider the possibility of enrolling her in the Iwasaki okiya as well. Really. I think she could have a wonderful future there. I know she’s still a baby, but please, won’t you think about allowing her to train for a career?

Training to become a geiko in Gion Kobu is a closed system. It is organized in a way that only girls living in an okiya in Gion Kobu are able to study all the requisite disciplines with the accredited schools and teachers and are able to meet the demands of the grueling schedule. There is no way to become a geiko while living on the outside.

My father was clearly nonplussed by this unexpected turn of events and didn’t answer her right away. Finally he said, We will discuss your offer to Tomiko with her in depth and we will encourage her to accept your proposal, although the ultimate decision is up to her. We will get back to you as soon as she has made up her mind. But about Masako. I’m terribly sorry, but I can’t even consider it. I simply won’t give up another one of my daughters. If Tomiko agreed to join the Iwasaki okiya he would have already given up four of his seven girls.

Let me explain what I mean by give up. When a young girl leaves to join an okiya it is like she is going to full-time boarding school. In most cases she will still go home to visit her parents when she has time off from school, and they are free to visit her whenever they like. That is the usual scenario. However, when a girl is chosen to be the successor to a house and its name, she is adopted by the proprietress as legal heir. In that case she takes the name of the okiya family and effectively leaves her birth family for good.

Madame Oima was eighty years old and deeply concerned about the fact that she had not yet secured a proper successor. None of the women presently under her management were qualified, and she couldn’t die without finding someone. The Iwasaki okiya owned millions of dollars worth of property (real estate, kimono, priceless art and ornaments) and supported a staff of over twenty people. She was responsible for insuring that the business continued. She needed an heir to guarantee its future.

Madame Oima visited us many times that year to discuss Tomiko’s enrollment. But she was campaigning to win me over as well.

My parents never discussed any of this in front of me, but I imagine they explained it all to Tomiko. Madame Oima was the woman to whom they had entrusted my oldest sister Yaeko all those years ago. Madame Oima appointed Yaeko her atotori and raised her to be a geiko. But Yaeko deserted Gion Kobu without fulfilling her obligations to Madame Oima. This was a great embarrassment to my parents. They hoped Tomiko’s tenure would help make up for Yaeko’s defection.

There was no way for Tomiko to become the next atotori, however. At fourteen, she was considered too old. Ideally, atotori are groomed from the time they are little girls.

Nobody told me she was leaving. I guess my parents thought I was too young to understand what was going on so they didn’t try to explain it to me. All I knew was that Tomiko graduated from junior high school one day, went away for spring vacation the next, and never came home. (Under modern law, a girl must graduate from junior high school before she is allowed to enter geiko training school.)

I was sorry that she wasn’t there. She was my favorite sister. She was smarter and seemed more competent than the others.

Tomiko’s move didn’t curtail Madame Oima’s visits, however. She still wanted me too. Despite my father’s protests, she continued to pursue the matter. She kept coming back to visit and each time she did she asked for me again, month after month. And, month after month, my father continued, albeit politely, to refuse her.

Madame Oima used every argument she could to convince him that I would have a brilliant career with her and that they shouldn’t stand in my way. She begged my father to reconsider. I specifically remember her telling him, The Iwasaki is by far the best okiya in the Gion, and we can provide Masako with greater opportunities than she will find anywhere else.

Eventually Madame Oima’s persistence began to wear down my father’s resolve. I sensed the shift in his position.

One day I was cuddled up in my father’s lap while the two of them were talking. She brought the subject up yet again. My father laughed. Okay, okay, Madame Iwasaki, it’s still too soon but someday, I promise, I will bring her along to visit you. You never know, it’s up to her, maybe she’ll like it. I think he said that just to put an end to her pestering.

I decided it was time for Madame Oima to go home. I knew people usually went to the bathroom before they left the house so I turned to her and said, Pee. She thought I was asking, rather than commanding, and inquired graciously if I wanted her to take me to the bathroom. I nodded, got off my father’s lap, and took her hand. When we got there I said, There, and marched back into the parlor.

Madame Oima came back a few moments later.

Thank you for taking such good care of me, she said to me.

Go home, I replied.

Yes, I should be going. Mr. Tanaka, I’ll take my leave. I think we made some real progress here today. And with that, she left.

I didn’t spend many years under my parents’ roof, but during the short time I was with them they taught me lessons that were to serve me in good stead for the rest of my life. Especially my father. He did everything he could to teach me the value of independence and responsibility. Above all, he instilled within me a deep sense of pride.

My father had two favorite sayings. One is a saying about samurai. It is a kind of proverb that says a samurai must keep to a higher standard than the common man. Even if he has nothing to eat, he pretends that he has plenty, meaning that a samurai never lets go of his pride. But he also used it to mean that a warrior never betrays weakness in the face of adversity. His other expression was hokori o motsu.Hold on to your pride. Live with dignity, no matter what the circumstance.

He repeated these aphorisms so often and with such conviction that we accepted them as gospel.

Everyone says I was a strange little girl. My parents told me that I almost never cried, even as an infant. They were worried that maybe I was hard of hearing or had something wrong with my voice or was even somewhat retarded. My father would sometimes put his mouth up to my ear and speak loudly or wake me up on purpose when I was deep asleep. I’d look startled but I didn’t cry.

As I got older they realized that I was fine, just inordinately quiet. I loved to daydream. I remember wanting to know the names of all the flowers and birds and mountains and rivers. I believed that if I asked them they would tell me what they were called. I didn’t want other people to spoil it by giving me the information. I believed that if I looked at something long enough it would talk to me. I still do.

One time my mother and I were looking at a lot of white and peach–colored cosmos that were blooming on the other side of the pond outside our house. I asked her, What’s the name of this flower?

Cosmos, she answered.

Hmm, cosmos. And what is this little one called?

That’s a cosmos too, she answered.

What do you mean? How can two different flowers have the same name?

My mother looked perplexed. Well, the name of the family of flowers is cosmos. It is the kind of flower it is.

But we have a family of people living in our house and they each have their own name. That means each of these flowers should have it’s own name too. So I want you to give each of them a name, just like you gave names to us. That way none of them will feel bad.

My mother went over to where my father was working. Masako just said the oddest thing. She wants me to give a name to each one of the cosmos flowers.

My father said to me, We don’t need any more children, so we don’t have to give them names.

The thought that we didn’t need any more children made me feel lonely.

I especially remember one beautiful May afternoon. There was a soft green breeze blowing down from the mountains to the east. The irises were in full bloom and it was perfectly quiet. My mother and I were relaxing on the front verandah. I was sitting on her lap and we were basking in the sunshine. She said to me, What a lovely day it is today! I distinctly remember saying to her, I am so happy.

This is the last truly blissful memory I have of my childhood.

I looked up. There was a woman crossing over the footbridge, approaching the house. She was somehow indistinct, like a mirage.

Every muscle in my mother’s body tensed. Her heart began to race and she broke out in a sweat. Her smell changed. She shrunk perceptively back into herself, as though she were recoiling in terror. Her arms hugged me tighter in an instinctive gesture of protection. I sensed the danger she felt.

I watched the woman walk toward us. Suddenly I felt time stop. It was like she was walking toward us in slow motion. I remember exactly what she was wearing. It was a dark kimono belted with an obi that had a beige, brown, and black geometric pattern on it.

A sudden chill went through me and I ran inside the house to hide in the closet.

I couldn’t believe what followed next. My father came into the room and this woman began to speak to my parents with pure hatred in her voice. They tried to answer her but she kept interrupting them, becoming increasingly strident and aggressive. Her voice got louder and louder. I didn’t understand most of what she was saying but I knew that she was using a lot of bad words and very rude language. I had never heard anyone use that tone of voice before. She was like some kind of demon. Her harangue seemed to go on for hours. I didn’t know who she was and couldn’t imagine what my parents could have done to make her act like that. At last she left.

Afterwards, a dark cloud descended on the house. I had never seen my parents so upset. Dinner that night was strained. We couldn’t taste our food. I was very, very scared. I crept over into my mother’s lap and buried my face in her side.

My brothers and sisters went to bed right after dinner. As always, I stayed nestled with my mother while my parents relaxed around the table, waiting for my father to announce that it was time for us to go to bed. They hardly spoke. It got later and later and my father didn’t move. Finally, I fell asleep in my mother’s arms. I awoke with them and Koro the dog in their futon the next morning.

The horrible woman showed up again a little while later. This time she brought two boys with her. She left them with us and went away. All I knew about them was that they were her sons.

The older one was named Mamoru. He was a brat and I didn’t like him very much. He was three years older than I was, the same age as one of my brothers, and the two of them got along together well. The younger one was named Masayuki. He was only ten months older than I was. He was nice and we became friends.

The boys’ mother came to visit them about once a month. She brought toys and candy for her boys but never anything for us, even though we were children too. It made me remember my father’s saying about the samurai. I couldn’t stand the sight of her. There was something rapacious and cold about her eyes. When she came I would hide in the closet and put my hands over my ears. I wouldn’t come out until she left.

3

MY FATHER WAS PLANNING a visit to Madame Oima and asked me if I wanted to go along. I loved going on outings with my father, so I said yes. My father assured me that we were just going for a visit and we could leave anytime that I wanted to.

I was still scared to walk over the footbridge in front of our house and my father had to pick me up and carry me. We walked to the trolley and boarded the car bound for Sanjo Keihan Station.

My world at the time was still very small. There weren’t any other houses on our side of the bridge and I didn’t have any playmates. So I was wide-eyed at all the sights of the big city, at the number of houses that lined the streets of Gion Kobu and all the people that were about. It was exciting and a little bit scary. I was already on edge by the time we arrived.

The Iwasaki okiya was located on Shinbashi Street, three doors east of Hanamikoji Street, built in the elegant architectural style typical of the Kyoto karyukai. It was a long and narrow building with transom windows that fronted the street. I thought it looked forbidding.

We entered through the genkan (entrance vestibule) and stepped up into the reception room.

The place was filled with women, all wearing informal kimono. I felt strange. But Madame Oima invited us in with a broad smile on her face. She was effusive in her greetings and hospitality.

Tomiko appeared. She was wearing an elaborate hairdo. To my astonishment, she looked like a bride, especially her hair.

Then a woman came into the room attired in Western-style dress.

My father said, Masako, this is your older sister.

My name is Kuniko, she said.

I was dumbstruck.

And then, who should walk into the room but that really nasty woman, the one I couldn’t stand, the mother of the boys who were living in our house.

I started tugging on the sleeve of my father’s kimono and said, I want to go home. I couldn’t deal with all this stimulation.

When we got outside the tears started to fall, slowly and steadily. I didn’t stop crying until we reached the Sanjo Keihan train station. I know that’s where we were because I remember seeing the elementary school with the turrets on top.

We boarded the train home and I retreated into my customary silence. My father seemed to understand what I was feeling. He didn’t try to talk to me about what had happened but just put a comforting arm around my shoulder.

The minute we got home and I saw my mother I burst into tears and flung myself hysterically into her arms. After a while I extricated myself from her lap and went inside the closet.

My parents left me alone and I ended up spending the night buried in the dark.

The next day I came out of the closet but I was still very upset from my trip to the Iwasaki okiya. What I had seen of the karyukai was so different from everything I knew. My small world was beginning to shatter. I was confused and scared, and spent most of the time hugging myself, staring off into space.

About two weeks later I resumed my normal routine. I did my daily chores and went back to work. When I was too big to sit in my father’s lap, he had taken an orange crate, turned it into a desk for me, and put it next to his. I spent hours happily occupied by his side.

Madame Oima chose to pay us a visit on that very day. The mere sight of her sent me into a tailspin and I was right back in the closet. But it was worse this time. I was so scared of going outside that I wouldn’t even go out to play under the pepper tree on the other side of the pond. I clung to my parents constantly and refused to leave their sides.

But still, Madame Oima kept coming and asking for me.

This went on for a few months. My father was worried about me and tried to come up with a way to lure me back out into the world.

He hit upon a plan. One day he said to me: I have to make a kimono delivery in town. Would you like to come with me? He knew how much I loved to go places alone with him. I was still leery of what might happen but, even though I was suspicious, I said that I would go.

He took me to a kimono fabric shop somewhere on Muromachi Street. When we walked in the door the proprietor greeted my father with great deference. My father told me that he had some business to discuss and asked me to wait for him in the store.

The salespeople entertained me by showing me the different items that were for sale. I was fascinated by the variety and richness of the kimono and obi. I could see, clearly and in spite of my age, that my father’s kimono were the most beautiful ones in the store.

I couldn’t wait to tell my mother everything that had happened and, when we got home, couldn’t stop talking about the kimono I had seen. I went into a long-winded explanation about each one. My parents had never heard me talk for such a long stretch before and couldn’t get over the amount of detail that I had retained. And about kimono, of all things. I made a big point of telling my mother how proud I was that my father’s kimono were the most beautiful ones in the store.

My father said, Masako, it makes me very happy that you liked the kimono so much. I have something I need to talk to Madame Oima about. Would you come with me when I go to see her? If we get there and you don’t like it, we can turn right around and come home. I promise.

I was still vaguely disturbed at the thought of going, but I have an almost morbid compulsion to conquer whatever scares me, and I guess this trait was already evident when I was three. I agreed to make the journey.

We went soon after. I was quiet but not as upset as I had been the first time. I hardly remembered any details of the house from my first visit, but the second time I went I was calm enough to pay attention to my

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Reviews

Go to J.L's profile

Not the polished and happy ending some may prefer but definitely a refreshingly humanizing and realistic account of contemporary geisha culture from an insider PoV.

Go to librarycin's profile

Mineko Iwakasi was only 5 years old when she decided she wanted to be a geisha (geiko). It was the 1950s, and Mineko was adopted by the woman who ran the geisha house (okiya) where she trained. In fact, she was to become the atotori, the heir, to that okiya. Geishas are entertainers/artitsts and Mineko loved to dance. Once she was officially a meiko (a sort of junior geiko), she worked constantly. She retired at 29 years old, as she didn't like the way things were done, and despite being the top geiko of the time, she decided to live independently and do what she wanted to do without the restrictions. This was very interesting, to read about the life of a real geisha. I really enjoyed this. It's a nonfiction version of Memoirs of a Geisha. Though it's been a number of years since I read Memoirs, I think this is probably a good complement to it. It was also quick to read. So, for those who want to know more about geisha, this is definitely one to pick up.

Go to Al's profile

I just started to read this book,
This is supposed to be the truth, and a response to "memory of a geisha" wich is fictional....
So how come she dares to say this is real when she talks about memories with impressivingly detail conversations, smells, things that happened, etc from when she was 3 and 5 years old!!?????
I know this is gonna be even more fictional than " memories of a geisha"..."

Go to Tiffany Bridgeman's profile

Despite being different from the book that I normally read about this kind of thing I enjoyed it immensely. It is a more factual accounting of the more modern-day geisha . It gives the feeling of meeting actual people and living within their lives like furniture.

Go to abra's profile

This book was everything I had hoped it would be. Very entertaining and informative.

Go to sparrowlicious's profile

Mineko Iwasaki takes you on into her world with her autobiography. In this book you'll learn about some japanese costums, what the world of the geisha (or geiko, as in this book) is like and how it is organized. You'll see how something that is normal for us can be viewed as un-normal or unwanted in this culture (like, signing a fan is not a good thing to do, as the geisha needs it for her performance). Mineko Iwasaki might come off to some people as being on a high horse or arrogant or anything like that, but in truth she is a proud woman who doesn't hide the pride over her accomplishements. In this book she will tell you about the hard work she invested to become a legend among the geishas. This book also contains some photographs printed on special paper.
If you like reading about women being in charge and about japanese culture and don't mind that it's a woman who's proud of herself telling the story, then this book is for you.

Go to greatimaginations's profile

Okay, so I'm going to be very blunt and honest in this review and probably in the rest of my future reviews. I'm always honest, but sometimes I hold my opinions back a little bit for fear of offending someone. I just can't do it anymore. And when it comes to this review, I have some very strong opinions. First of all, I would venture to say that anyone that reads/read this book has already read Memoirs of a Geisha. This memoir is supposedly the real story of the geisha that Memoirs was based upon. It was written by Mineko Iwasaki herself with the help of an English translator. Now I can say that I have read both books, and Memoirs of a Geisha beats the pants off of this very informative, but slightly dry attempt at the same. Listen. I know parts of Memoirs of a Geisha are fictional. But some of the things that Mineko said about the book I find slightly offensive. She has said that Memoirs of a Geisha made the Geisha appear to be a high-classed prostitute. I never had that opinion after reading it. At all. In fact, quite often the author made the distinction between traditional courtesan and Geisha. Also, I want to talk about the Mizuage tradition. Mineko has stated that it was never a ceremony where a maiko's virginity was auctioned off to the highest bidder. As gross as this is, Mineko is being very misleading and she is/was not speaking the truth. During the time that Mineko was a Geiko, the practice had been outlawed, but before the 60's, it was commonplace. It was officially outlawed in 1959, but carried on for awhile after that. Now notice for a second the setting for Memoirs of a Geisha. Most of the book was set before World War 2. The whole virginity aspect was still very much a part of Geiko culture then. So like I said, Mineko was being very misleading in her book. I could go on and on about the disagreements I have with the things Mineko has said, but I think by now you get the point. I didn't dislike reading it, I found it to be very informative. But I also found it kind of dry and written with an air of condescension. Mineko thinks very highly of herself.I'm not saying that she shouldn't be, but I felt I was being talked down to for a good portion of the story. I gave it four stars, because it was a well-written piece of non-fiction, and I happen to be very interested in Asian culture, especially the Gaiko/Maiko culture. There is not a lot of information out there, and I will read whatever I can get my hands on. That being said though, I will probably never re-read this, but I will re-read Memoirs of a Geisha. There's actually a story there and quite a few facts. I would recommend reading this if you are interested in Japan or Geisha culture. Otherwise, it could go either way.

Go to aliterarylion's profile

Every time I picked this book up, I fell asleep. I'm not faulting the author, but it took a lot of concentration to focus. I was not familiar with geishas and the terminology and Japanese names were confusing. Nonetheless, it was an interesting read and I have a new perception on geikos and meikos. Thanks, Rebecca!

Go to boltbabe_1's profile

This is the true story of Mineko Iwasaki's life as a a geisha. If you have little knowledge of geisha, this is a book that will enlighten your knowledge of a part of Japanese culture. Her story is almost unbelievable to an American woman, such as myself. The training of geisha is intense, yet paramount to the success of a geisha, and success is everything. Throughout the story the reader is able to share a piece of Iwasaki's life growing up in an okiya. As Iwasaki grows, her ideas and thoughts, which are in opposition to tradition, have you cheering her onward to achieve her goals. Your heart will be encapsulated by Iwasaki's ambition, strength, and perseverance.After finishing Geisha, A Life, I discovered that Iwasaki decided to write her autobiography as a response to Arthur Golden's Memoirs of a Geisha. Apparently, the main character of Memoirs, Sayuri, is based on Iwasaki. The stories are no comparison, though. Iwasaki's autobiography connects with the reader on a more personal level. It is like sitting int he room with a new friend. Memoirs is a wonderful story, well written, but is written as fiction and so that personal touch doesn't come through. Co-authored with Rande Brown, Iwasaki is able to retell her life story in a way that will leave the reader contemplating this part of Japanese culture with a respect that is only trumped by a first hand experience.

Go to sparrowbytherailstar's profile

Lets get this out of the way: Geisha, A Life, is an actual memoir, about the actual geisha that Arthur Golden loosely based his book Memoirs of a Geisha on. Golden's book was fiction. Sensationalized, Americanized, Fictionalized.If you enjoyed it- and it was a well written book, and a beautifully directed film, so I certainly understand why you might- you've probably ended up here. If you were motivated by your interest in the movie, and want to learn about the realities of geisha, then you'll enjoy this book.If you only moderately liked Memoirs of a Geisha, but have no real interest in learning more about the art, you probably won't like the book.If you're looking for Memoirs of Geisha part two, or the prologue, or expect another not-really-unrequited-but-seems-that-way-for-eons love story, all tied up with a bow and a promise that makes all those years of longing and hardship worth it... You won't like this book. It is most definitely not a love story, at least in the traditional sense. There is a lot of back story and history to this book, and Mineko goes into great detail about the daily lives and education of Geiko, which may not be for everyone. She belongs to a particular group of Geisha, from the Kyoto district, known as Geiko, who have distinct cultural differences that include their own language (or rather, lingo) and are sometimes considered a higher caliber of the artistic profession. If you are not familiar with the water trade, you might want to pick up a few books that can familiarize you with the different manifestations of the arts over the centuries, from Tayu to Orion, to the modern concept of maiko and geisha. There is also an excellent online forum called Immortal Geisha that breaks down the differences and would make an excellent reference point for anyone reading this book, and having trouble keeping it all straight. It took me a long time to familiarize myself with it all, and the language differences can make it even harder, but the subject matter is truly fascinating stuff if you give it a go.Mineko Iwasaki was a classically trained Geiko; a very established and well-known one, and her life story is nothing short of fascinating. Some people seem turned off by her personality, and I suspect that is because of the cultural differences that are lost in translation, because the most common complaint- that she has a huge ego- didn't really jibe with me. Mineko did some pretty amazing things in her time, lived a life dedicated to an incredible-but dying- art form, and writes about it .She talked to Arthur Golden about what had, until his book, been a relatively forgotten and mostly misunderstood art, on the condition that he not mention her name- in the hopes that it might help breathe some life back into the niche, and interest modern Japanese girls in becoming geisha themselves.Golden repaid her kindness by mentioning her name in the book intro, which reverberated back onto Mineko when others in the industry learned she'd talked about the otherwise traditionally secretive society. Geisha, A Life, was written after Memoirs, and after the backlash of Golden's betrayal. Mineko wanted to set the record straight, and truly explain what her life entailed as a Geiko. She does it brilliantly, and with panache.My fascination with the Japanese water trade started decades before Golden's memoirs, but Mineko's biography is one of the only that is actually written by a geisha who can be verified as one. The book details a life of hardship, extreme dedication, and at times, isolation- but it also sheds light on the beautiful flower and willow world, and on the last generation of a traditional Geisha who apprenticed as young girls and dedicated entire lives to the trade. Modern geisha often train for less than two to five years, and much of the old ways have evolved into a more modern system that at best, shadows the one Mineko describes.I loved the book. If you enjoyed it, I would also recommend Sayo Masuda's Autobiography of a Geisha, which is another memoir, but about a hot springs geisha- an entirely different side to the trade, and vastly different world from the highly elegant and exclusive Kyoto district Geikos, of which Mineko belonged. Sandakan Brothel No. 8: An Episode in the History of Lower-Class Japanese Women is another excellent book about the Japanese water trade, which centers on the comfort women of colonial times.

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Great book. I had finished "Memoirs of a Geisha" right before reading this and loved that one also. Memoirs is fiction, while this is autobiographical so there are differences in the details. The story is told beautifully and gives a great peek into the life of a real geisha. It dispels a lot of myths and misconceptions that people have. Definitely worth the read - especially if you are interested in that aspect of Japanese culture.

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Geisha of Gion is the story of one of the geishas that Arthur Golden based his book Memoirs of a Geisha on. I always enjoyed reading Memoirs of a Geisha, though I know it's not accurate and even perhaps exploitative -- it's certainly felt to be so by some people, in any case -- and I did want to read Mineko Iwasaki's words herself. A lot of people seem to have found that her tone was very grating: her self-assurance, her blithe assumption that the world would cater to her and she would never be wrong. I felt that too, but I wonder how much of it is due to the different cultural backgrounds most readers have to her.It's a fast read, and quite focused on the material aspects of living as a geisha: how much it cost, what the kimono were like, how they wore their hair... There are glimpses of an emotional life, but I could have done with knowing Mineko better, and knowing the price of the clothes she wore a little less. It's still an interesting glimpse into another view on the world of geishas -- though I hesitate to say the 'real' world, as this is just one view of it, from a woman of considerable pride and self-assurance.

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I enjoyed this look into the life of a geisha. I cannot imagine giving my daughter away at such a young age, but this is a different culture and time. It was very interesting to see the culture and training of the geisha and erase possible misconceptions surrounding them. The geisha were basically great hostesses that were multitalented and trained. Fascinating!

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Not the sensationalist story you might expect, Geisha, A Life is actually a gentle look at a world most people know little about. I was captivated by this story.

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I picked up this book after rereading “Memoirs of a Geisha” and wondering how realistic it was. This book, “Geisha, A Life” is written by Mineko Iwasaki, a world-renowned Japanese Geisha during the 60’s and 70’s. Born into a privileged family, she chooses to train in Kyoto’s Gion Kobu district. Favored from the beginning, she was groomed to be the heir of her Geisha house. She worked obsessively to perfect her dancing skills and maintain her status as the foremost Geisha of Kyoto.The book is written with a certain detachment that prevents the reader from becoming fully engaged in Mineko’s story. Perhaps because of Japanese culture and the taboo about Geisha revealing their secrets, the book comes off as dry and less than genuine.

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The much better, real life version of Memoirs of a Geisha.

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Mineko's memoir undoes much of the damage Memoirs of a Geisha did. I loved Arthur Golden's book when it came out, but some of the stereotypes he sought to undo were reinforced in his work. Such as the mizuage, which Mineko explains means something different for a geiko than a courtesan. Western readers may be conflicted by the duality of the piece, but when you note the way Japanese culture abhors speaking badly of anyone, it isn't too hard to see why she backtracked on ratting out her friends and clients.I recommend this book for those who like memoirs, and want to know more about the Willow World. I do not advise this book for those who want Memoirs of a Geisha, part 2. Life does not follow a literary arc.

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Interesting in more ways than the author intended. Pathology on a plate. I don't know if she is the world's worst liar, or she really believed what she wrote and didn't spot herself saying the exact opposite a few pages later. 1. Her mother was rich, but her parents sold their girl children to fund themselves.2. Her mother was sickly and weak at the start, but went on to have 11 children.3. Mineko worked night and day, never took time off, and wanted time for herself, but then she hated not working every minute and added extra events to her schedule each day.4. She worked non-stop for years without time off, but then had several vacations she took every year.5. She had no friends, and the other Geisha of her age hated her, and played nasty tricks on her but she would always say she did this and that with her friends (never identified). She was not allowed out of the quarter or to socialize with servants or untouchables - so who were these friends ?6. She didn't care about her customers, she only cared about dancing, yet she had customers who were special lifelong friends, and said it was unprofessional not to take care of all the customers.6. She earned money for her house with her engagements, but she never paid any attention to the amounts (only to the rank based on amount earned), She gave away the envelopes full of cash without looking in them, yet she frets that there was not enough money coming into the house.7. Keeping the house running was important to those who lived and worked there, and to all the craftspeople who depended on it, but she had no qualms about the craftspeople, and history when she shuts hers down (passed on from her adopted mother - the house owner). The whole book was like that. Her family and personal stories also didn't ring true. She supposedly was from an aristocratic family. Her father's family had no money, but her mother was rich. It strikes me the same as those who always say they have kings and queens as their ancestors. No one ever claims porters or ditch diggers as their forbearers, though they are by far more numerous than aristocrats and royalty. She claimed that she decided and conducted her life at 3 as though she were an adult. She made the decision to go to the Geisha house, not that her father sold her. Though her other sisters were sold, and very bitter their whole lives. She tells all these stories with exact details of who said what and what happened when she is very young (under 10).Some of her Geisha lore contradicts other sources. I have seen 2 other documentaries and they talk about Maiko as being apprentice Geisha in training, not just 'Dancing' Geisha as Mineko contends. She says Gion is different than other pleasure quarters in the country, perhaps that explains it, but it should be clearer.She presents so much information about sex and de-flowering virgins of various workers who aren't Geisha, often with the same word for something else that Geisha do, that it really isn't clear what is accurate and what isn't. Certainly before prostitution was outlawed (1957-59), the teahouses were also often associated with brothels and the Geisha was used as a come on to bring customers into the houses. They were all in the same area and competed against each other for customers. Girls were sold to houses and had no choice in what they did or didn't do.Many think that one time Geisha were like the high class courtesans that would be kept by one rich man after another. They would never be prolific with men, because that would drive their cachet and value down. How long ago that died out, is not clear.Still it was a strangely compelling read, despite the above problems and Mineko's selfishness and self-absorption.

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Iwasaki wrote this autobiography in response to Arthur Golden's book Memoirs of a Geisha. (She also sued him.) Unfortunately, the writing lacks spark and a great deal of her life just isn't very interesting. She seems somehow distant; I had the feeling there were things she was hiding. Only worth it if you are fascinated by geisha.

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Forthright, aristocratic girl becomes an elite geiko in this glimpse of an intriguing insular world; in her single-minded perfection and ease of ascent she is perhaps unsympathetic, but her strength desires no sympathy.

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This was such an insightful book. She gave such a good description of the different levels of apprenticeship and the restrictions to their society. It was certainly very different from reading Memoirs of a Geisha, and I think there was more fiction in that book now after reading this one.

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Geisha of Gion is a prettily drawn insight into the Karyukai of Kyoto and life within the Iwasaki Okiya, where Mineko, born Tanaka Masako, began training at the age of five. Her memory and descriptions of kimono and the details of her arts are exquisite. I particularly appreciated that she does not shy away from using the proper Japanese terms and then interpreting them for us, rather than simply using English substitutes as one often finds in books edited by Americans for Americans. If you are looking for a book filled with Japanese culture then it certainly meets that criteria and I certainly appreciated that element of the book. However that was not, in the end, the element which I found most intriguing.One of the reasons autobiography is it’s own category rather than being lumped in with non-fiction is not only to classify it as written by the subject of the book but also because classifying autobiography as non-fiction is problematic. No matter how well researched, the content will always be from the point of view of that one, intrinsically biased, person (indeed there is no real research requirement unless the author wishes to impose one upon themselves, legal clearance that is doesn’t defame anyone is all that is really required.) Sometimes the author’s bias or desire to impress a particular belief upon the reader is so glaring that it adds an element of fascination in itself. While neither “Memoirs of a Geisha” nor its author are never mentioned by name, Geisha of Gion is nevertheless heavily influenced by Golden’s work. It is clear that Iwasaki wishes to correct some of the impressions left by Golden particularly in two respects: the suggestion that a geisha is a high class sex worker and that Iwasaki’s father simply sold her to the okiya against her will.The first issue is simply stated and backed up by, amongst other cultural experts, my Japanese teacher :) Prostitutes exist, Iwasaki informs us, but they are oiran (courtesan), not geisha(entertainer or artist.) The mizuage (or coming of age ceremony) for the two types of women is different, for both it occurs when the geisha first menstruates and at both her best clients receive small pink cakes with a tiny red nipple on top, representing a breast. The difference lies in that for the geisha it is simply a celebration of her coming into womanhood and parties are held and gifts received, only for the oiran is the girl’s virginity sold to the highest bidder. Geisha do not give sexual favours for their fees. Geisha often have boyfriends (who sometimes become husbands) but sexual liasons are carefully managed and outside of the professional requirements of a geisha. How much of Iwasaki’s story is sanitized in this respect is of little consequence.The second impression Iwasaki is at pains to make is that of her father’s character as a loving father, sadly misunderstood by her four older sisters who were also sold to the okiya and to this day are still angry and or bitter to varying degrees. I found it heartbreaking to read as this woman now in her thirties and a mother herself insisted that at the age of five she and she alone made the decision to go to the okiya to become a geisha like her sisters. Again and again she describes how her father resisted the okiya ‘mother’ when she requested their youngest daughter come into her service. She describes how when she first agreed to go to the okiya it was simply some kind of trial which she could have ended at any time - a special arrangement because the okiya mother was so desperate to have this child as her heir because she was so very beautiful. I have no doubt that Iwasaki believes everything she has written in this book but I simply don’t believe that her father had not entered into a similar contract as he did with his other four girls, nor do I believe her protestations that he was so concerned for her welfare. She describes how, at eight years of age, she went to court to be adopted by the the okiya mother (as she had to be to become the heir to the okiya) and took the Iwasaki name. The judge asked her to say which family she chose to belong to - after choosing the okiya, she promptly threw up. Clearly she was desperately torn by the decision and yet she wants desperately for us believe that her father was a loving man, or at least that her father loved her if not her sisters.Of course if his situation was such that he needed to sell his daughters into service then that is sad but understandable and perhaps he was a loving man - unfortunately Iwasaki presents an enormous paradox regarding this. She explains fairly well the reason that he was forced to sell his first daughters (very much against their will to this day) and yet she is also keen to impress upon us how successful her parents were as artists, particularly her father - revered and also … making very good money, certainly at least by the time the third fourth and fifth daughters are sent. Nor does it explain why the couple went on to have so many more children - eleven in all (her mother is described as having a weak constitution) five of girls sent to the okiya. But Iwasaki does not present her father as an angel - she reveals man prone to sudden violence when angered but who treated her as special and mostly she was spared the violence. In fact she seems disturbingly proud when describing violence or raging committed by her father in defence of her after her brothers and sisters had teased her in some way or, in one shocking case, when a chicken has pecked at her and has its neck wrung in front of her when she is three years old. Clearly she cannot deny the violence and neglect her father displayed towards his children but she is determined to believe that she had a special place in his heart.The overwhelming sense that she is special was no doubt encouraged by her father and by her being given the place of atotori - or heir to the okiya - at such a young age (she was wanted by the okiya because she was so breathtakingly beautiful even as a three year old doncha-know?) and narcissism permeates every line of this book. One is left with the impression of an extremely sad little girl who, desperate for attention, love and a place in the world, latched on to her place in the okiya and became, quite simply, a spoiled brat. This manifested in what was no doubt an extraordinary dedication to her arts but a failure to mature socially and emotionally. Iwasaki displays the same sudden explosive temper as her father and his mother before him had, sometimes in legitimate defence of herself but sometimes far too violent for the situation or sheer tantrums (such as the violent destruction of the fur coat of the wife of a man with whom she had an affair for many many years) and she describes each one with the same utter conviction that she was justified. When she describes the cattiness and cruelty of the other geisha, first within the okiya and later, seemingly, across the karyukai of the entire country, she puts every incidence down to pure jealousy and protests that she siply didn’t understand it. I’m sure jealousy was a large part of it and any woman knows how bitchy and cruel women can be to each other but the character displayed by the author is certainly one which would not endear itself to other girls and I have no doubt she did not help the situation.Geisha of Gion is definitely worth the read, not only for the insight into this area of japanese culture but as a fascinating study of the effect this odd situation in which she suffers being abandoned by her birth parents but is sold into a life in which she is paid deference at an age when she has no abiility to understand it as anything other than that she is superior to all around her. There are many stories of being sold into service and being treated poorly (as were her sisters) but this is a different psychological story and a new one for me. It would be fascinating to read the accounts of other sisters - particularly Kuniko who lived in the okiya with Mineko. Kuniko did not have the potential (read beauty) as a geisha and so was essentially a maid but she had intelligence and so became an integral part of the behind the scenes in the okiya and, it seems, a much more grounded personality than her sister and would have quite the tale to tell.

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This was an intriguing insight into the life of Iwasaki, in contrast with the fictional account of her life presented in Golden's Memoirs of Geisha. The main character in Golden's book was loosely based on her in many ways, but after the book's publication Iwasaki sued Golden for revealing her identity as his informant on the life of geiko, and for misrepresenting many duties of a geisha.Iwasaki's book, in contrast, seems much more straightforward and has a great ring of truth to it. The many pictures of her that were included, particularly as a child in the okiya, were terribly interesting.

Go to shejake_1's profile

Very interesting story of one geisha and the modern culture of geisha.

Go to lecari_1's profile

I found this book absolutely fascinating. It gave me an insight into a culture I would otherwise not know about it. It is very matter of fact, almost like a documentary or as though she is talking about someone else. I had no idea that geishas/geikos had to train for so long and so hard, that the clothing cost so much, or that it was such incredibly hard work. I got through it in only a day, I just couldn't put it down! I was amazed, and I'm really glad I read it - I've now lent it to several people, all of whom enjoyed it too.

Go to lizzysiddal's profile

Memoirs from the geisha who helped Arthur Golden on his way. Tame and, I suspect, heavily sanitized.

Go to jennyo_587543's profile

Well, I did very much like the glimpse into the life of a maiko/geiko. It was fascinating. I still think Iwasaki's a bit of a brat, but it sounds like she has some admirable characteristics too.I loved the descriptions of the kimono and obi. They sound fabulous. And the pictures that were included in the book were stunning.Books like this are cool because they whet my appetite for learning. This one in particular is going to prompt several Google searches over the next few days.