Geisha of Gion The Memoir of Mineko Iwasaki

by Mineko Iwasaki

Paperback, 2002

Status

Available

Description

No woman in the three-hundred-year history of the karyukai has ever come forward in public to tell her story -- until now."Many say I was the best geisha of my generation," writes Mineko Iwasaki. "And yet, it was a life that I found too constricting to continue. And one that I ultimately had to leave." Trained to become a geisha from the age of five, Iwasaki would live among the other "women of art" in Kyoto's Gion Kobu district and practice the ancient customs of Japanese entertainment. She was loved by kings, princes, military heroes, and wealthy statesmen alike. But even though she became one of the most prized geishas in Japan's history, Iwasaki wanted more: her own life. And by the time she retired at age twenty-nine, Iwasaki was finally on her way toward a new beginning. Geisha, a Life is her story -- at times heartbreaking, always awe-inspiring, and totally true.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member PDCRead
From the age of five Mineko Iwasaki was trained as a geisha, or as she refers throughout the book, a geiko, a term used around the Kyoto are of Japan. She started in the 1960's and begun to learn her trade. At the age of seven she was adopted by the owner of the oriya and lived there full time.

All
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through her training she was an enthusiastic student, but also had an independent streak, which occasionally meant that she caused herself more trouble. But she successfully learnt the dances and the other ritual elements of her profession, before her debut at the age of fifteen as a maiko.

She had a strong work ethic, and took to working extremely hard, with barely a day off and only three hours of sleep a night with the intention of becoming the best geiko of her time. And she achieved that, with her name and face becoming very well know.

But she was also forward thinking. In her position she tried to push for change as she felt that the rules, and lifestyle was not moving with the times, and at the age of 29 she announced her retirement from the profession.

It is a fascinating book, and details a culture that seems almost alien at times. The rules and protocols that they have to follow, from the different kimonos, the hair styles and the dances and ceremonies that have to perform. The writing is a little bit stilted, but then that may be something to do with the formal personality, and the translation, but I think it was worth reading.
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LibraryThing member IreneF
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
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it if you are fascinated by geisha.
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LibraryThing member FicusFan
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
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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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LibraryThing member Beith
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
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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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LibraryThing member GreatImaginations
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
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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.
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LibraryThing member aliterarylion
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.
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Thanks, Rebecca!
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LibraryThing member AmyLynn
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
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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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LibraryThing member LizzySiddal
Memoirs from the geisha who helped Arthur Golden on his way. Tame and, I suspect, heavily sanitized.
LibraryThing member ElDoradoHills
Okay, technically this book is an autobiography about the author’s life as a Geiko (what they called Geisha in the district where she worked), but our library system has it in nonfiction. After reading Golden’s Memoirs of a Geisha, I was curious to learn more about the Geisha lifestyle.
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Although Iwasaki’s memories of the lifestyle are a little cold and detached, this is still a good read if you’re interested in learning more about the Geisha culture. ~Mel
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LibraryThing member shejake
Very interesting story of one geisha and the modern culture of geisha.
LibraryThing member cinesnail88
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
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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.
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LibraryThing member meersan
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.
LibraryThing member cameling
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.
LibraryThing member debnance
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.
LibraryThing member leahdawn
The much better, real life version of Memoirs of a Geisha.
LibraryThing member jennyo
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
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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.
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LibraryThing member Boltbabe
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
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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.
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LibraryThing member bookwormteri
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
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great hostesses that were multitalented and trained. Fascinating!
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LibraryThing member CherieReads
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
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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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LibraryThing member Sparrowlicious
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
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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.
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LibraryThing member LibraryCin
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
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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.
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LibraryThing member JanaRose1
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
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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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LibraryThing member lecari
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
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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.
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LibraryThing member bookbrig
I really enjoyed reading this, though it also left me wanting more: more details, more stories, more photos. I particularly loved the descriptions of her outfits.

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