The term ‘geisha’ still has a certain ambiguity outside Japan. From visions of heavily dressed and theatrically made-up girls performing the tea ceremony right through to sex workers, most of us have little knowledge of what they actually are. Arthur Golden’s novel ‘Memoirs of a Geisha’ only muddied the waters, and was mostly panned in Japan, but more of that later.
This book is the story of one geisha; Mineko Iwasaki, one of the most successful of her era. She is adopted at a young age by a family who run an okiya, the traditional place where geisha live and train. The break with her family is almost total, and she only sees them occasionally after the move (although there are one or two family surprises along the way).
The Japanese themselves do not use the term geisha, the girls start out as maiko, who have endured years of training and are considered ready to perform publicly, who go on to become geiko if they are good enough. The author compares the intensity of training to that required to become a ballerina or opera singer in the west, and it seems a fair comparison.
The majority of the book concentrates on Mineko’s early life, going into great detail about her mindset, her training and the world in which she lived. Geisha houses are generally in special districts called karyukai, and she spent most of her life in just such an area, the Gion Kobu in Kyoto. It is a world set apart, and for years she rarely set foot outside it.
During her training, she was frequently full of doubt, and it is, by her account, a harsh life. Whilst all the girls are growing up and learning their skills together, it is also a competitive world, as they know that only the best will ultimately be successful, so there isn’t much mutual support. The girls find their own metier, and Mineko found that her skill was dancing, and she gives some fascinating descriptions of her training.
Because of her seclusion, she was very naive about the world. She has some hard lessons about life, about family, about money and about the mutual obligations that form such a big part in Japanese culture.
Maiko and geiko spend most of their professional lives working in ochaya, which literally translates as teahouse, but I can’t think of any western venue which performs quite the same function. They are an old Japanese tradition, and could be seen as just a venue, but they are much more than that. There is a fierce loyalty between clients and ochaya, with families using the same one for generations.
Clients book a space, and food is brought in from local restaurants. Maiko or geiko are booked depending on the clients taste – and wealth. Their job is to entertain the client and his or her guests – not all clients are male – and this is where their skills come to the fore. Dancing, singing, playing games, discussing just about anything; they are not merely decoration.
Mineko became one of the most famous geiko of her time, appearing in commercials, and being much sought after. But she always felt oppressed by the system; by the fact that those setting the rules never wanted to change anything, to modernise. Eventually, she wanted out, and retired at 29 to start a new life with a husband and a family.
When Arthur Golden was researching his book, Mineko was one of the people he talked to, guaranteeing her anonymity, and many elements of her life appear in the book. When it was published, he publicly named her, which caused her a lot of trouble, as geisha are traditionally protective of their traditions. The two entered a long running legal battle, which was eventually privately settled. She felt betrayed, and – like most geisha – felt the book gave a false impression of them and their lives.
This led her to write this book, and it is a beguiling read. She comes across as a complicated blend of confidence and doubt, sometimes sounding arrogant, but I think that is mostly a mask. She does sometimes overestimate her effect on others – her stories about entertaining foreign dignitaries being the best examples – but given her sheltered upbringing, I think there is an element of naïveté in it.
It is an interesting introduction to one of the famous traditions of Japanese life, and is detailed enough for the reader to get a real feel for the life these women lead. The number of maiko and geiko continues to fall, as demand gradually drops, and girls no longer see it as a fulfilling career choice. So it is fitting that Mineko has given us a comprehensive record of her experiences.
This is a review of the Atria 2002 Kindle edition.
