This was an interesting read and I read it in an interesting time. Right after a controversy breaks-out over a novel that is written sensationalizing the lives of real people, I read this book which was written in answer to an author who got rich writing a sensationalized (i. e. false) version of the experiences of Mineko Iwasaki. I'd owned this book for over a year, but did not know when I was going to be able to read it. I thought now was as good a time as any. Since I got some other ground to cover I'll deal with this here: Geisha are not prostitutes. Period. They go about sex just like the rest of us: messily. In Japan they had courtesans called oiran who learned traditional dance and song, but who's main goal was 'hoing. Geisha are at best hostess, but sex ain't part of the regular job, it's the woman's own choice who she sleeps with. This book was written to be a refutation of the white fetishization of a certain novel, but I think it has a lot more going for it and I wish to talk more about it in this review.

Mineko Iwasaki was born Masaka Tanaka to Japanese nobles down on their luck after prettey much everything that had occurred in Japan between the Meji Restoration and the end of WWII. Her family's choice to stay in Kyoto after the imperial family decided to move their court from Kyoto to Tokyo saw their Noble rank be downgraded. During The Great Depression more hard times hit the family and young Mineko's father decides to sell some of his daughters to an equally struggling okiya (geisha house) called Iwasaki, which was a satellite house of a larger okiya. After WWII, Masako/Mineko is born and her family eventually recovers--unfortunately the Iwasaki okiya does not. Her father is determined that his last daughter not become a geisha, and the woman running the okiya is equally determine that Masako become the heir to okiya. By this time, the post-war Japanese government has introduced legislation banning prostitution (formally ending the oiran trade) and also debt bondage which ends the practice of indentured geisha. Unfortunately for Masako's father, one can still be a geisha by choice and our protagonist is artistically inclined and a natural prodigy of dance. Masako ends up choosing to join of her own free will despite being an introvert and independent-minded (two things that are the complete opposite of what a geisha is suppose to be). She joins at the age of 5, and of the last generation of girls who can become geisha before reform laws make junior high/middle school graduation compulsory before joining the "flower and willow world." She eventually is formally adopted by the okiya and her name is changed to Mineko Iwasaki (I will be referring to her as Mineko since one of the women who adopted her is also called Masako), and she goes on to become the most iconic maiko (junior geisha) and geiko (senior geisha) of the post-war era.

The distinction of a junior geisha as a maiko is only in Kyoto, geisha in other parts of Japan are simply called geiko (woman of art) or geisha (person of art--the term originally applied to itinerant male musicians around Japan). In Kyoto their is a whole infrastructure that is devoted to this industry. Part of the conflict that this book is really about is about how the division of labor is practiced in this industry. If I tried to explain how this whole thing worked it would be too long, but that's why you read the book for because Mineko and Rande Brown do a good job. But I will come back to why Mineko quit the job at the height of her popularity.

Talking specifically about the book, the format and actual story called back two books for me: David Copperfield & Twelve Years a Slave. The book has a very 19th century memoir feel to it and I don't know if that is Brown's academic rendering or Minkeo's traditionalist education. For me, it gave the book an interesting feel as the tone and setting felt a century apart—I was intrigued by it. The way the people and atmosphere of this book is presented does feel very Dickensian so if you like Charles Dickens, you should like this book. You fall in love with the good characters, and you despise the bad ones. Now, given the initial mission statement of this book, it assumes you know nothing about geisha, Japanese history, or have been misinformed about both, so the book teaches you in-depth on everything you need to know about this world. This is exactly what Solomon Northup did regarding his intended audiences knowledge of American Slavery. This a great beginners guide to this subject and it makes the title of the book fit perfectly.

When I think of how Mineko Iwasaki became the geisha of her generation, it seems that despite her being very much of the post-way Showa generation, she was raised and instilled with the sensibilities and work ethic of people born in the earlier generations (i. e. Meji and Taisho), so it was natural for her to be such a hard and grueling worker. Combine that with her 1st love of dance and it made her a natural fit for success despite her equally natural disdain for partying and people. I mean, she took no days off for 5 years. There is no secret to how she became number one. Mineko benefits from having some powerful people in her corner at all times (it really is who you know...) and from operating in the top Geisha district in Japan: Gion Kobu. She ends up entertaining and knowing numerous heads of state, politicians, artists, and business folks from Japan and around the world. She relates some very wild stories about that other imperial family the Windsors (let's just say she could've warned Megan Markle) and she seemed to prefer artists and academics to all other clients--the father of Shuntarō Tanikawa became a surrogate father to her and she struck-up a love affair with the actor Shintaro Katsu.

But of course there were cons. The two crazy things I learned was the intense amount of jealousy and hazing in this industry. All but the most senior geiko were vicious to her on her way to the top. The worst offender was her pure evil oldest sister who was also a geisha. Yaeko ranks among the top of most villainous women in world literature (to say nothing of her son...). When it was not hazing by others, it was the crazy harassment from men in general that she had to endure. Mostly on the street, but also some of her clients would make sure to make the case for a #MeToo movement being necessary. Thank god for taxis.

"So we support the dance but it does not support us."

The thing that ultimately causes her to quit and close the Iwasaki okiya was not any sexual exploitation, but economic exploitation. Though the geisha go out and bring in the clientele and do the hard work, they get the least amount of money in their industry. The schools and businesses around them profit the most and Mineko at the height of her success was not allowed to make any money using her artistic skills for her own profit. She wasn't even allowed to teach in the dance school that she learned her dances in despite being the best dancer there. She realized that a very small group of people were getting a large amount of the millions of dollars being made in Gion Kobu and her and most of her peers were not even being compensated with proper worker's compensation, post-junior high school education, or a pension system for older geisha. She spent a decade complaining to the authorities responsible, but they dismissed her concerns. She thought if she quit and got other geisha to defect with her it would cause a crisis that would force reform, but she underestimated the inherent inability that Japanese society had to adapting to the changing times and nothing has really changed in the Gion since she left other than the decrease in numbers of people who can teach these arts properly.

She retired in 1980, started a family with a painter, and became a patroness of the arts in Japan. It was not until some random white man wanted to write a paperback romance featuring geisha (and botched it) that she was drawn back to "the site of memory" and eventually wrote this book.


If you want further recommendations on this subject (because I know you GR folks hate to read something and get smart) I got two movies to recommend. A very hard to find tv movie adaptation of this book exist called Flower Battle (or Hanaikusa) which was made in 2007. This movie is almost impossible to watch with subtitles unless you can internet very well. An easier movie to find which I have actually watched is A Geisha (1953) directed by Kenji Mizoguchi which looks at a maiko and geiko in the immediate post-war Japan and was made by someone who has a very complicated pre-war history with the "flower and willow world."
There is also this youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/1113kuni... which seems to be from somebody who works in the geisha industry. I was able to corroborate many of Mineko Iwasaki's descriptions of the different dances and even the details of how maiko and geiko dress from just browsing through these videos.

One of my favourite books ever! Mineko's story is so fascinating, filled with tragedy, love and intrigue. Also great introduction to Japanese culture.

I really liked it for the peek inside the life of a meiko/geiko in post war Japan. Mineko herself as a child is what we in the West would call a precocious little brat, but is more of a misinterpretation of the class system.

Two things that were negatives for me though were the fact that either Iwasaki or Brown had never seen a Shamisen and/or a Viola. The text states that a Shamisen is played like a Viola.... that I would like to see.

The second thing was Mineko's assertion that she doesn't pass wind, or fart as we call it in these parts. Either it was to save face in front of her doctor, or she actually did believe that she hasn't farted in her whole life. The latter would explain why Toshio wouldn't leave his wife for her, he probably couldn't bear to spend the rest of his life with a woman who was perfect throughout the day, but would blow him across the futon at night with her trumpet bum.

The whole story is pretty much a culture shock. But an enjoyable read if you have an interest in other cultures.

I really enjoyed this book! Finding out about the real life of a Geisha and their traditions was fascinating and really interesting. Sure, it does feel like she talks about how popular and how fantastic she was a Geisha all the time; BUT this is her autobiography after all, if you can't blow your own horn in your own autobiography (if that's how you feel) where else can you? So I didn't mind so much. For those that liked Memoirs of a Geisha I thoroughly recommend this book to get an idea of what the *real* life of a Geisha was like.

"El samurái no se amilana ante nada, ni siquiera cuando tiene hambre. El orgullo está por encima de todo"

Ever since I read "Memoirs of a Geisha" I've wanted to read this one, as Arthur Golden mentions this book as being one of his inspirations. On my way to Italy I found it at the airport, and immediately bought it. It did not disappoint. Where MoaG takes place around World War 2, this one describes the life of a Geisha in the 60s and 70s. You get to read about how Mineko meets Prince Charles, Queen Elizabeth and several other celebrities that we 'know'. Fascinating book.

Par šo grāmatu uzzināju pateicoties faktam, ka Mineko Ivasaki bija iesūdzējusi tiesā Arturu Goldenu par grāmatu "Geišas atmiņas". Vēlējos uzzināt kaut ko vairāk par šo sievieti. Pēc grāmatas izlasīšanas saprotu, kāpēc tika sperti tik radikāli soļi - Japānas kultūras daļa, kas attiecas un geišu tradīcijām tika stāstīta sagrozīta un vulgarizēta. Bet abstrahējoties no salīdzinājumiem, vēlos teikt - tiešām apbrīnojams dzīvesstāsts, drosme un neatlaidība, sekojot savām iekšējām sajūtām un intuīcijai. Un patiesi iedvesmojoša ir Mineko Ivasaki spēja saglabāt augsti paceltu galvu, neskatoties uz apstākļiem. Paldies arī par kultūras stāstījumu smalkās detaļās un arī ievadu šo tradīciju rašanās vēsturē. Žēl, ka šī daļa no Japāņu kultūras ir daļēji zudusi, vismaz tādā veidolā kāda tā bija Mineko jaunības laikā.

*Atsiliepimas rašytas 2010ų lapkritį, perskaičius knygą

Kaip skaičiau viename interviu, ši knyga buvo atsakas į Goldeno "Geišos memuarus", norit parodyti, kokie jie buvo neteisingi. Deja deja, iš didelio smūgio gavosi tik lengvas pirstelėjimas, ir tas bereikšmis. Geriau jau tiesiog būtų patylėjus arba apsiribojus interviu laikraščiuose. Knygoje pasakojamos labai įdomios ir reikšmingos tradicijos, bet tai daroma taip prastai, kad net susidomėjimo išlaikyti neišeina. Rašytojos talento lygiai nulis, minčių sklandumas irgi nulinis. Kažkos savo kaprizų ir ambicijų parodymas pasauliniu mastu. Matot, ji tokia žvaigždė, o Anglijos karalienė, pietaudama su ja, nieko nevalgė, tai ji nusprendė parodyti, kaip pavilioja karalienės vyrą. Pusę knygos bandoma įrodyti, kokios geišos dorovingos, o paskui 5 metus būnama žymaus aktoriaus meiluže, liepiant jam mesti žmoną, nes nu gi čia "tikra meilė".
Eilinis įrodymas, kad knygai neužtenka geros istorijos, reikia gero pasakotojo.
Sėskitės, ponia Mineko, rašom 2.
Nerekomenduoju niekam. Ką domina kitos kultūros, skaitykit "Geišos memuarus“

У неї було прекрасне щасливе дитинство, люблячі батьки, усі в окії її обожнювали, вона була найталановитішою танцівницею, найкраще грала на сямісені, була найпопулярнішею гейшою, заробила купу грошей і стала успішною бізнес вумен. Кінець

Уся її історія веде до того, що її життя не має майже нічого спільного з історією Саюрі і той Артур Голден сам собі усе це неподобство напридумував. Ніякої жорстокості, світ прекрасний, метелики, сонечки, а гейші найдобріші створіння в світі. Це я звичайно утрирую, але по суті все до цього й зводиться.

Це мемуари, тому головна увага має акцентуватися на історії. Але, що сюжет, що стиль роблять цю книгу максимально нудною.

I'm so glad that reading Memoirs of a Geisha inspired me to read the memoirs of a real life inspiration of the book. There are immense differences in the two storylines and this book cleared some misconceptions about geiko culture. The story of Mineko's life was captivatinng in itself. I still feel some culture shock as a Westerner about a lot of aspects of this culture, but I am in awe of such a long tradition and love for artistry and dance. One of the strongest points of the memoir is the critical eye of the author about a rigid system she was a part of and such resistance to necessary change. It was such a joy to read.

Le tre stelle vanno al contenuto interessante e alle tante cose che ho potuto imparare sulle geisha (o meglio, sulle geiko, come vengono chiamate specificamente a Kyoto, e sul loro periodo da apprendista, cioè da maiko), sulla danza giapponese e le scuole di danza di Kyoto, ma soprattutto sul quartiere di Gion, la sua storia, le sue usanze, il suo essere un piccolo mondo a sé stante e il modo in cui ciò influenza fortemente chi vi nasce, vive o lavora.
La forma è povera, come spesso accade alle autobiografie di non-scrittori (il che rende la cosa "perdonabile"): è fin troppo asciutta, manca di pathos, e non sa decidersi tra l'essere autobiografia strettamente personale e l'essere racconto di una professione e del mondo che le ruota intorno; personalmente credo che se il libro si fosse limitato al secondo aspetto sarebbe risultato più gradevole e coerente. La narrazione della vita della protagonista risente dell'assenza di pathos ma anche del fatto che Mineko è stata "un'eletta" sin dal momento in cui è entrata nell'okiya Iwasaki (cioè nella "casa di geishe" gestita dalla famiglia Iwasaki, che la adottò e ne fece sua erede): la bambina è praticamente destinata ad essere la migliore della sua generazione e non c'è alcuna sorpresa nel suo diventarlo ma anzi, forse un po' di "spocchia"; lo svolgersi della storia risente anche, e tanto, dell'intento col quale il libro è stato scritto, ovvero quello di rimarcare le differenze rispetto al racconto romanzato che di questa stessa vita fece Arthur Golden ne Memorie di una Geisha, con tutte le controversie anche legali che ne seguirono; sono sgradevoli i commentini acidi che compaiono qua e là nel testo, quando sarebbe semplicemente bastato mostrare le differenze invece che rimbeccarle.
Quel che cercavo in questa lettura, comunque, era una maggiore conoscenza sul mondo e il ruolo delle geisha e in questo sono stata pienamente accontentata; per me l'aspetto autobiografico era decisamente meno importante e dunque non ho risentito più di tanto dei toni, della mancanza di pathos e degli altri aspetti poco convincenti.

(Decisamente criticabile è invece, sotto tutti gli aspetti, la scelta dell'editore italiano di aggiungere quel "proibita" al titolo, che sembra inseguire quella tendenza scandalistica tutta italiana che... lasciamo stare. Il titolo originale è, semplicemente "Geisha, a life", com'è giusto che sia)

Mineko is refreshingly honest in this book, telling us about times that she had been embarrassed or doing anything wrong along with her joys and tribulations. She was very lucky to have parents such as her mom and dad who clearly cared very much for her, though I wonder if the attention she got was more because she was the youngest child in the family, as her parents were old when they had her, since several of her older sisters were sent to become geishas.

The photos in this book make for a nice touch, though I wish there could have been a couple more (there was a diagram of the geisha hairdo, but not one of the geisha outfit), this story is splendid and informative with some wonderful trivia of the geisha world. I am surprised that Arthur Golden - the author of Memoirs of a Geisha - changed some of the information on the geisha world in his book of fiction. Why would he get things purposefully wrong? I am glad that Ms. Iwasaki wrote this book. Not only is it educational, but it's a great look in the life of a highly successful #1 geisha.

Hopefully with more knowledge of the geisha world available, the changes that Ms. Iwasaki wants to see established in the system might be finally enacted. 5 out of 5 stars for an amazing autobiography!