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.

I picked up Mineko's book after I finished "Memoirs of a Geisha". Mineko was a source for that book and from what I have read she was not happy. First she asked to be anonymous but was named as a source and it ruined a lot of relationships. Second "Memoirs of a Geisha" severely misrepresented her world.

I was pleasantly surprised by her biography and was glad for a first hand account from the perspective of someone who experienced it all. It was well written and had an interesting prose. The subject material is fascinating but It's too bad I cannot experience what I have been reading about now for the past week and a half.

I imagine it would be a lot like seeing a live Broadway play vs just reading the screenplay... Maybe someday.

I recommend this to anyone who has read anything about Japan or is curious about what exactly the purpose is for a geisha.

I am very fascinated by all aspects of the Japanese culture and bought this book believing that it would be an authoritative source of information about the Geisha world. The author - a successful former Geisha who inspired the popular novel 'Memoirs of a Geisha' - declared to have been disappointed by the inaccuracies in Golden's book, and commits to giving a real and honest depiction of Gion's life; I was therefore expecting and objective account of her upbringing and lots of information about the traditions on which her profession is based.

However, this book does not fulfill her promise and disappointed me. There are many descriptions of jewellery, ornaments, and kimono patterns, and long accounts of her dance lessons and recitals, but it does not go any deeper than that. Being so knowledgeable about the topic, she skips over details and explanations which are obvious to her, but probably not to her reader, who could have used them to better understand the complex world and traditions that she is distractedly painting.

Narrating her story in first-person, the protagonist comes off as detached, spoilt, and superficial, which prevented me from connecting with her and her story. The whole book is just as full of drama, jealousy, and gossip as the novel she wanted to distance herself from, leaving me confused: it is neither a novel nor an essay, and as a biography it lacks the openness and emotion to instill empathy in the reader. I understand that this may be due to the reserved and modest attitude which is customary in Japan, but this was just not the book I was hoping to read.

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.

I enjoyed this book of Geiko life immensely. The entire time I read this, I thought fondly of Liza Dalby's "Geisha", written about the same period. Mineko Iwasaki was honest about her personal feelings and personal trials. She also wrote with passion on her love of dance. While reading this book, I felt like I was walking beside her as she went to dance class and Ozashikis at night. Her hard work throughout her life inspired my respect for her and the Geisha tradition even more than ever before. I recommend this book for anyone interested in Japan, Geiko or Maiko. This book was entertaining all the way through and I would gladly read it once more just for fun.

"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. I want you to know what it is really like to live the life of a geisha, a life filled with extraordinary professional demands and richly glorious rewards. Many say I was the best geisha of my generation; I was certainly the most successful. And yet, it was a life that I found too constrictive to continue. And one that I ultimately had to leave.
It is a story I have long wanted to tell."

We all remember Memoirs of a Geisha, right? You know, that book where a white American dude decided that he was the best candidate for writing a story about the secretive, all-female world of the Japanese geisha? Remember how well that worked out? Full disclosure: I really liked that book for much longer than I should have (I remember hearing that they were making a movie version and being really invested in who they cast), and it wasn't until I was in college that I learned some unpleasant truths about the creation of this book. For his book, Arthur Golden conducted a lot of interviews with a retired geisha, which formed the basis for the story. When the book came out, this geisha was so horrified at the way Golden had twisted her words to fit his Western worldview of the geisha that she wrote her own memoir in response. That geisha, as you can guess, was Mineko Iwasaki, and this book is the real Memoirs of a Geisha. No fetishization, no male gaze, no bullshit.

Iwasaki was a geisha (she refers to herself as a geiko, a more specific term used in the area of Kyoto where she lived and trained) starting in the 1960's, and was easily the most successful of her time - a feat which she accomplished by taking every single appointment available, not taking a single day off for five years, and sleeping three hours every night. She retired at the age of twenty-nine because, as she says in her introduction, the lifestyle eventually grew too restrictive and her efforts to implement change were ignored.

The book starts with her childhood, when she was three years old and the owner of an okiya first started trying to recruit her. Iwasaki spent her childhood living in the okiya as a sort of boarding school (it was a super weird situation, honestly, because her parents were allowed to visit but barely saw her, and also she was five) before she ultimately made the decision to be adopted by the okiya owner and live there full-time at the age of seven. From then on, Iwasaki worked full-time training to be a geiko before making her debut at age fifteen.

The detail is extensive: Iwasaki's favorite aspect of training was dance, so we learn a lot about Japanese styles of dance, and every other part of the journey from apprentice to full-time geiko. Everything is described in great (but often slightly clinical) detail, and it's worth it purely for the time Iwasaki spends describing every part of a geiko's outfit, from shoes to hair ornaments, and the kimonos she describes are so gorgeous it'll make your mouth water. There's also a lot of practical information, like this bit about how geikos' wages are calculated:

"At the end of the night, the ochaya calculates the hanadai for all the maiko and geiko who have attended banquets there that evening. They write the tallies down on slips of paper that they place in a box in the entryway of the ochaya. The next morning a representative of the kenban, or financial affairs office, makes the rounds of the ochaya to collect all the slips from the night before. These are tallied and reported to the Kabukai. The kenban is an independent organization that performs this service on behalf of the geiko association."

She also puts to rest, once and for all, the misconception that geisha are just fancy prostitutes. Remember that horrifying part in Memoirs of a Geisha where Sayuri's virginity is sold off to the highest bidder in a ceremony called a mizuage? I don't have the space to recount all the ways that's wrong - you'll have to just read the book and let Iwasaki explain why Arthur Golden is an asshole. Instead, I'll let her explain where Golden got the idea for that scene (spoiler alert! it wasn't from the geisha):

"Shimabara used to be a licensed quarter where women known as oiran and tayu (courtesans, high-class prostitutes) plied their trade, though they were accomplished in the traditional arts as well. A young oiran also underwent a ritual called a "mizuage" but hers consisted of being ceremoniously deflowered by a patron who had paid handsomely for the privilege."

Hey, Arthur Golden? If you want to write a book that proves geisha aren't prostitutes, maybe don't include a scene where the geisha has sex for money, especially if that little detail is a complete fabrication.

My only big complaint about this book is the writing itself. I'm willing the blame the dry, plodding prose on the translation; less easy to excuse is the lack of transitions and topic sentences. Iwasaki will be describing a dance class, and then in the next paragraph will have moved on to a completely different subject with no warning or explanation, and it was irritating. She writes in the Q&A at the end of the book that it took her four months to write, which I definitely believe.

But these are minor quibbles. This is a good book, if for no other reason than it's a fantastic primary source into a fascinating and misunderstood world. We should all be proud of Iwasaki for resisting the urge to go with the original title, Arthur Golden Can Suck It.

I did not like the 'other' book "Memoirs of a Geisha"; although it was interesting to learn about the geisha culture, I didn't like the sexual storylines involving children and very young women that the novel portrayed.

Apparently the 'other' book was based on the life of THIS geisha (or geiko), but she was not too pleased with her portrayal either. So she wrote this one ("Geisha: A Life") to counteract the popular opinion portrayed that geishas were high-class prostitutes. If there was one thing she wanted us to learn, it was the falseness of that insinuation.

I love to read about world cultures; I have had very little opportunity to travel and get to know the world, so reading is my best way to learn. I'll be honest, I am baffled by the seemingly opposite culture that Japan possesses (possessed?) compared to our own. I have long been aware of these differences, but to see them played out in the life of an individual was eye-opening. The ideal Japanese woman in her situation felt that her pride was more important than anything. That it was better to take all the blame than to lose peace. That the best way to gain the upper hand is to never ask people to treat you better. The group is more important than yourself, even when the group damages you.

I guess I see what she's saying...but as with most cultural norms, it would only work in a society where all others are striving for the same. I can't even imagine being such a doormat here and having it turn out well for a woman. Of course, I have a lot to learn about grace and turning the other cheek--I'm not claiming she's completely incorrect. It was simply quite obvious the entire time I was reading, that my social values did not match hers. It made for some fascinating reading, though! Kind of like a train wreck that never actually happened despite me waiting for it.

I do recommend the read...I just can't give it 4 stars because it's not in the category I'll probably ever read a second time.

3,5/5

Ho iniziato a leggere questo libro perché ho adorato "Memorie di una Geisha" di Arthur Golden, che si è rifatto proprio alla storia di Mineko Iwasaki. Di "Memorie di una Geisha" questo libro non ha poi molto, e per quanto la Iwasaki si sia lamentata per come Golden abbia stravolto la sua vita (in effetti Mineko ha davvero poco da spartire con Sayuri) io trovo il libro di Golden molto più d'impatto di questo.
In alcuni punti ci racconta cos'è l'essere una geisha e che cosa comporta, la maggior parte del tempo però sembra preoccuparsi di dire che essere una geisha non vuol dire essere prostitute, che lei era la più popolare della sua generazione, che tutti la invidiavano e che non sapeva accendere un fornello. Neanche il suo matrimonio alla fine me l'ha fatta rivalutare, insomma sposare un uomo conosciuto da meno di un mese a ventinove anni solo perché: "volevo avere dei figli!" non mi fa esattamente rivalutare una persona.
Oltretutto mi era sembrato di capire che Mineko Iwasaki si fosse lamentata con Golden, portandolo anche in tribunale, perché l'aveva citata nel suo libro rendendo chiaro a tutti di aver infranto le leggi non scritte che impediscono di parlare di quel mondo a chi non ne fa parte. Allora perché scrivere poi un libro lei? non ha senso! nessuno pensava che "Memorie di una Geisha" fosse la sua storia, anche se Golden ha preso molto spunto dalla sua vita personale ma non ha intervistato solo lei per scrivere il suo libro. Alla fin fine piacevole da leggere, però non mi ha lasciato il segno di "Memorie di una Geisha".

This book was a solid 4 star read for me. Whereas Arthur Golden's Memoirs of a Geisha was meant to entertain, Mineko Isawaki's Geisha, a Life was meant to inform.

Mineko Isawaki is most notable for being one of, if not THE most famous Geisha in Japan's history. This autobiography is told from her own view of the traditions and trials that she faced.

Mineko does a brilliant job of taking the reader through her grueling daily schedule from a young age and giving a lot of historical background to her life and the life of a Geiko (female artist). She dispels much of the rumors of geishas being little more than pleasure companions. I love the detail she gives on the traditions of a geiko, the intricacies associated with each year and season, and the symbolism and the immense cost of each momentous occasion and dress of a geisha's career.

This book is drastically different from Memoirs of a Geisha and makes you wonder how both stories are about the same thing. This is definitely not a re-read of Memoirs of a Geisha and stands on its own If you are interested in learning more about geisha, and as known in Kyoto as geiko, I highly recommend reading this book.

I was eager to read this, so eager that I read it in French--the only copy I could find. The translation from English (and previously of course from Japanese) was easy to read, in spite of a couple of hiccups--as a former professional translator myself, I know those are impossible to avoid.

An odd book, by an odd person. We learn that from toddlerhood until well into adolescence, the author voluntarily spent hours if not days on end shut up in any cupboard within reach. Wouldn't a normal parent, realising they are bigger than the child, just lift her out of there? We also learn that well after the age of 5 she "needs" to suckle someone to be able to fall asleep--and is allowed to do so by her onesan or the maid, for quite some time, though neither of them have any of your actual breastmilk (the onesan being by this time past middle-age). Hmmmm.

The beginning of the book is confusing; first we are told Mineko accepted adoption into the world of Gion because she just had to be a dancer; then we find out she was only about five or six when she left her parents to be adopted legally by the teahouse. She seemed to do this out of a sense of economic responsibility to her parents--who, by the way, basically sold three of their daughters into Gion, though they hung onto all their male children. I'm sure Mineko tells it the way she chooses to remember it, but how can such a young child make such a life-changing decision and really know what she is doing?

I can only imagine that either "everyone" in Japan knows so much about what it means to become a geiko that she didn't feel the need to go into much detail, or that Gion is a closed world, where those who don't "belong" aren't meant to know. She does talk about kimonos, hairstyles, ceremonial passages from one stage to another, but it's all pretty superficial. In fact, the most important changes in her life (taking on an "older sister/mother", "turning her collar") are mentioned only in passing; you can get more detail from reading Geisha. Even in Dalby's book mizua-age is referred to as a sexual initiation; beyond saying this is not true, and saying she herself had the rite, no more is said. And no, I'm not terribly interested in that aspect.
What is clear is that from a very young age the author knew how confined and rigid the world of a Kyoto geisha was in the 1950s, when she joined it; so why did she continue there? We're told that she repeatedly tried to change conditions for the geiko, and "no one listened"--well, what did she expect? In the end, it all comes down to economics; she tells the reader just how extremely lucrative it was to be a geiko at the time she was practically Kyoto's poster-child. It's kind of a "poor little rich girl" or teen rock-star story; yes, those kimonos (which weighed nearly half what she did!) and accessories are wildly expensive, but anyone who can buy not one but two "immense" apartments in exclusive areas of Kyoto before the age of 30 is not doing very badly. She would have the reader believe that she worked and rehearsed nonstop for nearly ten years without a single day's break--but again, no one was forcing her to work every night; she repeats several times that she was so competitive that she chose to do so. (I myself at the ages of 16-19 tried to burn the candle at both ends, and had at least one breakdown in the process. I know from experience, she had to be getting more than "one hour of sleep a night". Even with four or five, I collapsed eventually.) Other geisha certainly took time off, took vacations etc., and later in the narrative, surprise! we hear about her taking trips around Japan and the world. All memoirs are selective, this one perhaps more than some.

Bored or tired of the life she chose, she decides to retire at age 30; she says that the ochaya she was adopted to "inherit" has become worn and her geiko sisters (not her, you notice!) are "aging"--and whose fault is that? The reason she gives for rejecting the young girls who come asking to join the teahouse is, "This is such a rigid profession, no one will respect you." Why not find her own heir apparent and let them take over once they're trained? Looks like her onesan made an unfortunate choice, as Mineko is quite content to continue to delegate all administration decisions on her "mama"; at no time does she evince any understanding of what the position of heir was meant to involve, except of course her own privileges. Once her decision to leave is made, she is quick enough to bail out and start her own business(es), using the contacts she made as a geiko to ensure her own material sucess. There again, a new incoherence arises; first we are told she "left to get married"; then that she didn't meet Mr Wonderful until after she had already retired.

Three and a half stars. I had hoped to make it four, but by the end of the book I was rolling my eyes here and there at her constant "poor me" line. As a side note, if Mineko was the real "inspiration" behind Memoirs of a Geisha no wonder she was annoyed by that...text. I was too.

5 sterren. Als ik kon 6 sterren. Zeker omdat de schrijfster zo goud eerlijk is en pijnlijke herinneringen zeker niet uit de weg gaat. Het is een kijkje in het leven van Geisha's, een eeuwen oude kunst cultuur in Japan en een geheel aparte wereld met zijn eigen taal en gebruiken. Geiko's worden van kleins afgaan getraind in dansen, kalligraferen, de kunst van het converseren ect. Niet te verwarren met courtisanes. Schitterend eerlijk en open geschreven. Mijn westerse kijk op Japan en de Geisha wereld is geheel veranderd door het verhaal van deze vrouw. Vele Japanse termen komen voor in het boek maar door de natuurlijke flow in de verhaal-lijn zijn ze goed te volgen. Daarnaast wordt er binnen de hoofdstukken ook vele verklaringen gegeven.
Mooi zoals haar hele leven wordt beschreven van klein kind verschuilend in de kast to Geisha. Geweldige autobiografie. Heb er echt van genoten.

Enkele gedeelte uit dit unieke boek:
-Terwijl een eerste klas Geiko een meesteres is in het scheppen van een sfeer van ontspanning, houd ik er niet zo van om met andere mensen samen te zijn-
-Toch herinner ik me prachtige momenten waarop de familie helemaal compleet was. Favoriet voor mij waren de maanverlichte nachten als mijn ouders duetten vertolkten.-
- Tante Oima kon fantastisch goed verhalen vertellen. Ik bracht menige koude winter avond door dicht tegen haat aangekropen bij de hibachi.-

I think if you have read Memiors of a Geisha this is a must read. Mineko does a good job of telling about the life of a geiko (geisha) from her personal perspecive. I appreciated getting the first hand account of it.
My only complaint would be the way she laud out the time line. At some points she jumped forward in time then jumped back in time and it was hard for me to keep track of her age and what other things were happening at the same time. I would have been able to follow along easier if it was told from a time line perspective rather than event perspective so to speak.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it for anyone who is interested in geisha life or has read Memiors of a Geisha.