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Mineko Iwasaki
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Geisha of Gion: The True Story of Japan's Foremost Geisha Paperback – 6 May 2003

by Mineko Iwasaki (Author), Rande Brown (Translator)
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 1,555 ratings
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The extraordinary, bestselling memoir from Japan's foremost geisha.
'A glimpse into the exotic, mysterious, tinged-with-eroticism world of the almost mythical geisha' Val Hennessy, Daily Mail
'[An] eloquent and innovative memoir' The Times

'I can identify the exact moment when things began to change. It was a cold winter afternoon. I had just turned three.'

Emerging shyly from her hiding place, Mineko encounters Madam Oima, the formidable proprietress of a prolific geisha house in Gion. Madam Oima is mesmerised by the child's black hair and black eyes: she has found her successor. And so Mineko is gently, but firmly, prised away from her parents to embark on an extraordinary profession, of which she will become the best. But even if you are exquisitely beautiful and the darling of the okiya, the life of a geisha is one of gruelling demands. And Mineko must first contend with her bitterly jealous sister who is determined to sabotage her success . . .

Captivating and poignant, Geisha of Gion tells of Mineko's ascendancy to fame and her ultimate decision to leave the profession she found so constricting. After centuries of mystery Mineko is the only geisha to speak out. This is the true story she has long wanted to tell and the one that the West has long wanted to hear.
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  1. Print length
    352 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Simon & Schuster UK
  4. Publication date
    6 May 2003
  5. Dimensions
    13 x 2.3 x 19.6 cm
  6. ISBN-10
    074343059X
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0743430593
  8. See all details
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Product description

About the Author

MINEKO reached the peak of her career as a geisha in the 70s and 80s, performing for the likes of the Queen and Prince Charles. Now, decades later (and still stunningly beautiful), she is the mother of one daughter and lives with her husband in a suburb of Kyoto, Japan.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Simon & Schuster UK; New edition (6 May 2003)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 074343059X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0743430593
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 13 x 2.3 x 19.6 cm
  • Customer reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 1,555 ratings

About the author

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Mineko Iwasaki

Mineko Iwasaki

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Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
4.1 out of 5
1,555 global ratings
Romantic Japanese ideas.
4 Stars
Romantic Japanese ideas.
I have always been fascinated and a little bit hypnotised by Japanese culture especially the geisha girls but that was shattered after being in Japan which I found raw, alien, sharp and unsettling. Luckily this book has brought back the mental romantic notions I once held and I am grateful for it.
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Top reviews from United Kingdom

hamptoncherry
5.0 out of 5 stars If you are interested in the real picture read this book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 22 December 2015
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This is a very good book for those who would wish to understand the complex world of geiko and maiko a bit better. I personally found the insight into family and class relations fascinating. Without understanding of how clans interact with each other and their wealthy clients and tea houses and restaurants you will never form anything approaching a true picture of the "willow world".

The heroine is certainly a very strong willed woman. She is not hesitant to give you her view of things, and her account is very interesting to read. Special thanks to the translator, I have a rudimentary knowledge of Japanese, so can appreciate the difficulty of translating this book into English.

This book is a reflection of the very core idea of how Japanese society functions and balances questions of honour, keeping face, roles of males and females, wealthy patrons, economies and traditions, bullying and fighting for yourself. I have certainly got some understanding of how insanely difficult it is to become a maiko, let alone a successful geiko.
4 people found this helpful
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Diana
4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating insight
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 8 August 2023
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Some really interesting topics, and a great counterpoint to Memoirs of a Geisha. However, the author is irritatingly self congratulatory and arrogant. I am amazed that her older sisters didn’t try to throw her off the concrete bridge
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Simon Binning
3.0 out of 5 stars An interesting account of a much misunderstood subject
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 4 March 2017
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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.
66 people found this helpful
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Fiona O.
5.0 out of 5 stars beautifully written, fascinating!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 16 February 2023
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Totally captivating, and so so interesting to read about this culture and the life of a geiko. Highly recommend this!
One person found this helpful
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Amber Clews
5.0 out of 5 stars Compelling read, couldn't put it down
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 17 October 2015
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Bought this after reading "Memoir of a Geisha" and finding out this book was written by the same Geisha that inspired Arthur Golden's Novel.
I found it to be a really captivating read and almost impossible to put down. The book is accompanied with a variety of photos detailing different major points of mineko's life. I loved the fact it delved into both the good and bad points of being a Geisha and put right some of the misconceptions made in Golden's Novel and the ones present in western minds. It gives a much more defined view of what a Geisha is and what's expected within that world and culture. Would recommend this book to anyone that enjoyed memoirs of a geisha and to be honest anyone that didn't too. Really a compelling read!
6 people found this helpful
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Kizzy Beagledore
4.0 out of 5 stars An Interesting Read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 7 May 2019
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Like many people buying this book I bought it on the back of Memoirs of a Geisha , looking for more "real life" information about the world of the Geisha.

In terms of authenticity this book utterly delivers , being the memoirs of a real Geisha or Geiko as they are called in Kyoto. Like all memoirs you have to remember that the narrative comes from only one persons point of view and, in this case, a person who despite having had considerable success within the Flower and Willow world left it with a very jaundiced view which comes across strongly in the book.
I can understand why other reviewers have called the author "unlikable" - she was obviously deeply cossetted as a child ( despite having been sold to an Okiya) and has a very high opinion of her own talents in compassion to her sister Geiko. I also think that she has some form of high functioning autism as she frequently describes being uncomfortable around people, the necessity to perform various "rituals" to and from her classes and tlaks often of hiding in a cupboard in order to process and cope with the world around her. Certainly her style of writing reminds me a great deal of autistic children I have fostered and explains a great deal about her unhappiness in a world that demands communal living and close contact with customers in a way that would be deeply uncomfortable for an autistic person.

Having said all of that her life story is fascinating and she provides a "no holds barred" view of what life as a Geiko is like. Her pride in her art is unmistakable and this book certainly gives a real flavour of the dedication required to be a top Geisha.
I enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it for anyone looking to find out more about Geisha.
13 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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ivy
5.0 out of 5 stars a realidade por trás de memórias de uma gueixa
Reviewed in Brazil on 22 January 2024
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note-se que a autora foi entrevistada pelo autor de memórias de uma gueixa para compor seu trabalho. Ver a realidade por trás de uma verdadeira gueixa é outro mundo!
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting, good read.
Reviewed in the United States on 22 November 2023
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This book arrived on schedule. This book, "Geisha of Gion" is interesting and corrected a lot of misconceptions in the novel "Memoirs of a Geisha", which I have also read. I finished reading the book within a day and a half, because I found it so interesting. I would recommend this book, especially if one has read "Memoirs of a Geisha".
One person found this helpful
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Robert
3.0 out of 5 stars Eeeh
Reviewed in Mexico on 13 September 2019
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I have no idea where to start.

Despite the fact that I have always had a general fascination with geishas until three weeks ago I don't remember knowing about the existence of this book.
Obviously I've seen Memoirs of a Geisha many times since it's release and even read the book almost ten years ago but I can't say I actually liked this book, it's easy to read, so easy that in the spirit of Mineko pushing herself through anything I just went for it and finished it in a single day because otherwise it could have just been sitting there for years to come waiting for me to finish it because unfortunately I just didn't find the way it's narrated to be very compelling.

Again, I haven't read Memoirs in ten years so I probably don't like it as much as I remember (which wasn't a lot or otherwise I'll remember it more fondly) but I think I still like it more than this if only because memoires knows how to create DRAMA out of an already existing dramatic experience (what can I say? I grew up watching telenovelas), seriously a real life Hatsumomo that happens to be the sister of our protagonist! Someone in her life called pumpkin! The ruined kimono! Mameha unfortunately does seem to be a fabrication.

Mineko is to be honest kind of insufferable in the way that makes people around the world say "if she were a man..." (I also can't stand this kind of men for what is worth) or "She's a STRONG CONFIDENT woman and you CAN'T deal with it". This entitled workaholic artist/work of art is clearly in need of a very good therapist or at the very least a life coach had they existed back then in the sixties, and those around her didn't made her any favors: youngest child and daddy's girl who suddenly gets picked (later we learn she was basically sold by her oldest embittered sister) to become an heiress and it's given the run of a household at age three or four when she first visits the okiya before leaving her family at five until she's officially adopted at ten and becomes THE top earner in the following decade.
She's apparently never teached a lot of things outside artistic endeavors (she does complain about this towards the end of the book) and somehow manages to get by on around three hours of sleep at the beginning of her career even when she does not seem to stop at all during the other twenty-one hours of the day: she wakes up at six, practices her dancing lessons, does the little chores she has to make around the house, ritualizes 3 little things before going to school in a way that puts all the openings in all of TV ever to shame before going to school, makes visits to thank the establishments that help her career, goes back for lunch, gets ready to work, goes to work to her endlessly booked appointments (as little as three minutes each as as many as possible every night every single night of the year!!! ) goes back to the okiya at around one am, takes another bath and practices her dancing another two hours or until she just can't continue. To all that I say respect but also take a chill pill girl.

In those years before she finally realizes that she might be falling in love with a married man whom she has made him pursue her for a hundred nights she only takes ten days off and only because she was in great risk of losing a kidney due to her tonsils because the woman is psychologically unable to stop. Her relentless drive obviously makes all the other young women around her hate her guts and torture for our poor Duracell/Energizer bunny ensues, that is until she starts to make her clients book the rest of them along with her and they all become a big happy community (ha! ha! ha!)

Mineko admits to not being good with people an it definitely shows on the way she speaks about them while also being totally understandable because of the horrible things that DO happen while she's a child.
In chronological order :
She spends most of the little time living with her parents inside a cupboard by her own choice and thankfully not like "the boy who lived" (red flag for any parent) or in her father's lap/side (understandable)
Tries to kill herself with a black velvet ribbon when she finally accepts to be adopted in order to become the atotori of the okiya (extreme)
Thinks she should have died instead of her thirteen year old nephew (whyyyyyyyyyyy???) by her oldest sister Yaeko - our Hatsumomo- who hates her even when she has nothing to do with it and was miles away from the event.
It's almost raped by her oldest nephew who's fifteen when she was twelve (despicable! he and his awful mother Yaeko, who were living in the okiya despite being an immense breach in protocol are thrown out of the house and Yae is basically exiled from social life in a way that makes everyone not look bad because appearances matter)
And on top of that attempted rape many more instances of sexual harassment, all before she's twenty !
Obviously after all the trauma she doesn't have many desires to be among people and decides she'll pour herself into her art and despite allegedly being THE BEST she soon finds out that her lack of a love life is hindering her dance because she lacks true emotion in her movements. Enter the cheating movie star mentioned above and surprise! she's suddenly taking vacations and spending her hard earned money instead of just leaving the envelopes with her juicy tips as tips for others (I would consider this as extremely kind of her if she actually knew the value of money but she doesn't at that point in her life and she makes that very clear. To her those tips are just envelopes that she never even opens because she doesn't care at all because she doesn't know what money is either in the physical or the abstract although she does show generosity in other ways like passing along her kimonos to other women who don't do as well as her or helping others to get booked along with her).
Along the way we discover how inept she's capable of being in the real world when she decides to live alone and her romance of 5 years with the cheating movie star abruptly ends when she staves a pile of photos on top of a mattress and makes confetti out of a fur coat belonging to the wife because HE lied to her.
Then there's the two episodes regarding the British royal family and in this I'm unabashedly on her side, Prince Charles should've been aware that he shouldn't go around asking for other people's things just so he can inadvertently autograph them and the Queen being aware of the importance of protocol should've had at the very least one bite, because as Mineko knows this things are planned in advance it's not as if they took an old can of something and just plopped it on the plate in front of Betty (her flirting with Prince Andrew to get back at her in the name of Japan is very petty though).
By the end of the book she has let go all the women she was literally meant to take care of, demolish the house she was chosen to upheld and disposed of the treasures under the name she took when she was ten and almost cost her her life (certainly the one she had before) had she not been a ten year old tightening a ribbon around her throat. All because she wanted to expand into the nightclub business.
She finally marries to a god man and has children.

A good incentive to seek a therapist if I ever read one, I respect her journey but I still want to grab her by the shoulders and shake them to see if she can realize that her choices affect far more people than she can know including me because why else would I write a one thousand five hundred word review of a book I didn't like?

To conclude I'll say that the only unassailable reason to regard this book as preferable and superior to Memoirs of a Geisha is if one wishes to stick it to the man (Arthur Golden in particular and patriarchy, western ideals and white straight males taking the voice of others in general), in which case buy multiple copies of the British version which comes with pictures in colour and use them as gifts for anyone and everyone because the literary quality is lacking and the little you might actually learn about the Women of Art of Japan is barely beyond the basics.
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Shatabdi
5.0 out of 5 stars LOVED IT!
Reviewed in India on 13 August 2017
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Written in wonderfully simple, yet never bland language, gives us a glimpse into the life of a vanishing community of Japan. This book had me hooked from its first page and I finished it within the first night. Plus it has wonderful pictures from Mineko Iwasaki's real life as a geisha.
2 people found this helpful
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fiona
5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended.
Reviewed in Australia on 22 November 2019
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Well written, informative and extremely enjoyable. A truly amazing and courageous woman.

Takes the reader through a range of emotions.
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