Geisha: A Life

I found myself annoyed with Mineko about a quarter way through her book and my aggravation with her only increased as I continued to hear more and more from her. This book is an accurate account of what geisha life was like in the 60's for Mineko, but Mineko's resounding ignorance of geisha life in prior times made me feel sorely tempted to fling the book across the room on multiple occasions.

I'm far from an expert of geisha history or customs, however I think I have done enough reading on the subject to say that I personally found Mineko to be the most unpleasant figure I have come across. Her alternating ignorance and then conceited assertion of being "in the know" were often baffling. When she relates her decision to retire as geisha in the hopes of pressuring the Kabukai into changing their traditional ways, I was practically trembling with frustration at her behavior.

She spends a large part of her book whining about how a geiko are trapped and incapable of becoming financially independent (although money is apparently no barrier when she begins drawing up plans to have her okiya torn down and a five story building with a club, restaurant, beauty salon, and apartment put in its place). She blames everything on the Kabukai, who she found terribly behind in the times. In particular she complains about how they didn't provide any lessons to geiko but dancing and music, even when she admits that she was perfectly free to go and study other subjects on her own. Her naivety coupled with her ignorance of her own proffession's history would have been laughable if they were not so irritating.

If Mineko were at all familiar with the history of her own profession she would know that it used to be a requirement for all geisha to attend classes and learn another profession such as spinning, weaving, accounting, dancing, and singing. This was done due to the assertion that geisha were only geisha because they did not have other skills that they could use, and that they were trapped and incapable of becoming finanacially independent. However, the classes proved so very unpopular that as soon as the government adjusted the laws to make the classes optional rather than compulsory the geisha promptly quit all of them but dancing and singing.

She asserts that mizuage in the geisha world is purely a graduation from maiko to geiko and has nothing to do with sex, clearly unaware that it most certainly did involve sex until 1958 when the prostitution laws came into place. She would have been nine at that time and the change of geisha ceremony may have escaped her notice, particularly considering how much time she apparently liked spending inside of closets.

However, the thing that both amused and baffled me most was actually due to an interview I watched, in which Mineko claimed that Memoirs of a Geisha was actually a sensationalized version of her own life. The assertion is laughable. Sayuri is likable, Mineko is not. Mineko would probably have been wiser not to disillusion us all.

In conclusion, Mineko's account of her life as a geiko is worth perusing if you are seriously interested in geisha during the post-1958 period and if you only want one woman's account. However, any historical information she tries to provide should be taken with a large pinch of salt; her personal memories are good but history was clearly not a subject she studied following retirement. My conclusion after reading a wide variety of different books on geisha is that their history and experiences have as much variety as any other profession, there is no cookie cutter experience. That said, Liza Dalby or Lesley Downer's works would be a far better use of your time.

Great book. I bought "Geisha, A Life" book along with this book thinking they were different books. They are both the same book just a different cover and title. I have read Memoirs of a Geisha. Although both books are about the flower and willow world, they differ quite a bit as for the meaning of terms. The more I try to understand this world of Geisha, the more complex it becomes. This book are worth the buy but Memiors of a Geisha , although fictional, is still my favorite.

This book has been on my “to read” list since I read Arthur Golden’s Memoirs of a Geisha: A Novel a few years ago. I found Memoirs to be utterly fascinating, but couldn’t help but wonder how much artistic license Golden took in order to create a more compelling story. Iwasaki’s memoir proves that Golden’s account is pretty accurate. She provides an intriguing look into the world of the geisha as it’s been for centuries, with a nod to the fact that many of the old traditions--such as geishas leaving school after junior high to pursue their careers--may not survive in today’s world.

I read this book several years ago and was absolutely absorbed into it. I had already read Memoirs of a Geisha and was intrigued by the idea of reading the true story and not a hyped up novel with incorrect sensationalism. Mineko Iwasaki's life reads like a novel as you would never guess that a little girl could do what Mineko did. I had a hard time putting the book down between reading opportunities. Generates a whole new world of respect. Mineko is the same age as I am so I was looking to see the parallels and found that I would not have the strength or bravado that she had. I love where she took her life and the life she gave to all Japanese, to all women, to live their dream and the work entailed in succeeding.

Having read and enjoyed Arthur Golden's Memoirs of a Geisha, I was very excited to pick up the real life account of Mineko Iwasaki. All controversy aside, I enjoyed reading and learning the fine details and almost labyrinthine culture of what it meant to be a Maiko/Geiko in Japan post WWll. Unfortunately, Mineko herself was difficult to empathize with. She comes across as extremely arrogant (some may say rightfully so) but her book seemed incredibly self indulgent, repeatedly reminding the reader of what a perfectionist she was and how she was adored by everyone and consistently outshined everyone around her and dazzled her clients with her wit and brilliance. Some of the events she describes - having a friend "respectfully" scratch her foot on demand, purposefully trying to make the Queen of England jealous by flirting with her husband and having an affair with a married man and ultimately destroying a bunch of his wife's belongings in a hotel room just left a bad taste in my mouth and as much as I wanted to enjoy Geisha, A Life, it was a little off-putting.

The rich culture and history was enjoyable and I would still encourage people to give this book a try as it is a very candid look into the elusive life of a geisha and overall a good read for anyone interested in the glamorous and sometimes not-so- glamorous life of a geisha.

Enjoyable and interesting, this book is far better than the fictionalized MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA, and puts to rest the false notion that geisha are high-class call girls. (They're not.) Anyone with an interest in Japan, Japanese culture, geisha, or the arts would appreciate this work. Ms. Iwasaki was privileged to live an extraordinary (if demanding) life, meeting the likes of Prince Charles and Queen Elizabeth among other dignitaries (whom she fails to honor, however) and she tells her story with good explanations throughout. One gets the feeling that she never quite understands how privileged she was; especially when, at the height of her popularity, she closes the okiya that was put into her care. Nevertheless, it's a detailed account of her experiences, especially the demanding nature of the profession, and on that account is a valuable contribution to "geisha-related" literature. My copy included pictures, some in color, which are very enlightening.

Excellent! At the age of five, Mineko Iwasaki was sent by her parent's to an okiya, a geisha house, as the house's atatori, that is, the intended successor. She studied dance, and became very well-known. This is a very interesting description of the life and training of geiko, as the Kyoto geisha are known.

At the age of twenty-nine, having inherited, she shut down the Iwasaki okiya. This was a rather disturbing action to me. The author describes her dissatisfaction with the way the "flower and willow world" was run, and her decision to close the house was intended to jolt the system. Of course, it did nothing of the kind. She does not say anything about what happened, following her action, to the people who were dependent on the house for their livelihood, and I found that omission disturbing.

Having also read Arthur Golden's extremely popular Memoirs of a Geisha, I was intrigued by the differences between the two descriptions. But I don't know whether the differences are attributable to the different eras about which the two were writing (Iwasaki was born in 1949, Golden's book covers the period from just before to just after WWII), or if Golden was exercising "artistic license".

Allright, so this book may not be presenting much historical facts on the generations of geisha, but focuses more on self-glorification and the glamour of her own successes.. with a touch of arrogance on the side, as well as a sense of pride... but cmon, admit it.. she displayed great work of being a geiko and surely earned her way to the top. For some of you to ask "WHO CARES" simply doesn't justify your interest in geisha life. Geisha life is a question of outer surface and glamour presented every single minute... not the inner-personalities inside.
Her arrogance is well justified to the point where her honesty on the cruelty of other geiko as well as hers are balanced. It's the way that geiko societies work; perhaps I could not have found a more "survival of the fittest" athmosphere than this.
Over all, this book is beautiful, the story, the plot.. the characters are not only interesting but quite surprising to the usual American mind who would stupidly mistake it for simple "Arrogant, Spoiled Brat"... that's foolishness.
Read this book with the intent of seeing it from a Geiko's perspective, not an average conscientious individual.
I most loved the situation with how she resents Prince Charle's autographing her folding fan... and how she resents the rude "i'm-not-eating-foreign-food" by the queen.. leading to a conversation witht he Duke of Edinburge and arouses jealousy between the two royal couples. Intense!
True.. it should not have ended so quickly, I'm sure there were many more details. but hey... it's satisfactory enough for a thorough read of 2 days.

and her principle was most inspiring.. "the samurai betrays NO weakness... even when starving.. Pride above all".... well!! doesnt the so-called "spoiled arrogant brat" admit it! Well done!

I like to read about Japanese and Chinese culture, so this book was appealing to me for that reason alone. Iwasaki provides an authoritative look at the business end of being a geisha--and reveals just how much the geisha culture drove a certain part of Japan's economy, providing jobs for many people involved in making the elaborate obi and kimono worn by geisha, for instructors in the fine arts practiced by geisha, owners of tea shops, dressers, and many others. I did feel when reading the book that the author wanted to portray herself in a relatively favorable light; this is no contemporary, Western-style, tell-all confessional. There is a feeling of distance between author and reader. Among the most interesting revelations were the chapters describing the author's adoption as a young child by the geisha family, and the lengthy separation process from her birth family. Iwasaki had several sisters, some of whom also were adopted into the geisha family, though only the author had great success. It seemed to me there were more stories to be told here, but that was not the author's purpose in writing the book. I enjoyed the book and recommend it for anyone who might be interested in reading on this topic.

One of the reasons Mineko "came out" and decided to write this book was to set the misrepresentation of Geisha culture by Arthur Golden, whom she sued for the publishing of Memoirs of A Geisha (and settled out of court).

The biggest items in contest were the facts that the concept of the Mizuage as a fee for a deflowering ceremony of a girl only applies to the oiran and tayu (prostitutes), not Geishas (where the word stands for the amount of money made by appearances over a period of time) and the notion that Geishas don't provide sex, only company. These were two items that was misrepresented by Golden.

If by definition, an autobiography is to be a revealing self-portrait, then Geisha, A Life succeeds brilliantly. As readers, it is human nature, I think, to seek common ground and find people we can identify with when we pick up a book, especially a biography. However, if one can accept that the act of reading can also serve as an insight to individuals whom he or she will never cross paths with, then the absence of common ground no longer becomes an issue.

Like many others here, I found this book through the controversial source for Golden's Memoirs of A Geisha. I was hoping to read about the witty conversations Geishas are reknown for. Certainly, Iwakasi- who never lets up from constantly reminding us, until the very final page- portraying herself as the greatest legend in the Geisha culture in the last hundred years, would be positively emanating with wit in every page.

There was none.

Instead, we are treated to a 300-page reiteration of a narrator who continues to win in almost every situation. She is No.1, inspiring jealousy in her colleagues; she excels in her dance, she instills mass hysteria and adoration from her numerous fan clubs; she is highly in demand in the Gion kobu; people sneak photos and out-takes of her into posters, commercials, and annual events, she makes so much money that she owned over three hundred kimonos worth tens of thousands of dollars, she comes from an aristocratic family (and yet, curiously, she had to "chose" a hard life of work at the age of five, separating from her family which she points out, was the only time she was truly happy in life).

Even when she was at the point of retiring, not only does a good-looking younger man ask for her hand in marriage, but she keeps all her appointments, have an affair with a married superstar, and manages to make the Queen of England jealous enough to send the Duke of Edinburgh to the doghouse for paying too much attention to our heroine.

She openly admits she doesn't like people. She is impetulant and spoiled from a young age. There is a unfortunate dearth of any humane voice in her narration. At the same time, she overworks herself because she wants to be liked by everyone.

If all of this doesn't seem to add up, it's because the root of the story lies in one line, imparted to Mineko by her father at the beginning and the end of his life. "The samurai betrays no weakness even when starving. Pride above all."

Given this filter, you begin to realize that you have to read this autobiography as if it was selectively recounted with a heavily prejudiced pen, often in the writer's favor.

The only big dramatic moment occurs on Page 159, when our author pays a visit to her Onesan (the mentoring older sister to a maiko at the Okiya) who also turns out to be her real sister. She finds their mother hunched over like a maid, cleaning something. The older sister enters and screams "This is the [...] who sold us and killed Masayuki." Our author cries and runs out of the house.

So the reader first thinks "whatever happened to making her own decision at five years old to lead a superstar life of a Geisha? I guess I'll find out in the next chapter."

We never do.

It immediately jumps back to the busy schedule of our triumphant heroine. All we have to go by is the closing chapter line "I never went back. Some proprieties were just not worth it."

There is never a Geisha that equals Mineko in the narration. We are told there is a graceful beauty who was an exquisite dancer in the Gion district. Her name is Satoharu, but she is only alluded to in passing. Why? We get a glimpse of the reason on pg 232, as Mineko pleads with her Okiya mother Masako to dress down when they go meet Mineko's love interest. Here is a 21 year old superstar Geisha at the top of her game, with men falling all over her, and she is begging a 47 year old woman to go in everyday clothes because she couldn't bear being outdone?

A person who doesn't like competition can tell a story only one way.

One of the inherent problems of a non-fiction account of Japanese culture is that the subject is known to be extremely insulated as a community. Even if they beg to differ, or they are put off by a gross misrepresentation of the facts, we, as non-Japanese people, will never know. I think this sets the stage for a free-for-all, with the prize going to the person who choses to speak.

And that's how I made it through the last hundred pages. It became more of game for me as a reader, to see how the narrator could continue to cram yet another example of self-glorification into her story.

In this, she did not disappoint.

I found this a fascinating book, filled with glimses into the culture and customs of Japan. I knew little of Japan before I read it, but Mineko filled in many gaps and clarified many misconceptions.
She was the most successful geisha (actually "geiko") of her time--beautiful, graceful and determined. And yet, she grew tired of the life, and retired at the very early age of twenty-nine, ending the ancient Iwasaki line.
She begins her book with her early childhood and her reasons for becoming a geiko. She takes the reader through training and all it's rigours through to her enormous success. She alludes to her disillusionment with the geiko life, and to her attempts to reform the educational traditions, but does not specify any of these. I was disappointed in that, for, having watched her mature in this book, I would like to have known more about her reform attempts, to have seen her in that role.
Geisha, A Life is not the most well-written of books, which could be due to either author or translator. But then, that doesn't really matter. Let's face it. . . no one reads an autobiography for literary merit. Autobiographies are read in an attempt to KNOW the writer, and in that aspect, Mineko succeeded--I felt like I was ending a conversation with a good friend when I closed this book.

Most people outside of Japan do not realize just how exclusive and secret the world of the Geishas is. Connections and wealth buy a seat in an Ochaya, and on the streets of Gion in Kyoto catching a glimpse of a Geiko (Geisha in the Kyoto dialect) is as rare as Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster. Geiko move fast down the streets and alleyways, and a sighting is something to tell your friends about.
With "Geisha : A Life," Mineko Iwasaki lifts some of the veils of this fantasy world and shows that, underneath the make-up and fancy hairstyles, Geiko are just women, with the same thoughts and feelings and pride and emotion as everyone else. In some ways, this destroys the fantasy, being able to see "behind-the-scenes." The life of a Geiko is very difficult and somewhat...boring. Like a dedicated ballet dancer, the bulk of their life is training and practice, trying to achieve a near-impossible idea of body and movement.
"Geisha: A Life" is not compellingly written, nor as fascinating as the sexualized and fictional account "Memoirs of a Geisha." It is not as academically insightful and full of details as Liza Dalby's "Geisha." But it is honest and real. Mineko's account of her life is straightforward, without much decoration. After reading it, you will know what it is like to be a Geiko.
Woven into this account, perhaps unintentionally, is the loss of Japan's disappearing past. Mineko doesn't bat an eye when telling the story of how she leveled their 100-year old Geisha residence, in order to build a modern night club and hair salon because she thought it would make more money. She talks with hope of her artist husband someday becoming one of Japan's legendary Living Treasures, but doesn't see how she should belong in the same category. She feels loss for the fading world of the traditional Japanese arts, but keeps destroying them along with everyone else.

This is a beautiful story about a little girl who became one of the most famous geisha in Japan. Mineko, which is her adopted geisha name not her birth name, moved into the Iwasaki geisha house when she was only five years old. She started her artistic training when she was merely six. At a time when most five and six year olds in America are starting kindergarden, playing video games and sports, Mineko was already "working." Her passion and greatest devotion became the dance.

This biography came out in 2002 which may or may not have been around the time Memoirs of a Geisha published as well. Both novels are strikingly similar I noticed, especially when it dealt with World War II. But this novel, as opposed to Memoirs, is an actual biography.

The Japanese terminology is so fascinating to learn and explained very well. I learned that geisha in training were called maiko, or "women of dance," and geisha or geiko actually means "women of art." For a period of twenty five years (from age five until twenty-nine), Mineko practiced all the traditional and ancient customs including dance forms, music, and tea ceremonies (ochaya). Maiko is simply amazing. Despite learning traditional customs she is also an incredibly skilled business woman. She worked 7 days a week, 365 days a year, from the time she was fifteen until she was twenty-one. In the Iwasaki okiya she was the hardest working and most devoted geisha.

Her experience with love was also very humorous. Because she worked so intently she viewed most men as business transactions and nothing more. One man, by the name of Toshio, eventually changed her views. After visiting her multiple times he finally expressed his love for her, which she just scolded him as a young child (despite him being twice as old) and he was also married! Toshio explained they were both in a loveless marriage, but Maiko didn't want to hear of it; she refused him completely. Finally she told him, after his countless advances, if he came to the Gion Kobu every day for three years then maybe she would consider it. She pretty much figured that was that.

He came every single day for three years. But despite this their romance became rocky and unstable. He never left his wife. She later met a young painter, Jin, that won her over.

When Mineko decided to retire at the "old age" of twenty-nine, she was sent thousands of letters from her adoring fans. She met kings and queens, royalty, presidents, diplomats, politicians, and celebrities from everywhere in the world. Her assets were in the millions. She opened up her own club, then later sold it. She decided to get her art license and became an art dealer.

The beauty of this novel is how truthful and painful it was for her to grow up. I didn't really feel that she ever had a childhood, she always worked and trained every day. Her training did pay off because she was so incredibly popular, but there was still a hint of sadness in my opinion.

Mineko Iwasaki tells the story of her life as one of the most renowned geisha in recent history. She was inspired to tell her story because she found offensive the common misconceptions about geisha that many people hold. She felt the only way to clear up the false ideas and impressions was to open the doors on the world of geisha and shine a light on her story, through her experience and her thoughts.
Her story begins with her requesting to leave home at an early age to begin training with a Geisha at the age of five. The training is at best difficult and demanding both mentally and physically, but the emotional toll seems extremely severe. She perseveres through it all and her success is unprecedented. Her reflections on the demanding style of life lead her to a decision to retire at the age of 29 and to begin what she perceives to be a normal life.
The cultural differences are immense and at times difficult to comprehend. Mineko Iwasaki is not a sympathetic character and yet her story is a compelling memoir of an open and honest nature.

This autobiography gives us not only an insight into the education, the working conditions and the social status of a geisha, but also into the Japanese society as a whole.
To give a few examples: selling children for sex slavery became forbidden only in the year 1959, or, the existing extreme differences of wealth (some people could pay nearly every day extremely expensive geisha parties, while poor people were forces to abandon their children).
Besides more personal intimate confidences, the author sketches a good picture of the hardship (sometimes only one hour of sleep per night) of the education and the working conditions, the extreme jealousy and fierce competition inside the geisha guild, the sexual morals (allowance of extramarital relationships) and the colossal sums involved in the geisha business.
Not to be missed by the Japan aficionados.
I should also recommend the works of Ian Buruma, Lisa Louis and Nicholas Bornoff for a broader perspective on the Japanese entertainment culture.

Mineko Iwasaki is one of the most famous modern geisha. She has met with famous people from Prince Charles to world famous film director Elia Kazan. Her life was neither simple nor without mistakes and this book tells it all. From her days as a little child to her retirement. When she was young she lived in a rather large family that had already sent away a few of their daughters to train to become geisha (or geiko). But when the leader of a geisha house sees Mineko she knows that Mineko was made to be a geisha. Over the next few years of her life she trains in dance and other arts of the geisha. Mineko seems to be taking a big risk in writing this book. Not only was the book Memoirs of a Geisha, loosely based on her life, she is so far the only geisha to ever publish her biography. You can tell from reading her book that not only is she a brave and a hard worker but she is also very proud, which can be a good thing and a bad thing. I'd recommend this book to people who want to know about what life is like as a Geisha. It clears up many of the mistakes that Arthur Golden has made in his writing about geisha.
If you're looking for an honest biography about geisha life, this book is for you.

I read this book out of sheer curiosity about the life of a geisha and finished it by picking up tidbits of the rich culture of the Japanese.

This is the first book on this topic that I have ever read so I can't compare it to anything else but I will say that I learned a lot and it sparked an interest to read more about this in the future.

I was blown away by the incredible memory of Mineko. She remembered the smallest of details of life with her parents (whom she resided with only until the age of 5) and she was able to retain so much information in her early childhood during her training. That determination fostered a workaholic approach to her career when she became a maiko, where she set out to become Number One.

One thing that stood out for me was when Mineko pointed out that no two kimonos are alike and that the patterns on them indicates what stage a woman is in in her career.

I also learned about the turning of the collar and the differences between a red and white collar (red symbolizing a child, white an adult). At the age of 21, a woman becomes a full-fledged geiko.

There was an antagonist in the book, Yaeko. Someone needed to teach this woman (and, apparently, her sister) something called manners. This woman dumped all over Mineko, making life miserable for her during her training and deliberately embarassing her in front of customers. (Nice to see her get it in the end proving that "what goes around comes around.")

Towards the end of the book, Mineko details how much the performers give to the profession but how the profession does not give back to the people who breathe life into it (not her words). She also sadly points out that the world of the geisha is dying out.

And despite her gripes with "the system" that she tried for so long to change and couldn't, she is truly sad about its bleak future.

Having tread the common fiction Memoirs of a Geisha to Liza Dalby's quasi-ethnography Geisha, I had hoped to find a happy medium in this book: something that provides an accurate and deep exploration of contemporary geisha (for that time period) through the eyes of one artist with a bit of narrative. Geisha, a Life delivers this, but the author is very obviously reconstructing and justifying her past choices. Whereas an excellent memoir reflects on and admits poor decisions in addition to celebrating triumphs, this reads as a rather cleaned up and ego-boosting narrative. While no doubt she worked very, very hard to stay at the top of her profession and become a truly accomplished artist, her lack of comfort with the follies of the past reduce her to two dimensions. It's still interesting and informative, but the Iwasaki does herself no favors in trying to self-aggrandize; it's utterly transparent and a bit off-putting.

When she was only five years old, Mineko Iwasaki decided to be a geisha. She began training in the arts of dance and etiquette since then. In this book she tells her life story. She described her upbrining life at the Iwasaki okiya. I enjoy reading this book because there is no geishas in the history of Japan has the courage to come forward in public to tell her story! However I feel angry with her parents because they allowed her to be a geisha when she was only five years old. She was too young to make such decision on her own. In order to be adopted by Iwasaki okiya, she went to the court at the age of 10 and 12 to declare that she was no longer the daughter of Tanaka, her own parents. She also terminated her junior high education just because she needed to concentrate on her professional career. I feel terribly sorry for her when I read those incidents in her life. I agreed with her sister, Yaeko that her parents somewhat sold her to Iwasaki okiya for money. This book not only unveils Mineko's life but also help explain what it is really like to be a geisha. It is a wonderful book about the geisha culture.

This book makes a wonderful counterpoint to Memoirs of a Geisha. Although the author was the main source for that book here she tells her own story which, rather than being a girl from a poor area, sold to a geisha house and forced to prove she was worth the money spent, she is a girl that the house begged for, requesting for years that her family let her come and become the heir to the house and the adopted daughter of the owner. This is not the story of a geisha that was having businesmen bid for her virginity but one who's house was so wealthy that having sex play a part in the business made no sense. In a quote from the book she estimates that in the 1960's just from attending parties as a chaming guest she was bringing in over $500,000 per year to her house and states "Why would geisha resort to sex for money when you had that type of earing power?" You get the idea that in certain parts of the book she is correcting some of the artistic liscence taking in "Memoirs" but rather than being a distraction it just makes for more interesting reading. The childhood training, her drive to be perfect, her disputes with the traditions and the surprising descisions she makes at the end bring to life that small secluded part of the world that is fast dissappearing.

I first got interested in geisha reading Arthur Golden's MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA, then decided to go hunting for more information on geisha to see how accurate his account was. I started with Liza Dalby's GEISHA, and then came to read this.

Mineko delivers an absorbing account of her life and training as a very top geisha in Gion, the most exclusive of Kyoto's geisha districts. For those who are comparing her tale to Golden's, keep in mind that Golden is writing fiction, in fact, almost fairy-tale-esque fiction (complete with wicked stepsister, wicked stepmother, fairy god-mother, handsome prince, etc.) Mineko's tale is true, and archly told; Mineko herself comes across as a very strong, in some places almost domineering personality, as one would expect given her position in the family she was adopted into and her family's high-status position in Gion. The strength of her personality makes reading this book a wonderful pleasure.

However, Mineko's position within the geisha hierarchy was very atypical. She was at the very top of the heap, with all sorts of perks and privileges due to her station that many other geisha did not have (atotori so everyone respects her from day one; she gets personal access to the Big Mistress, tremendous financial and professional support in launching her career from her very-high-status okiya etc.), and it's not clear in the book that she understood this at the time, or indeed understands this now. For example, when talking about sexual matters (such as mizuage and whether a geisha's patron was entitled to sexual favors--Dalby and Golden say yes, Mineko says no), Mineko talks about her earnings, which were at the time she was working somewhere on the order of hundreds of thousands of yen a night in goshugi alone, and says something to the effect of "This is another reason why the idea of geisha selling sexual favors is so ridiculous. Given that geisha earn so much just by performing, why would they?" Well....most geisha, especially those who didn't have access to Mineko's advantages, probably *didn't* earn that much. Not that they necessarily sold sexual favors, you understand, it's just that Mineko doesn't seem to realize that her earning status was quite extraordinary and that there were probably a *great* many geisha who were a lot less fortunate.

(It may be worth pointing out here that Liza Dalby worked in Pontocho, a slightly-lower-status geisha district of Kyoto than Gion, where Mineko was located. Of course, Dalby also suggests that a great amount of the "sex" aspect of the concept of geisha may have come from the conflation of many different types of geisha and female entertainers.)

All in all, this is an entertaining book, well-written and highly readable, by turns sad and funny, as well as a great look inside the world of very-high-status geisha. In a way, this book is a tragedy as well, as by the end of it Mineko gives up her career and closes the okiya that had been entrusted to her by her adoptive family (an act that would have made Mineko look a lot less sympathetic if we hadn't seen just how hard she had been pushed as a child, even though her family cared for her.) Those reading it for information, however, should keep in mind that Mineko's account of geisha life is, while wonderfully detailed, also quite narrow in scope and that it may not be representative of all or even most geisha. For a look at a very different kind of geisha experience, I suggest AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A GEISHA, by Sayo Masuda, who was a hot-springs geisha around 1940 or so.

My brother purchased this for me after I had started reading The Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden. I decided to read it directly after I finished the fictional novel to compare how realistic Golden's work was. It is safe to say that although Memoirs of a Geisha is quite well-known, it is far from the world Mineko describes. It is true that she lived a life with certain privileges because she was a successful geisha, but at the same time, she is sincere and straightforward in her account. I found that I enjoyed learning about the culture behind the closed society of geisha, and the clarifications she gives to correct the rumors and falsehoods that spread about. Overall, I was enraptured by the small window she gave to me, and continued reading because I was curious about her story.

As the previous reviewer has pointed out, this is merely an account by one geisha. It is Mineko's version of her own life as a geisha and should not be seen as a representative account of geisha in general.

I find it troubling that in discussion of a foreign culture, there is a tendency to generalize. The geisha community is quite an exclusive group and holds on to its own customs and stringent etiquettes. Nevertheless, it is not a homogenous community in that the personality, background, aptitude, and fortune of geishas differ greatly. Mineko was fortunate to have the support and care of so many people. I am sure there have also been geishas like Arthur Golden's Sayuri; perhaps there are others who are more unfortunate and has to resort to selling their body for money.

Mineko's account of her life is engaging and thoroughly enjoyable, even though it often comes across as self-aggrandizing. Unlike "Memoirs of a Geisha," which I find stiff and uninspiring, this book has a good flow to it and keeps you going.

I would really like to read a book about geisha written not by geishas, but by someone who has close contanct with them, such as their hairdresser, maid, or their patrons. Such a book would help bring a new perspective into this now anachronistic group that still fascinates many.

Geisha have always been fascinating, mostly I believe, because they are so mysterious to us Westerners. Prepare to be demystified. Golden's 'Memoirs' was like another reviewer wrote, an excellent book, but still a fairytale - a bittersweet Japanese Cinderella. This book, by contrast, was written by an actual Geisha living her own real life rags to riches story. Though we might envy her glamorous lifestyle and beautiful clothes, we sympathize with her heartbreak, rejoice in her victories, and otherwise come to care about Mineko. She is simultaneously innocent and worldly, childlike and alluring. She was the top Geiko of her era and extremely privileged. While not as dramatic as Memoirs, I enjoyed this book much more - mainly because I felt it was more accuracy and less artistic license.

I've been interested in finding something that could give insight to geisha life. I had heard from some sources that Memoirs of a Geisha was not too accurate in its portrayal of geisha life. Thus the idea of reading something similar, but hopefully more accurate, compelled me to skim through Geisha, a Life. Ultimately I went back and bought it.
To an unattentive reader, the author may come off as pretentious and self-glorifying. However, if you consider that, for all intents and purposes, she was practically an "Olympian" in her field, her comments do have merit. And what is wrong with saying the truth if it is the truth? If Olympic gold winner track star Michael Johnson says in a book, "I have talent" who is to disagree? Why is it any different with Iwasaki? Because she has no gold medal to show for her acomplishments? Consider that, unless you lived in Japan at the time, you probably do not fully grasp her star status, as I am sure I do not either.
Finally, she raises several examples from her life that show she is not some arrogant woman, who regards herself with godly esteem. In fact, some of these examples come on the very next page of "self-glory", where she clearly shows her past mistakes and naivete.
I recommend that the reader treat this book more as a personal diary, rather than some sort of historical document. It can be a very delightful and fun book. Personally, it helped clear up some misgivings I had towards geisha, due to Western misunderstanding and obfuscation. Ironically, I kept on wanting to skip all the historical data of geisha life that I had been searching for and jump back into her life stories.

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 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.

I have an interest in Japanese related things and I had already read Memoirs of a Geisha before this one. I found this to be a great read and entertaining. I'm not very picky about my reading so I had no trouble with the order or structure of the book. It was fine to me. It seemed like a regular autobiography with very helpful information into the life of Geisha...or a Geiko. The most surprising difference I found between this and the other geisha book I mentioned (yes, I realize the Memoirs is fiction) is the deifnition of the "mizuage." In Memoirs it is about paying for sex, but in this biography, there is no sex whatsoever. I trust the biography. Both books were very entertaining.

I read this book after reading Memoirs of a Geisha and found this one to be much more interesting and satisfying. But that's because I find real stories of real people more interesting than fiction. And I can see why Iwasaki is angry at Golden if indeed his premise that geisha auction off their virginity isn't true as she claims. Golden's work is a good read but for a fascinating look at a real life, read Geisha: A Life. I left off one star because I feel that Iwasaki could have given us even more detail and anecdotes. However I highly recommend this book.

This book is an easy read, and the subject matter - a geisha's life in her own words - is not only extremely fascinating but is also unavailable anywhere else; Mineko Iwasaki is the first geisha to tell her own story.
However, despite the enrapturing subject matter, this book is deeply flawed. To begin with, Iwasaki's writing is simplistic and not closely copy-edited - there are minor grammatical errors starting in the second chapter.
In addition to these annoying errors, the author's attitude is blatantly self-serving, self-righteous, and (in my opinion) the factual details of the story are highly unlikely.
For instance, Iwasaki details crystal clear memories begining before age three and credits her infant self with complex thought patterns that would be unusual in an adolescent, much less a toddler. At every possible opportunity, the author ascribes emotions to others without supporting evidence in order to make herself appear better and to blacken others, including her own sisters.
While I do not expect much more from autobiography, the sledgehammer bluntness of this self-serving process is offensive as it unfolds. Many of the conclusions she draws insult the intelligence of the reader with their obviousness and it just goes on and on and on.
My advice would be to read this book only if you are a big fan of Arthur Golden's "Memoirs of a Geisha" (Golden based his book loosely on Iwasaki's life and picking up on the similar points and the changes he made is enlighting for fans of the novel) or you just can't read enough about Japanese culture. But wait for it to come out in paperback - it's not worth the cash and not engrossing enough to reread. And take the "facts" of the story with a grain of salt.
If you haven't read "Memoirs of a Geisha," do so instead of reading this book, then decide. And if you are looking for something a bit more realistic and gritty, I would reccomend "Sandakan Brothel No. 8," by Yamazaki Tomako. It's an excellent memoir of one of the karayuki-san - poor rural Japanese women sold into overseas prostitution between the 1860s and the 1930s.

After having read Memoirs of a Geisha, it was wonderful to find another story of a geisha. While not everything in Mr. Golden's book was accurate, I still enjoyed it as a good story. If you are to read both Golden's book and Ms. Iwasaki's book, you cannot compare the two. Golden's book is a novel and reads as a romance story. Iwasaki's book is her life story and cannot be read as a piece of fiction. Many people compare them and are more taken in with Golden's style of writing, which is very poetic and again, romantic, but Iwasaki's is straight forward and does not try to cater to anyone's ideal.

The two stories are very similar because Golden used Iwasaki's story and transformed it enough to be his own, though it was not his story to tell, so even though they have many things in common, they still should not be compared on that basis. Golden's tale is a work of fiction while Iwasaki's tale is all her own. I would highly recommend this book, although it may appeal more to people who like historical books, as it is an autobiography. As in all I found that Iwasaki's tale was fascinating and engaging. While some may believe parts of it are too much to be true, I point out that we cannot begin to claim to understand all the inner workings of the Flower and Willow world. Iwasaki Mineko is a true, former geiko (Kyoto geisha), and she lived a very amazing, hard life. I believe that she has a right to be heard and let her story be known.

The introduction chapters about her ancestors were a little confusing becasue there were too many names with long spelling. The chapters sharing her memories with her parents were sweet, but yet a little too short and not so informative. Later chapters when she shared memories of her times as a Geisha was interesting. The life of a Geisha, the clothings, the music, the dance and Geisha were well described. Short and simple. Mineko is an interesting person. Not antisocial or self center, but hard head. I enjoy reading how she defended her pride, and how she remained respectful to her oldest sister in public. Between the line, Mineko explained the meaning of family and respect. I enjoy mostly the fact that no one can injure her pride nor destroy her dignity.

I found this book at a used bookstore, and having been always fascinated with the Geisha culture, I found it refreshing to hear stories from one of the most renowned Geisha in history, instead of fiction.
Wonderfully written, a little one sided at times, but that is to be expected in a biography.

This book was incredible. This book is a true story about the life of a Geisha. It has cleared up so many of my misconceptions. I always thought from other books I had read that these women were basically well trained prostitutes. This is not so. The Gion Kobu is a city of true art and traditional japanese culture. These women go through more training in dance and music and other art forms than I ever would have imagined. In addition it also gives you insight into the japanese world during a time of war and during times of peace. You can really learn a lot from this book. How their makeup was done, how to open a door, what they wore from head to toe and even the importance of tea! So, if you are interested in a book about sex scandals and viscious plots look elsewhere, but if you want an amazingly true story of the most recognized symbol of a fascinating culture, this book is for you. ^_^

This is the ultimate book you should consider when trying to get a first hand account the details of a life of a Geisha.

Mineko Iwasaki is highly respected and is referred as one of the best Geisha to ever come along in her generation.

This book was interesting and exciting to read.

If you have read Memiors of a Geisha, you will know that Mineko's story greatly contributed to Golden's novel. Now see what it is really like to be a Geisha by reading Mineko's book.

Mineko Iwasaki has told her story in a simple and straightforward way, like a conversation with a trusted friend. She is witty and intelligent and loyal and her account is filled with fascinating details of the Geisha's training and way of life. I no longer read for enjoyment, but once I picked up this book and began reading, I was captured until I had read the whole thing.

I really enjoyed this book. I first read Memoirs of a Geisha, which I loved. I knew that Memoirs of a Geisha is a work of fiction and that Geisha, a Life would probably be a bit different. Trying not to see it in the context of an American woman, I just let go and followed along with Mineko's story. If we compare it to reference our culture to their's, there will be things that we consider strange, but in that culture are totally acceptable.

Memoirs of a Geisha got me curious about the mysterious lives of geisha, and I really enjoyed reading this book as well. I now plan to read more about these mysterious women, who in the Western culture, have been portrayed as prostitutes, which they are most surely not.

Mineko is probably best known in the Western world as the geisha who sued Arthur Golden who wrote the bestseller "Memoirs of a Geisha", in which there are many inaccuracies which help to further the misconceptions long held in the western world that geisha are nothing more than ladies of the night. As a result of this Mineko decided to publish a book about her own life, it certainly is not going to provide you with all the technical information some might wish to read about geisha - but what it does provide to us is real feelings, real thoughts and a real person, and a first-hand account of the training and artistic skills taught that are required to become a geiko (geisha). Mineko's story is certainly quite fascinating to read and delivers to us a real and personal journey through the life of one of the most famous geiko to emerge from Gion. She talks about right from the beginning, when she chose to become an atotori (a heir of the house) of the Iwasaki okiya right through to her sudden and surprising retirement at the young age of 29. If you want to learn of the real lives of these `women of dance and music' read this book.

Although an interesting read, the autobiography lacks any real flow. The author jumps so often from one time period or story to another that you always wonder where you are in the time line.

Also the author seems in such a rush to put down any suggestion of sexual undertones in the society, that it becomes over done. On the other hand she admits to an affair with a married man as normal.

All through the author uses a snobbish tone and that is rather off putting. Also I think that claiming to remember in perfact clairity events from the age of two and three a bit crazy.

I would not recommend this book.

It's funny and sad how many reviewers are comparing this book to Golden's trite example, claiming it to be less beautifully written and not as exciting. I hate to break it to you, but Golden is a middle-aged man from New England writing about a teenaged Geisha during WWII. The only thing he's got going for him is his flowery language seeing as his accounts of the Geisha are completely INNACCURATE! His fluffy book offended me. "Geisha: A Life" is at least a first hand account, and it is not necessary to pump it up due to historical accuracy. These books are in two completely different categories. To compare them would be like measuring Danielle Steele against Stephen Hawking.
"Geisha: A Life" is appropriate retribution for the damage that Golden did with his mid-century soap opera trash. I enjoyed this book because the author tells it like it is, and apologizes for nothing. Now that is courage.

"Geisha, A Life" Mineko Iwaski's autobiography is not scandalous nor is it particularly revealing. Perhaps there is a cultural chasm or translational difficulty, but bluntly, Mineko does not come off as particularly truthful, likable, or appealing. The aspects she chooses to display show her great love of dressing up, dancing, and her almost frenetic energy.
The most interesting part of the book is her early childhood that was in a semi-rural part of Japan and was idyllic. The reader has to swallow that Mineko had an almost photographic memory from age three plus great insight into people's characters. She was an odd little girl who preferred to be alone, spent most of her time (by choice) in closets, and did not like to talk to people. She nursed (or tried to nurse) until she was almost 10 years old, long after she had left her mother. Maybe this is a Japanese custom. She left her family for good by the time she was six-years old to live permanently in the Iwasaki okiya (geisha house). She insists throughout the book that her father, an aristocrat in reduced circumstances, was not, as accused, a baby-seller; yet he did just that with three of his four daughters. His eldest never forgave him and ran away to get married before the debt to the geisha house was paid. Mineko heaps scorn upon this eldest sister throughout the book because she "dishonored" the family and caused her father grief.
Mineko was not typical because she was heiress-apparent of the house, and was always treated with a great deal of honor. To most American readers, it might seem this "honor" turned her into a spoiled, arrogant brat. She complains the other girls did not like her and were jealous of her attainments and superiority. It was likely they had more genuine reasons for their dislike. There is no doubt that Mineko worked hard and earned her number one status. Her schedule is almost unbelievable (she says she only slept a few hours a night). It is interesting the amount of celebrity she occasioned as the top geisha (geiko) in Kyoto. Crowds gathered round, autograph hunters were everywhere; she had commercial endorsements. To us, she had the life of a rock star. She retired at the height of her fame at age 29. Since that time, she has been successful in business (why does this not surprise me?), married and has one daughter.
"Geisha, A Life" is interesting and the author is very good at giving us small vignettes of her experiences with her peers. Her descriptions of her beautiful attire and the backbreaking work of making up, hairdressing, and donning the various garments to ready herself for public appearances are fascinating. I really wished I could have liked her more.