The release date for the English version of 'Geisha, a Life' by
Mineko Iwasaki is Sep 2003. If you enjoy this novel, it is available for buy as a paperback from Barnes & Noble or Indigo, as an ebook on the Amazon Kindle store, or as an audiobook on Audible.
In the three hundred years of the karyukai's existence, not a single lady has ever stepped forward to share her experience in public. We have been restrained from doing so by unspoken guidelines, customary attire, and the sacredness of our singular vocation.But I think the moment has come to speak out."
Mineko Iwasaki, hailed as the most prosperous geisha of her century, left her parents' house at the age of five to pursue her career as a geisha. She would have a life marked by high professional demands and substantial rewards for the following 25 years. She would study the traditional Japanese dance and music forms, as well as pick up the formal manners and language of the geisha. Kings and princes, business titans, and entertainment industry giants would all fall in love with her, and some of them would go on to become her closest friends. She would go on to become one of the most cherished geishas in Japanese history and one of the last outstanding practitioners of this rapidly disappearing art form, thanks to her immense pride and tenacity.
In Geisha, a Life, Mineko Iwasaki recounts her life's journey from a cozy early childhood, through a demanding yet affluent upbringing in the Iwasaki okiya (household), her years as a well-known geisha, and, at age twenty-nine, her decision to marry and retire—a decision that would symbolically represent the end of geisha culture. Gion Kobu is described by Mineko as having "existed in a world apart, a special realm whose mission and identity depended on preserving the time-honored traditions of the past." Mineko captures the magic and beauty of Gion Kobu. She provides examples of how it coexisted in Japan throughout the country's dramatic transition from a post-feudal society to a contemporary one after World War II.
"What it means to be a geisha is shrouded in mystery and misconception. According to Mineko Iwasaki, "I hope this story will help explain what it really is like and also serve as a record of this unique component of Japan's cultural history." Geisha, a Life is unique in that it carefully reveals the stages of a geisha's growth. It is a genuine tale of beauty and bravery, of a period and culture seldom disclosed to the West, and it is told with tremendous knowledge and respect.