memoirs of a geisha
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Memoirs of a Geisha
By Arthur Golden
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Author’s Background
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Arthur Golden• Born in Chattangooga,
Tennessee• Attended Harvard, receiving a
degree in art history, specializing in Japanese art
• Earned M.A. in Japanese history from Columbia University
• Traveled to Asia, spending a summer at Beijing University and working in Tokyo
• Earned M.A. in English from Boston University
• Currently lives in Brookline, Massachusetts with his wife and two children
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Golden’s Inspiration• Lived in Japan• Studied Japanese culture• Had connections with a retired geisha• Interested in the secret world of geisha’s lives
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Setting
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Yoroido
• The story begins in the small ocean side village of Yoroido.
• “This town only had one road leading right to the front door of Japan Coastal Seafood Company”.
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Kyoto• In the city of Kyoto there is a district that also
makes up most of Kyoto. This district is Gion.• The Shirakawa Canal, runs through Kyoto.• “To shut out the pain… I turned toward the
Shirikawa, but cruelly, even its waters glided along with purpose.
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Nitta Okiya• The Nitta Okiya is the home of the Geisha:
Hatsumomo, Sayuri(Chiyo), and Pumpkin.• Mother takes over the Okiya when
Grandmother dies.• Sayuri and Hatsumomo have adjacent
rooms in the Okiya.• There are several other rooms such as the
Kimono Storage Room, the pantry, the kitchen, and the maids rooms. However those rooms are hardly mentioned in the book.
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Gion
• The district of Gion in Kyoto is home of many Okiya.
• There are many Teahouses in Gion such as the Ichirika Teahouse.
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Important Characters
in Memoirs of a Geisha
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Characters
• Chiyo Sakamoto /Nitta Sayuri
• Mr. Tanaka• Satsu• Mother• Granny• Auntie• Hatsumomo
• Pumpkin• Chairman• Mameha• Nobu• Baron• Dr. Crab• General Tottori
Junnosuke
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Main Characters
NobuChiyo/Sayuri
Pumpkin
The Chairman Mameha
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Plot
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Plot• Chiyo is taken to the
geisha district• Pumpkin and
Hatsumomo• The Chairman• Geisha Training School• Mameha
• Teahouse party• World War II• Does she reach her
goal?
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Geography of Japan
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• Japan was mainly formed by the volcanic activity by the many volcanoes near and on the island.
• This volcanic activity also causes most of the earthquakes that bombard the island nation.
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• Due to the earthquakes and erosion, the valleys of Japan were formed.
• Each valley provides a “nesting” spot for the future cities to be built.
• Japan being a mountainous nation however has trouble expanding their larger cities.
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• Japan also has many rivers in Japan.• Such as the Shirakawa Canal.
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Cultural Background
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Some Japanese Terms:
• Okiya: geisha boarding house
• Danna: A geisha's patron, somewhat like a husband
• Geisha: a traditional Japanese artist-entertainer
• Jorou-ya: brothel, place of prostitution
• Mizuage: Sexual initiation of an apprentice geisha, her virginity
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Cultural Background• Memoirs takes place during
World War II• Japan had already been at war
with China in 1937• Japan joined the Axis powers
which included Germany and Italy
• Japan aimed to dominate Asia• Japan attacked the U.S. at Pearl
Harbor in 1941
• The U.S. bombed Japan in 1945
• Japan officially surrendered to the Allies on Sept. 2, 1945
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The Kimono
• A bright, outer kimono, two under kimonos, and 11 obis (sashes)
• Worn daily by geishas• Different styles on
different occasions like tea ceremonies, parties, funerals, and other events.
• The type of kimono depends on a geisha’s status.
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Quotes • “But this one was a water blue with swirling lines in ivory to mimic the
current in a stream. Glistening silver trout tumbled in the current, and the surface of the water was ringed with gold wherever the soft green leaves of a tree touched it. I had no doubt the gown was woven of pure silk and so was the obi, embroidered in pale greens and yellows.”
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20th Century Japanese Society
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Differences Between Fishing Villages and Large Cities
1930’s Fishing Village 1930’s Kyoto
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Life in a Fishing Village
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Life in a Japanese City
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•“The difference between life at the Tanaka’s house and life in Yoroido was great as the odor of something cooking and a mouthful of delicious food” (31)
•… “she wore a soft pink kimono with white flowers… the broad obi tied around her middle was orange and yellow… I’d never seen such elegant clothing… none of the women in Yoroido owned anything more sophisticated than a cotton robe…” (32)
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Upper Class in Japan
“Some nights, wealthy businessmen or aristocrats threw geisha parties just for themselves” (336).
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Upper Class Men
Dr. Crab
Nobu
The Chairman The Baron
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•“Doctor Crab considered himself something of an aristocrat…” (285)•“But I knew what he meant; he thought of the Baron as a relic of the feudal age” (291)
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Japanese Women’s Place in Society
“I certainly can’t afford to have a powerful man upset with me… if a powerful man makes up his mind to destroy me, well, he’ll do it!”
(344)
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GeishaWorking Class
Women
Prostitutes (being displayed in a
window)
Japanese Marriage
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•“They wore kimono and hair ornaments similar to geisha, but their obi were tied in the front… a mark of a prostitute” (94)•“We do not become Geisha to pursue our own destinies. We become Geisha because we have no other choice.”
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Economic
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Before Being a Geisha
• Geisha’s typically come from a background of poverty
• Some of them have no option
• Domestic work in the house first
• "I hadn't held a coin of any kind in my hand since coming to Kyoto" (96)
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Geisha
• Supplies the money for their headquarters or “okiyas”
• “…I don’t like to be associated with trash…” (56)• They have to pay back the people that financed
them once they start working as geisha.• They will work for the men that offer the
highest bid.• The better a reputation a geisha has, the more
they’re paid.
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The Men• The men are usually very rich.• They do it because it is the popular thing• Danna• They typically don’t geisha• "You'll be very fortunate ever to become a
graphics with sufficient statues for a man like Nobu..." (247)
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More Economic Factors
• Memoirs of a Geisha takes place during WWII and the Great Depression (1932)
• The Japanese currency at that time was called yen