Geisha

In the early 1960's when Japanese women used to be much more self-restraint, a senior friend of mine, Professor Komamiya, explained to me when we were in the States why Confucianism countries, China, Korea and Japan, had geishas and the States didn't. I was very much amused with his theory and understood it with immediate consent. In the States then or now, when a farewell party is held, for instance, wives and girl friends are usually also invited. They are expected to dress up sexually and to behave coquettishly. If you don't like these words, I can say instead "charmingly". Note that I am talking about only one side of mutual entertainment expected between men and women. A wife at home is expected more or less in the same way in the States. On the other hand, women in Japan used to be educated back then that behaving charmingly was vulgar, and they rarely showed up in public meetings. They were expected to behave discreetly even in the private scenes. If charm of every American woman is aggregated and concentrated on a certain number of women, it makes geishas. The total amount of charm in the country is the same in the States or in Japan. The only difference is whether distributed processing or centralized processing takes place. This was the very lofty theory I heard from Professor Komamiya.

In those days, women in the two countries formed so remarkable a contrast that I instantly agreed on his theory. These years, however, Japanese women have been indeed Americanized. A couple of days ago, when NHK TV featured a song writer, Rei Nakanishi, and broadcast his popular song in the 1970's "Like a prostitute from time to time", expressing man's such desire to the beloved, I thought that most Japanese women were that way these days. It is a matter of course that geishas have been less and less needed in Japan. I am a believer of distributed processing in the computer systems or in women's behavior. A man of my age has been already dropped out from geisha's tradition of Japanese dances, Shamisen instrument or unnaturally white make-up. Honestly, I have never appreciated geishas' accompany in men-only entertaining parties, including company entertainment of customers or the annual alumni meetings in hot spring resorts. I would rather like to have my wife instead.

Now in the States, a novel book "Memoirs of a Geisha" has been in the best sellers' list for more than a year, since its publication in 1997. I have been aware of this book by seeing it in Amazon and in American bookstores, but I have never had the idea of reading it, because I thought that the book must be just another of many frustrating books on Japan with shallow knowledge and much misunderstanding by Westerners. But my wife showed some interest in it, so I bought it in a bookstore in Oakland last week when I was in a one-week itineraty in the States, as a souvenir to my wife. Jet lag is the most difficult problem in a short trip to the States. I usually read a book in the bed in hope to make myself sleepy in the jet lag night. I began to read this book accordingly, but I found it so interesting that I could not sleep. Some years ago, I had a similar experience. When I stayed in a Hilton Hotel in Boston Logan, I tried to make myself sleepy by reading a book "Be my guests" by Mr. Hilton, which was placed in every room together with the Bible, but was so much fascinated by his autobiography that I could not sleep any more and that I eventually wrote a book of my own life story "Tenma boat" in the following months. The same thing happened again, and I stayed awake almost all night to read "Memoirs of a Geisha". This 434 page book was too thick for a night, but I read through much portion in my flight back to Japan, and then pages after pages in the commuting trains in Tokyo until I finished reading by the middle of this week.

Amazon has book review columns on the Web open to readers. This week, my review of this book on the date of October 25 was posted. The book can be sought by the name on its home page at "www.amazon.com", and clicking the book name leads to the book review column. It is interesting that while I rated five stars, two reviews following mine rated the book very poorly. My review is going to be pushed out of the front page into the back number page as more reviews will arrive.

The book is a novel, but takes the form of an autobiography of "Sayuri", one of the most successful geishas of Gion district of Kyoto, which is famous as the most traditional and the most longed for respectable geisha district in Japan. The main stage of the novel "Ichiriki" is the highest ranked party house in Gion. I have seen its unique reddish wall many times from the street, but I have never been inside, because, like a limited-member club, it doesn't accept a new guest unless by introduction by and with accompany with a long-time customer, however money he may pay, which I cann't. Therefore, I don't pretend to be especially knowledgeable about Gion or geishas there, but description in the book matched all I know of them and the book tought me much more which I didn't know. Japanese words and location names cited in the book were all correct, with only one exception that the Japanese word for "major general" was wrongly written "sho-jo" not the correct "sho-sho". But this is understandable because the same character in case of "lieutenant general" is pronounced "jo". I was just overwelmed and very much impressed by the amount of study with such preciseness the author must have done. The author is said to have spent ten years to collect materials.

In Sayuri's life filled with sorrow, I found many touching stories, scenes of sympathy where I felt tears welling up, and thrilling plos here and there. Some people may also appreciate eroticism. Conversation in those days, when beautiful traditional Japanese way of saying was still prevalent, was artistically expressed even in English. You will miss much if you don't read this book to the last page. Some reviews say that the epilog is dull. But I don't think so. All epilogs need not be like fire works. I like the satisfying quiet epilog of this book like the setting sun with the evening glow. Unlike most books, this book has the author's acknowledgement on the last pages. It has a reason. The author can not but tell in the acknowledgement how the book took its shape. My imagination about it was formed exactly as the author plotted while I read through the book, but the acknowledgement told me that my imagination was wrong. And that enhanced my respect to the author greatly. You should not fail to read the acknowledgement at the last moment.

For the first time in these years, I read a great novel which left much in my mind. But reading 434 pages in English may not be practical for most Japanese. Kinokuniya bookstore in Tokyo told me, when I asked, that a book of Japanese translation would be published under the title "Sayuri" either in November or December from Bungei Shunju Press. If the translation can carry over merits of the original book, the Japanese book will not fail to become one of the best sellers in Japan, too.

End