Memoirs Of A Geisha Research Paper

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History of the Geisha
Introduction
The events that occur in Arthur Golden’s “Memoirs of a Geisha” bring attention to the history of a Japanese Geisha. The protagonist of the novel, Chiyo Sakamoto is a fisherman named Minoru Sakamoto’s daughter. Chiyo lives in a “little town called Yoroido on the Sea of Japan” (Golden, 7). The journey of Chiyo becoming a geisha, named Sayuri, is told through the novel. This research essay intends to inform readers about the emergence of the geisha culture, the journey to becoming a geisha, and history’s role in “Memoirs of a Geisha” by Arthur Golden. An insight into history and culture, enlightens the world of a Japanese geisha.
Emergence of the Geisha Culture
Geisha appeared in the 17th century in Tokyo and …show more content…

Today there are as few as 1,000 to 2,000, mostly in Kyoto” (Toronto Star). Before WWII, becoming a geisha was a necessity. Many parents sold their daughters to geisha houses, known as an okiya. Chiyo had a similar fate. Chiyo’s father sold Chiyo and her sister, Satsu to an okiya through the hands of Mr. Tanaka Ichiro. Mr. Tanaka was the reason Chiyo became a geisha. Chiyo’s father had a sick wife and two daughters and he saw no other choice than to sell his daughters into the geisha world. This behaviour shows how circumstances can cause someone to take such desperate measures and turn selfish. Beauty is held at optimal importance in the geisha industry and Chiyo is considered more beautiful and is the one who ends up in an okiya. Satsu, on the other hand, becomes a prostitute in the district of Miyagawa-cho, but ultimately ends up running away. In Chiyo’s okiya in the Gion District, there is a Mother, Auntie and Granny, who decide if Chiyo is worthy of becoming a geisha or not. There is also a geisha who lives in the okiya named Hatsumomo. Hatsumomo is the antagonist of the novel as she does everything possible to prevent Chiyo from becoming a geisha. Hatsumomo falsely accuses Chiyo of stealing a brooch, having a boyfriend, ruining a kimono of a famous geisha named Mameha and much more. There is also another girl in the okiya, named Pumpkin. The okiya’s main objective is to take care of the geisha for a few …show more content…

If she is unsuccessful, like Auntie, she remains in the okiya. Sayuri’s journey is closely related to the journey of many geishas in history. Many geishas were sold into okiyas against their will. The Great Depression, an event in history is made reference to in Memoirs of a Geisha. During the Great Depression, the government shuts down all okiyas and many geishas are forced to work in factories, unlike Sayuri, who’s good friend Nobu, who is in love with her but never ends up being her danna, arranges for her to live with the Arashino Family and sew parachutes. General Tottori, Sayuri’s previous danna was no longer able to provide for Sayuri, which is why Nobu stepped in to help. The novel helps show how terrible the war really was and how people became accustom to watching for bombs in the sky. Sayuri eventually returns to become a geisha and ends up with the Chairman, but pays the price of losing her friend Nobu. This goes to show that the geisha culture is extremely competitive. The novel outlines all the skills that geisha are taught. These skills have always been associated with a successful geisha and Hatsumomo did not possess the skill of conversation. She bites a guest during a party and is kicked out of the okiya and becomes a prostitute, who live in separate districts than geisha. This separation could be a result of the Geisha

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