Geisha by Liza Dalby

In the mid-1970s, an American graduate student in anthropology joined the ranks of white-powdered geisha in Kyoto, Japan. Liza Dalby took the name Ichigiku and apprenticed in the famed Pontocho district, trailing behind “older sisters” bemused by this long-legged Westerner intent on learning their arts and customs. Some time ago I wrote about photography book Geisha:The Life, the Voices by Jodi Cobb. For a deeper comprehension though of Geisha existence, I would recommend Liza Dalby’s ‘Geisha’.

In this classic best-seller, Liza Dalby, the only non-Japanese ever to have trained as a geisha, offers an insider’s look at the exclusive world of female companions to the Japanese male elite. Her new preface considers the geisha today as a vestige of tradition as Japan heads into the 21st century.

Liza Dalby was the solely foreigner ever to have become a Geisha. This is the tale of her time spent as a Geisha, and the consequences of her years spent investigating the archaic Japanese profession. Even though the book is actually a non-fiction factual text, it is presented as a fiction book and is written as a story as Dalby tells of her experiences in Japan. It’s an excellent book for anyone who has never heard of Geisha before, or for anyone who has and is wondering what it is they actually do and who they are.

Too many westerners have the image of Geisha as Japanese prostitutes but this is certainly not the case – they are just ‘performers’ of powerful and wealthy men. Dalby’s book goes into great aspect of Geisha life and interprets everything from the basics of what a Geisha is, to explaining how the girls get their names, where they live, regional varieties, dress style and their manner of living. It gives a colourful portrayal of how times have adapted in the Geisha world and draws how Geisha in olden-times were very different from those now (the first Geisha was actually men!). It describes the long and difficult training many Geisha have gone through in the past and the way that young girls are taken under wing by older and more experienced Geisha who become their sisters and mothers and a whole new family set up is arranged. It tells of the talents these young girls have (dance and music, mainly) and also of what happens when Geisha women get older and leave the profession.

The book is as well great for anyone interested in gender functions in Japan – Geisha women never marry and play a very different role to that of the Japanese wife. It’s really interesting to see just how their lives vary from the ordinary Japanese housewives. I would highly suggest this book to anyone of any age. Dalby adds her views on everything we can see how things really are and the reader is touched by the lives of some of the girls, the way any other non-fiction book would be unable to do. I would highly recommend this book to anyone of any age. It’s great for students too who need a deeper understanding of Geisha life and can’t find it in a normal textbook – because Dalby adds her personal views on everything we can see how things really are and the reader is touched by the lives of some of the girls, the way any other non-fiction book would be unable to do.

“Extremely interesting . . . . Written with delicate observation and subtle common sense.”—New York Times Book Review

“A loving, beautifully designed tribute to one of Japan’s most tantalizing traditions.”—Newsweek

“Elegantly balanced . . . . Invigorating and refreshing.”—Washington Post Book World

“A meticulously researched piece of scholarship . . . and a delightfully personal account.”—Times Literary Supplement

“Dalby knows more about the subject than I’ll ever know, and she writes about it with grace and eloquence.”—Arthur Golden, author of Memoirs of a Geisha

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