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Memoirs of a Geisha (film)
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Memoirs of a Geisha
Memoirs of a Geisha Poster.jpg
Teaser poster

Directed by
Rob Marshall
Produced by
Steven Spielberg
Gary Barber
Roger Birnbaum
Douglas Wick
Lucy Fisher
Written by
Robin Swicord
Based on
Memoirs of a Geisha
 by Arthur Golden
Starring
Zhang Ziyi
Ken Watanabe
Gong Li
Michelle Yeoh
Music by
John Williams
Cinematography
Dion Beebe
Editing by
Pietro Scalia
Studio
Spyglass Entertainment
Amblin Entertainment
Red Wagon Productions
Distributed by
Columbia Pictures
DreamWorks Pictures
Release dates
November 29, 2005 (Tokyo premiere)
December 9, 2005 (United States)

Running time
145 minutes
Country
United States
 China
Language
English
 Japanese
Budget
$85 million
Box office
$162,242,962
Memoirs of a Geisha is a 2005 film adaptation of the novel of the same name, produced by Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment and Spyglass Entertainment and by Douglas Wick's Red Wagon Productions. The picture was directed by Rob Marshall and was released in the United States on December 9, 2005 by Columbia Pictures and DreamWorks Pictures. It stars Zhang Ziyi, Ken Watanabe, Gong Li, Michelle Yeoh, Youki Kudoh, and Suzuka Ohgo. Ohgo plays the younger Sayuri in the movie, which was filmed in southern and northern California and in several locations in Kyoto, including the Kiyomizu temple and the Fushimi Inari shrine, the last film by Spyglass Entertainment teamed up with Buena Vista International for the Worldwide, before StudioCanal UK took over.
Memoirs of a Geisha tells the story of a young girl, Chiyo Sakamoto, who is sold to an okiya, a geisha house by her family. Her new family then sends her off to school to become a geisha. This movie is mainly about older Chiyo and her struggle as a geisha to find love, in the process making a lot of enemies. The film was nominated and won numerous awards, including nominations for six Academy Awards, and eventually won three: Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design.
The Japanese release of the film was titled Sayuri, the titular character's geisha name.


Contents  [hide]
1 Plot
2 Cast
3 Production 3.1 Pre-production
3.2 Production
3.3 Post-production
4 Reception 4.1 Western box office and reviews
4.2 Casting controversy
4.3 Chinese responses
5 Awards and nominations
6 Soundtrack album
7 Interviews
8 References
9 External links

Plot[edit]
The film tells the story of Chiyo Sakamoto, a poor Japanese girl who has been sold along with her older sister Satsu into a life of servitude by her parents. Chiyo is taken in by the proprietress of a geisha house, Mother (Kaori Momoi), but Satsu is rejected and is sold to another house in the "pleasure district" of the Hanamachi. At the okiya, she meets another young girl named Pumpkin (Youki Kudoh), and also has numerous unpleasant run-ins with the okiya's senior geisha Hatsumomo (Gong Li).
Chiyo conspires with Satsu to flee from their new lives. She returns to the okiya and discovers Hatsumomo in the shed having sex with her boyfriend, Koichi. Koichi runs off and Hatsumomo frames Chiyo for stealing, but Chiyo informs Mother of what she saw in the shed and Hatsumomo is banned from seeing Koichi. On the night of their planned escape, Chiyo falls off of a rooftop and is injured. Mother finds out about Chiyo's attempt, therefore she stops paying for Chiyo's geisha training, and informs her that her parents are dead. Chiyo never sees Satsu again. Chiyo is then demoted to working as a slave to pay off her debts to Mother.
One day, the young Chiyo is noticed by the Chairman (Ken Watanabe) and his geisha companions. He then buys her an iced sorbet and gives her his handkerchief with some money in it. Inspired by his act of kindness, Chiyo resolves to become a geisha so that she may one day become a part of the Chairman's life.
Several years later Chiyo is taken under the wing of Mameha (Michelle Yeoh), one of Kyoto's most successful geisha. Under Mameha's tutelage, Chiyo becomes a maiko and then takes the name of Sayuri. Hatsumomo becomes Sayuri's rival and seeks to destroy her. Sayuri reunites with the Chairman and longs to catch his attention. Sayuri grows in popularity and Hatsumomo spreads lies and rumors to ruin Sayuri's reputation. Meanwhile, Mameha starts a bidding war for Sayuri's mizuage, which will make her a full geisha. Sayuri gets named the lead dancer for a popular performance, where she catches the attention of bidders, including the Baron (Mameha's danna). The Baron invites Sayuri to his house for a party. When the Baron shows a kimono to Sayuri, he undresses her in order to "take a look". Sayuri returns to Kyoto where Mameha learns of the assault and fears that Sayuri is now worthless, despite Sayuri saying she isn't.
That evening, Sayuri wins the bidding with fifteen thousand yen. Mother, seeing Sayuri as a financial opportunity names her as her adopted daughter and heiress to the okiya. This crushes Pumpkin, who was hoping that she would get adopted and Hatsumomo is enraged when Mother informs that Hatsumomo is more like a prostitute. Mameha later tells Sayuri that the bid was down to two people, Dr. Crab and the Baron. Mameha let it go to Dr. Crab because of her romantic feelings for the Baron, despite his bid being even higher. When returning home from the mizuage ceremony, Sayuri finds Hatsumomo in her room, where she has found the Chairman's handkerchief and they fight. During the fight, a gas lighter ignites a fire and the okiya is partially destroyed. Hatsumomo leaves the okiya for good.
Sayuri's prosperous life is cut short by the outbreak of World War II. Sayuri and Mameha are separated, with Sayuri going to the hills to work for a kimono maker. After the war, Sayuri is reunited with Mameha, and they become geisha once more to impress an American Colonel that is going into business with Nobu and the Chairman. Sayuri meets back up with Pumpkin, who is now a flirty escort. Sayuri goes on a trip with Nobu, the Chairman, Pumpkin and the Americans to the Amami Islands.
At Amami, the Colonel proposes Sayuri, but is rejected. Nobu witnesses the incident and confronts Sayuri. He finally confesses his feelings that he wants to become her danna. Sayuri is distraught and devises a plan to humiliate herself with the Colonel in front of Nobu. But because of her secret resentment of Sayuri, Pumpkin brings the Chairman instead, knowing that it would devastate Sayuri.
A few days later, after returning to Gion, Sayuri receives a call to go to the teahouse. While waiting, Sayuri expects Nobu to arrive, but instead the Chairman comes where he finally reveals to her that he knows she is Chiyo. He tells her that Nobu had learned about the affair and ceased being her danna. He also reveals that he was responsible for sending Mameha to her so that she could fulfill her dreams of becoming a geisha. Sayuri finally reveals her love to the Chairman, which she has been harbouring for over twenty years. The film ends with their loving embrace and kiss and a stroll through a beautiful Japanese garden.
Cast[edit]
Zhang Ziyi as Chiyo Sakamoto/Sayuri Nitta
Suzuka Ohgo as Young Chiyo Sakamoto
Gong Li as Hatsumomo
Samantha Futerman as Satsu
Kaori Momoi as Okasan/Mother
Ken Watanabe as Chairman Iwamura Ken
Michelle Yeoh as Mameha
Kōji Yakusho as Nobu
Youki Kudoh as Pumpkin
Zoe Weizenbaum as Young Pumpkin
Tsai Chin as Auntie
Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa as Baron
Cathy Shim as The Baron's Guest
Kenneth Tsang as General
Karl Yune as Koichi
Ted Levine as Colonel Derricks
Paul Adelstein as Lieutenant Hutchins
Production[edit]
Pre-production[edit]
Producer Steven Spielberg had been scheduled to direct Memoirs of a Geisha as the follow-up to Saving Private Ryan. However fellow DreamWorks executive David Geffen had tried to persuade him not to take on the project as he said, "I don't think it's good enough for him". Whether or not he was dissuaded from the project, he went on to direct A.I. Artificial Intelligence instead.[1]
The three leading non-Japanese actresses (Zhang Ziyi, Gong Li, and Michelle Yeoh) were put through "geisha boot camp" before production commenced, during which they were trained in traditional geisha practices of musicianship, dance, and tea ceremony.
Production[edit]



 The orange gateways at the Fushimi Inari Taisha shrine in Fushimi-ku, Kyoto, used in a scene wherein a young Chiyo runs through them
Production of the film took place from September 29, 2004 to January 31, 2005. It was decided by the producers that contemporary Japan looked much too modern to film a story which took place in the 1920s and '30s and it would be more cost-effective to create sets for the film on soundstages and locations in the United States, primarily in California. The majority of the film was shot on a large set built on a ranch in Thousand Oaks, California which was a detailed recreation of an early twentieth-century geisha district in Kyoto, Japan. Most interior scenes were filmed in Culver City, California at the Sony Pictures Studios lot. Other locations in California included San Francisco, Moss Beach, Descanso Gardens in La Cañada Flintridge, Sacramento, Yamashiro's Restaurant in Hollywood, the Japanese Gardens at the Huntington Library and Gardens in San Marino, Hakone Gardens in Saratoga, and Downtown Los Angeles at the Belasco Theater on Hill Street. Towards the end of production, some scenes were shot in Kyoto, Japan, including the Fushimi Inari Taisha the head shrine of Inari, located in Fushimi-ku, Kyoto.
Post-production[edit]
In post-production, one of the tasks of the sound editors was to improve upon the English pronunciation of the international cast. This sometimes involved piecing together different clips of dialogue from other segments of the film to form new syllables from the film's actors, some of whom spoke partially phonetic English when they performed their roles on-set. The achievement of the sound editors earned them an Academy Award nomination for Best Achievement in Sound Editing.
Reception[edit]
In the Western hemisphere, the film received mixed reviews. In China and Japan, responses were sometimes very negative due to various controversies that arose from the film's casting and its relationship to history.
Western box office and reviews[edit]
The British reviews for Memoirs of a Geisha were generally mixed. The New Statesman criticized Memoirs of a Geisha's plot, saying that after Hatsumomo leaves, "the plot loses what little momentum it had and breaks down into one pretty visual after another" and says that the film version "abandons the original's scholarly mien to reveal the soap opera bubbling below".[2] The Journal praised Ziyi, saying that she "exudes a heartbreaking innocence and vulnerablity" but said "too much of the character's yearning and despair is concealed behind the mask of white powder and rouge".[3] London's The Evening Standard compared Memoirs of a Geisha to Cinderella and praised Gong Li, saying that "Li may be playing the loser of the piece but she saves this film" and Gong "endows Hatsumomo with genuine mystery".[4] Eighteen days later, The Evening Standard put Memoirs of a Geisha on its Top Ten Films list.[5] Glasgow's Daily Record praised the film, saying the "geisha world is drawn with such intimate detail that it seems timeless until the war, and with it the modern world comes crashing in".[6]
In the United States, the film managed $57 million during its box office run. The film peaked at 1,654 screens,[citation needed] facing off against King Kong, The Chronicles of Narnia, and Fun with Dick and Jane. During its first week in limited release, the film screening in only eight theaters tallied up an $85,313 per theater average which made it second in highest per theater averages behind Brokeback Mountain for 2005.[citation needed] International gross reached $158 million.[7]
Overall, the American reviews were mixed. Illinois' Daily Herald said that the "[s]trong acting, meticulously created sets, beautiful visuals, and a compelling story of a celebrity who can't have the one thing she really wants make Geisha memorable".[8] The Washington Times called the film "a sumptuously faithful and evocative adaption" while adding that "[c]ontrasting dialects may remain a minor nuisance for some spectators, but the movie can presumably count on the pictorial curiosity of readers who enjoyed Mr. Golden's sense of immersion, both harrowing and [a]esthetic, in the culture of a geisha upbringing in the years that culminated in World War II".[9]
The film scored a 35% "Rotten" rating on Rotten Tomatoes; the consensus stated "Less nuanced than its source material, Memoirs of a Geisha may be a lavish production, but it still carries the simplistic air of a soap opera."[10] On Metacritic, the film was given a 54/100 meaning "mixed or average review."[11]
Casting controversy[edit]
Controversy arose during casting of the film when some of the most prominent roles, including those of the geisha Sayuri, Hatsumomo and Mameha, did not go to Japanese actresses. Zhang Ziyi (Sayuri) and Gong Li (Hatsumomo) are both Chinese, whereas Michelle Yeoh (Mameha) is an ethnic Chinese from Malaysia. More notable is the fact that all three were already prominent fixtures in Chinese cinema.
The film-makers defended the decision, however, and attributed "acting ability and star power" as their main priorities in casting the roles and director Rob Marshall noted examples such as Irish-Mexican actor Anthony Quinn being cast as a Greek man in Zorba the Greek.[12]
Opinion in the Asian community was mixed. To some Chinese, the casting was offensive because they mistook geisha for prostitutes, and because it revived memories of wartime Japanese atrocities.[citation needed] The Chinese government canceled the film's release there because of such connections, and a website denounced star Zhang Ziyi as an "embarrassment to China."[13] This was exacerbated by the word "geigi" (芸妓?), a Japanese name for geisha used in the Kantō region, which includes Tokyo. The second character (妓) could sometimes mean "prostitute" in Japanese language, though it actually had a variety of meanings and there was a clear distinction between geisha and prostitutes which were called "Yūjo" (遊女?). The character 妓 only means "prostitute" in Chinese, and the correct translation into Chinese of the word "geisha" is 艺伎 (traditional Chinese: 藝伎), which does not use it. Some Japanese have expressed offense that people of their own nationality had not gotten the roles. Other Asians defended the casting, including the film's main Japanese star Ken Watanabe who said that "talent is more important than nationality."[14]
In defense of the film, Zhang spoke:
“ A director is only interested in casting someone he believes is appropriate for a role. For instance, my character had to go from age 15 to 35; she had to be able to dance, and she had to be able to act, so he needed someone who could do all that. I also think that regardless of whether someone is Japanese or Chinese or Korean, we all would have had to learn what it is to be a geisha, because almost nobody today knows what that means—not even the Japanese actors on the film.
Geisha was not meant to be a documentary. I remember seeing in the Chinese newspaper a piece that said we had only spent six weeks to learn everything and that that was not respectful toward the culture. It's like saying that if you're playing a mugger, you have to rob a certain number of people. To my mind, what this issue is all about, though, is the intense historical problems between China and Japan. The whole subject is a land mine. Maybe one of the reasons people made such a fuss about Geisha was that they were looking for a way to vent their anger.[15]
 ”
Film critic Roger Ebert pointed out that the film was made by a Japanese-owned company, and that Gong Li and Zhang Ziyi outgross any Japanese actress even in the Japanese box office.[16]
Chinese responses[edit]
The film received some hostile responses in Mainland China, including its banning by the People's Republic of China. Relations between Japan and Mainland China were particularly tense due to two main factors: Japan's Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi made a number of visits to Yasukuni Shrine, which honors all Japan's war dead, including some who were convicted war criminals, which was denounced by China's foreign ministry as honoring them; and China helped to ensure Japan did not receive a seat on the UN Security Council.[17] Writer Hong Ying argued that "Art should be above national politics".[18] Nevertheless, the release of Memoirs of a Geisha into this politically charged situation added to cultural conflict within and between China and Japan.
The film was originally scheduled to be shown in cinemas in the People's Republic of China on February 9, 2006. The Chinese State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television decided to ban the film on February 1, 2006, considering the film as "too sensitive". In doing so, it overturned a November decision to approve the film for screening.[19]
The film is set in Japan during World War Two, when the Second Sino-Japanese War was taking place. During this time, Japan captured and forced Chinese women as "comfort women" for their men.[20] Controversy arose in China from an apparent confusion of equating geisha with prostitution, and thus the connection with, and reminder of, comfort women being used in Japan at that time.
Newspaper sources, such as the Shanghai-based Oriental Morning Post and the Shanghai Youth Daily, quoted the fears that the film may be banned by censors; there were concerns that the casting of Chinese actresses as geishas could rouse anti-Japan sentiment and stir up feelings over Japanese wartime actions in China, especially the use of Chinese women as forced sex workers.[21][22]
Awards and nominations[edit]
Academy Awards[23]
Won: Best Art Direction (John Myhre and Gretchen Rau)
Won: Best Cinematography (Dion Beebe)
Won: Best Costume Design (Colleen Atwood)
Nominated: Best Original Score (John Williams)
Nominated: Best Sound Editing (Wylie Stateman)
Nominated: Best Sound Mixing (Kevin O'Connell, Greg P. Russell, Rick Kline and John Pritchett)
Golden Globe
Won: Best Original Score (John Williams)
Nominated: Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama (Zhang Ziyi)
National Board of Review
Won: Best Supporting Actress (Gong Li)
Satellite Awards
Won: Outstanding Screenplay, Adapted (Robin Swicord)
Nominated: Outstanding Motion Picture, Drama
Nominated: Outstanding Director (Rob Marshall)
Nominated: Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama (Zhang Ziyi)
Nominated: Outstanding Actress in a Supporting Role, Drama (Gong Li)
Nominated: Outstanding Art Direction & Production Design (John Myhre)
Nominated: Outstanding Cinematography (Robert Elswit)
Nominated: Outstanding Costume Design (Colleen Atwood)
Nominated: Outstanding Original Score (John Williams)
BAFTA Awards
Won: The Anthony Asquith Award for Achievement in Film Music (John Williams)
Won: Cinematography (Dion Beebe)
Won: Costume Design (Colleen Atwood)
Nominated: Best Actress in a Leading Role (Zhang Ziyi)
Nominated: Production design
Nominated: Make Up and Hair
Screen Actors Guild Awards
Nominated: Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role (Zhang Ziyi)
NAACP Image Awards
Nominated: Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture (Zhang Ziyi)
Soundtrack album[edit]

Memoirs of a Geisha OST

Soundtrack album by John Williams

Released
November 22, 2005
Genre
Soundtrack
Length
61:02
Label
Sony Classical
The Memoirs of a Geisha official soundtrack featured Yo-Yo Ma performing the cello solos, as well as Itzhak Perlman performing the violin solos. The music was composed and conducted by John Williams, who won his fourth Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score.
1."Sayuri's Theme" – 1:31
2."The Journey to the Hanamachi" – 4:06
3."Going to School" – 2:42
4."Brush on Silk" – 2:31
5."Chiyo's Prayer" – 3:36
6."Becoming a Geisha" – 4:32
7."Finding Satsu" – 3:44
8."The Chairman's Waltz" – 2:39
9."The Rooftops of the Hanamachi" – 3:49
10."The Garden Meeting" – 2:44
11."Dr. Crab's Prize" – 2:18
12."Destiny's Path" – 3:20
13."A New Name... A New Life" – 3:33
14."The Fire Scene and the Coming of War" – 6:48
15."As the Water..." – 2:01
16."Confluence" – 3:42
17."A Dream Discarded" – 2:00
18."Sayuri's Theme and End Credits" – 5:06
Interviews[edit]
Ziyi Zhang Memoirs of a Geisha
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ Interview with Spielberg, Stephen J. Dubner, Steven Spielberg Interviews, ISBN 1-57806-113-X
2.Jump up ^ Lyttle, John. "The Eastern Affront: This Depiction of Oppression Is Decorously Polite." New Statesman Jan. 16, 2006: 47.
3.Jump up ^ "Memoirs of a Geisha". The Journal (Newcastle, England) Jan. 13, 2006: 20.
4.Jump up ^ "Dazzled by the Tricks of an Exotic Trade." The Evening Standard (London, England) Jan. 12, 2006: 34.
5.Jump up ^ "Critic's Choice; Top Ten Films." The Evening Standard (London, England) Jan. 30, 2006: 40.
6.Jump up ^ "GLAD TO BE GEISHA; Beautifully Shot and Brilliantly Acted, This Is an Oscar Favourite MEMOIRS OF A GEISH A ***** 12A." Daily Record (Glasgow, Scotland) Jan. 13, 2006: 46.
7.Jump up ^ "Memoirs of a Geisha". The Numbers: Box Office Data. Retrieved February 25, 2007.
8.Jump up ^ Defiglio, Pam. "Memorable Epic Takes a Beautiful Look Inside a Mysterious World". Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL) Dec. 16, 2005: 48.
9.Jump up ^ "'Geisha' Rises to Exotic Best; Faithful Book Adaptation Portrays Rivalry of Women." The Washington Times Dec. 16, 2005: D08.
10.Jump up ^ "Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved February 25, 2007.
11.Jump up ^ "Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)". Metacritic. Retrieved April 15, 2007.
12.Jump up ^ "Geisha film-makers defend casting". BBC News. December 8, 2005. Retrieved May 12, 2010.
13.Jump up ^ "China cancels release of 'Memoirs of a Geisha'". USA Today. February 1, 2006. Retrieved May 12, 2010.
14.Jump up ^ "Watanabe defends casting in 'Geisha' - Boston.com".[dead link]
15.Jump up ^ "Zhang Ziyi at HelloZiyi.us - Interview magazine July 2006". Helloziyi.us. Retrieved 2012-10-24.
16.Jump up ^ "Memoirs of a Geisha". Chicago Sun-Times.
17.Jump up ^ Britannica Online Encyclopaedia/China's Relations with Its Neighbours/Year in Review 2005>
18.Jump up ^ CHINA:'Memoirs of a Geisha' Lost in Political Din
19.Jump up ^ "China bans Memoirs of a Geisha". The Guardian (London). February 1, 2006. Retrieved May 12, 2010.
20.Jump up ^ World History Connected/Vol.1 No.1/Yoshiko Nozaki: "I'm Here Alive": History, Testimony, and the Japanese Controversy over "Comfort Women".
21.Jump up ^ – Yahoo! News
22.Jump up ^ "Lee slates China 'ban' on actress". BBC News. March 20, 2008.
23.Jump up ^ "The 78th Academy Awards (2006) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved 2011-11-20.
External links[edit]

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 Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Memoirs of a Geisha
Official website
Memoirs of a Geisha at the Internet Movie Database
Memoirs of a Geisha at allmovie
Memoirs of a Geisha at Box Office Mojo
Memoirs of a Geisha at Rotten Tomatoes


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Memoirs of a Geisha
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search

This article is about the book. For the film, see Memoirs of a Geisha (film).

Memoirs of a Geisha
MemoirsOfAGeisha.jpg
First edition

Author
Arthur Golden
Country
United States
Language
English
Genre
Historical novel
Publisher
Alfred A. Knopf

Publication date
 September 27, 1997
Media type
Print (hardback & paperback)
Pages
448 pp
ISBN
0-375-40011-7
OCLC
37689141
Dewey Decimal
813/.54 21
LC Class
PS3557.O35926 M45 1997
Memoirs of a Geisha is a historical novel by American author Arthur Golden, published in 1997. The novel, told in first person perspective, tells the fictional story of a geisha working in Kyoto, Japan, before and after World War II.
In 2005, a film version was released.


Contents  [hide]
1 Plot summary
2 References to actual locations
3 Lawsuit
4 Film version
5 Legacy
6 See also
7 Footnotes
8 References

Plot summary[edit]
At the age of nine, Chiyo Sakamoto is taken from her poverty-stricken fishing village of Yoroido on the coast of the Sea of Japan with her older sister Satsu and sold to an okiya (geisha boarding house) in Gion, the most prominent geisha district in Kyoto. Perceived as less attractive in looks and demeanor, Satsu is not sold into the okiya and is instead forced into becoming a prostitute in Kyoto's pleasure district. Chiyo lives in the okiya alongside another young girl named Pumpkin, the elderly and grumbling Granny, money-obsessed Mother, and Auntie, a failed geisha. Also living in the okiya is the famous and ill-mannered geisha, Hatsumomo. She promptly takes to disliking Chiyo, who she sees as a potential future rival who may threaten her place in the okiya and Gion, as well as Mother's financial dependence upon her earnings. Hatsumomo begins to go out of her way to get rid of Chiyo.
One rainy night after returning to the okiya, Chiyo happens upon Hatsumomo engaged in intimate relations with her plebeian boyfriend, Koichi, a livelihood-threatening situation for a geisha, whose air of unattainability is crucial to their allure. The startled and enraged Hatsumomo twists the situation to place blame for a fictional indiscretion on Chiyo. Eventually, Mother learns the truth from Chiyo and though she is punished, Hatsumomo is also banned from seeing Koichi again, increasing her hatred for Chiyo. Despite Pumpkin and Auntie's warning not to run away, Chiyo plans to leave the okiya and escape the city with Satsu, but is caught when she falls off the roof and breaks her arm. Enraged at her for dishonoring the okiya and incurring further medical costs, Mother stops investing in Chiyo and makes her pay off her increasing debts as a slave, rather than a geisha in training.
Several years later, a downtrodden Chiyo is given money and a handkerchief in the street by a strange but kind man known at this point only as the Chairman. She donates the money to the Yasaka shrine in Gion, praying to become a geisha in the hopes of entering an exclusive social sphere where she may have a chance of seeing him again, keeping the handkerchief as a memento. Chiyo is somewhat envious of Pumpkin, who is on her way to becoming a geisha under Hatsumomo's tutelage, while Chiyo still remains a maid under Mother. Pumpkin advances and is given her geisha name as Hatsumiyo but much to Hatsumomo's dismay, everyone still refers to her as Pumpkin.
In a startling turn of events for Chiyo, not long after visiting the shrine and during Granny's funeral, she is taken in as a protégé by Mameha, a rival of Hatsumomo and the owner of a kimono Hatsumomo previously forced Chiyo to ruin. Mameha persuades Mother to reinvest into Chiyo's training. Chiyo adopts the name of Sayuri for her geisha name, with Mameha acting as her "older sister" and mentor. Mameha mentions that despite Hatsumomo's popularity, she was in fact a failure due to once angering the mistress of her principal tea house. As a result, she could never obtain a danna to sponsor her independence and she has stayed in the okiya under Mother. It was also revealed that despite her financial contributions, Mother had refused to name Hatsumomo as the heiress of the okiya because she was afraid of the trouble she would bring if named. Everyone believes Hatsumomo would likely throw Mother out, sell off the okiya's kimono collection, retire and live on the money.
Hatsumomo continues to go out of her way to ruin Sayuri by tarnishing her reputation in Gion, forcing Mameha and Sayuri to devise a plan to push Hatsumomo out of the Nitta okiya lest Sayuri's career ultimately die. They arrange for Sayuri's mizuage (portrayed as a deflowering "ceremony" for maiko as a step to becoming full-fledged geisha) to be bidden upon by several influential men, namely mentor Toshikazu Nobu, the president of Iwamura Electric as well as a close friend Ken Iwamura, who is revealed to be the Chairman; and reputed mizuage specialist "Dr. Crab", dubbed so by Sayuri due to his appearance. Unfortunately, Hatsumomo learns of the plan and tells Dr. Crab that Sayuri has already been deflowered. However, after gaining back the respect of Dr. Crab by convincing him that Hatsumomo is a known liar, he ultimately wins the bid for Sayuri's mizuage and she uses his record-breaking payment to cover all of her fees. This leads Mother, who had been poised to adopt Pumpkin as her heiress, to choose Sayuri instead, ultimately destroying the two girls' friendship. This turn of events enrages both Pumpkin and Hatsumomo for different reasons: Pumpkin was looking forward to the adoption so that she could have some form of security in her old age. Hatsumomo was eagerly anticipating to Pumpkin's adoption so she could secure her own position as head geisha and drive the up-and-coming Sayuri out of Gion. Hatsumomo's behavior begins to worsen past all excuse and she is eventually thrown out of the okiya, with Pumpkin leaving soon after.
Eventually it is revealed Dr. Crab was actually bidding against the Baron, Mameha's danna, for Sayuri's mizuage. The Baron had previously tried to sexually assault Sayuri, undressing her against her will at a party, which Mameha had warned against. Nobu instead bids to become Sayuri's danna, but loses out to General Tottori. At this time, Japan is on the brink of entering World War II and many Geisha are evacuated to other cities to work in factories, which require hard labor and are primary bomb targets. The General is demoted and is unable to use any influence to send Sayuri somewhere safer but Nobu, despite losing respect for Sayuri, is able to send her far north to live with Arashino, a kimono maker. At the end of the war, Nobu visits Sayuri and asks that she return to Gion to help entertain the new Deputy Minister Sato, whose aid can be instrumental in rebuilding Iwamura Electric, the company which the Chairman and Nobu run. Once returning to Gion, Sayuri helps Mother and Auntie clean up the okiya and shows kindness to the new girl they taken in to train under her. She also seeks the help of a homeless Pumpkin who is unhappy to see her again, but eventually agrees to help her entertain the Minister.
Sayuri, Mameha and Pumpkin entertain the Minister together regularly and within time, Nobu formally begins proposals to become Sayuri's danna. Sayuri still maintains strong feelings for the Chairman and doesn't want Nobu to become her danna, so on a weekend trip to the Amami Islands with Iwamura Electric, she plans to seduce the Minister and be caught in humiliation by Nobu. Mameha warns against her plans because it would disrespect him and tells her to accept him as her danna. Sayuri refuses and asks Pumpkin for one last favor to bring Nobu to a theater while she is with the Minister. Pumpkin agrees, but she still harbors resentment towards Sayuri for being adopted by Mother. Upon noticing her feelings towards the Chairman, Pumpkin purposely brings him to the theater instead. Sayuri is upset with her for betraying her because she wanted Nobu there to catch her with the Minister and confronts her for it. An enraged Pumpkin coldly tells Sayuri that she got what she deserved because she stole away her chances to be adopted by Mother, forcing her to be a prostitute in order to survive. She even mentions that she went out of her own way to help Sayuri in the past by making herself look bad in order to embarrass Hatsumomo. Pumpkin revealed that she intentionally brought the Chairman to catch Sayuri seducing the Minister so he will be disgusted by her behavior and she will be forced to accept Nobu as her danna.
Sayuri eventually meets the Chairman again and reveals that her acts in Amami were for personal reasons. He reveals to Sayuri that he had always had feelings towards her, despite her thinking he didn't, but explains that he felt it disrespectful to take away the woman his friend had showed so much interest in, especially considering Nobu had once saved the Chairman's company. He also reveals that he found out the truth after confronting Pumpkin and told Nobu afterwards, causing Nobu to cease becoming Sayuri's danna. Sayuri and the Chairman kiss, which she feels is her first kiss expressing true love.
Sayuri eventually retires from being a geisha and the Chairman becomes her danna. It is revealed that they have an illegitimate son together. Foreseeing the consequences this could have regarding the inheritance of Iwamura Electric, she relocates to New York City in later life. Here she opens her own small tea house for entertaining Japanese men on business in the United States, in which Mother takes a financial interest, but Sayuri severs her links to the Nitta okiya and in effect, Japan. The Chairman remains her danna until his death and the story concludes with a reflection on Sayuri/Chiyo and her life.
References to actual locations[edit]
Much of the novel is set in the popular geisha district of Gion in Kyoto, and contains references to actual places frequented by geisha and their patrons, such as the Ichiriki Ochaya. Part of the story is also set in the Amami Islands, and Sayuri narrates the story from her suite in the Waldorf towers in New York City.
Lawsuit[edit]
After the Japanese edition of the novel was published, Arthur Golden was sued for breach of contract and defamation of character by Mineko Iwasaki, a retired geisha he had interviewed for background information while writing the novel. The plaintiff asserted that Golden had agreed to protect her anonymity if she told him about her life as a geisha, due to the traditional code of silence about their clients. However, Golden listed Iwasaki as a source in his acknowledgments for the novel, causing her to face a serious backlash, to the point of death threats.[1] In his defence, Arthur Golden countered that he had tapes of his conversations with Iwasaki.[2][clarification needed] Eventually, in 2003, Golden's publisher settled with Iwasaki out of court for an undisclosed sum of money.
Iwasaki later went on to write an autobiography, which shows a very different picture of twentieth-century geisha life than the one shown in Golden's novel. The book was published as Geisha, a Life[3] in the U.S. and Geisha of Gion in the U.K.
Film version[edit]
Main article: Memoirs of a Geisha (film)
In 2005, film director Rob Marshall made a film version of the novel. It stars the Chinese actresses Zhang Ziyi as Sayuri, Gong Li as Hatsumomo, and Michelle Yeoh (who is Malaysian Chinese) as Mameha; and Japanese actors Ken Watanabe as the Chairman, Suzuka Ohgo as Sayuri's childhood incarnation Chiyo, and Youki Kudoh as the adult Pumpkin.
Filming was primarily done in California, and in some locations in Kyoto, including Kiyomizu-dera and Fushimi Inari-taisha. It was nominated for and won numerous awards, including nominations for six Academy Awards, three of which – Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design – were won.
Marshall was criticised in Japan and the West for casting Chinese actresses to play Japanese characters in roles that have so much to do with traditional Japanese culture. However, in the special features of the DVD, it is noted that few Japanese actresses showed interest in being a part of the production. Film critic Roger Ebert also noted that Zhang Ziyi, Gong Li and Michelle Yeoh are some of the highest-grossing actresses in Japan itself, regularly outgrossing their Japanese counterparts.[4]
Legacy[edit]
This book has inspired many people around the world in art as also as in music, world-wide famous music artists such as Madonna in her 1999 music video for "Nothing Really Matters".
See also[edit]

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Footnotes[edit]
1.Jump up ^ Richard Lloyd Barry (March 30, 2006). "The Queen and the Geisha". The Times (UK). Retrieved 2008-10-23.[dead link]
2.Jump up ^ A Geisha Scorned The Rough Guide to Japan: The Rough Guide, by Jan Dodd, Simon Richmond. Published by Rough Guides, 2001. ISBN 1-85828-699-9. Page 889.
3.Jump up ^ Tamara Weider (October 10, 2002). Remaking a memoir. Boston Phoenix. Accessed 2012-12-12.
4.Jump up ^ "Memoirs of a Geisha". Chicago Sun-Times.
References[edit]
McAlpin, Heller. "Night Butterflies; Memoirs of a Geisha". Los Angeles Times, November 30, 1997. Pg. 8.
Dalby, Liza. "Geisha". 1983. pp. 54–64 (prostitution); pp. 109–112 ("deflowering" and mizu-age).
 


Categories: 1997 novels
American historical novels
Debut novels
Novels set in Japan
Alfred A. Knopf books
American novels adapted into films
Novels about prostitution
Novels about geishas








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