Geisha

by Dalby, Liza

• ISBN13: 9780520257894
• ISBN10: 0520257898
• Edition: Anniv.
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-12-10
• Publisher: Univ of California Pr

Summary

In this classic best seller, Liza Dalby, the first 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. A new preface examines how geisha have been profoundly affected by the changes of the past quarter century yet--especially in Kyoto--have managed to take advantage of modern developments to maintain their social position with flair.

Table of Contents

Geisha and Anthropology
Geisha in the Twenty-First Century
Relations
Sisters	p. 3
Death of a Geisha	p. 3
The Geisha Family	p. 4
Sons and Lovers	p. 7
The Dance	p. 12
Kyoto	p. 17
Gerald Ford and the Maiko	p. 17
Bonchi	p. 23
Pontocho Reunion	p. 26
The Last Cognac	p. 31
Ties That Bind	p. 35
Names	p. 35
Elective Affinity	p. 39
Three Cups Thrice	p. 41
Minarai: Learning by Observation	p. 44
Pontocho of Long Ago	p. 49
Bridges and Rivers	p. 49
Legal Prostitution	p. 54
The Golden Age	p. 62
Regulation	p. 65
Standardization	p. 66
The Paradox of Modernity	p. 69
Geisha Renovation	p. 77
Geisha in Rivalry	p. 77
Geisha Are the Navel of Society	p. 81
The Geisha Reader	p. 82
Updating the Geisha	p. 86
Cost Benefit	p. 88
Helpful Hints for the Prudent Geisha	p. 90
Wartime Geisha	p. 92
The Beginning of Things	p. 97
Greetings	p. 98
Ichigiku's Debut	p. 99
My First Banquet	p. 104
The Deflowering Arrangement	p. 109
Food and Drink	p. 112
New Geisha in Town	p. 114
Generations	p. 119
Setsubun: the Spring New Year	p. 119
Pontocho's Big Three	p. 121
Blind Doves	p. 130
The Little Dragons	p. 134
Geisha Parties	p. 139
The Zashiki	p. 139
The Beer Ceremony	p. 140
Futami, the Little Mother of Dai-Ichi	p. 142
Alone in Gion	p. 147
Dinner Dates	p. 153
Cocktails Versus Oshaku	p. 155
Casual Zashiki	p. 158
Variations
The Elusive Geisha	p. 165
Flower Wards	p. 165
Geisha and Wives	p. 167
Wives Versus Geisha	p. 170
Service	p. 173
The Rise of Akasaka	p. 177
Blooming in Rivalry	p. 177
Akasaka, Prejudice and Prestige	p. 180
Success, Akasaka Style	p. 186
Downtown Geisha	p. 191
The Geisha House Yamabuki	p. 191
A Geisha Lifetime	p. 194
The Art of Having Fun with Geisha	p. 198
No Illusions	p. 201
Cold Cash	p. 206
Art and Life	p. 211
Lady of the Cherry Blossoms	p. 211
The Warp of Morality	p. 213
Art as Life	p. 216
Women Who Become Geisha	p. 218
Geisha Daughters	p. 219
Geisha Brides	p. 225
Country Geisha	p. 229
Atami Hot Springs	p. 229
Shallow River	p. 233
A Socially Recognized Profession	p. 239
Ichigiku in Atami	p. 242
Sensibilities
Three Strings	p. 251
The Shamisen	p. 251
Geisha Musicians	p. 254
Divertimenti	p. 257
The Pull of Three Strings	p. 260
Geisha Chic	p. 269
The Floating World	p. 269
Iki	p. 271
The Grand Performances	p. 275
Some Prefer Geisha	p. 279
Kimono	p. 281
The Language of Kimono	p. 282
Kimono Wearers	p. 284
Historical Layers	p. 288
Kimono Schools	p. 290
A Kimono Grammar	p. 293
Exotics and Retrospectives	p. 303
The Temple of Great Virtue	p. 303
Lanterns	p. 306
Cross-Currents	p. 310
Glossary	p. 329
Bibliography	p. 337
Index	p. 341
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.