Autobiography of a Geisha

I stumbled upon this autobiography after finishing "The Blond Geisha" by Jina Bacarr. After finishing that work of fiction, I decided to get a non-fictional, true-life book on the life of a Geisha. Sayo Masuda's story didn't disappoint. What we are treated to is a person, who, in effect, was treated as a non-person. To come from such a background as she was, "sold" to a family, to be treated not much better than dirt, to be taunted, teased and abused, would wreck anyone's mind. Clearly, Ms. Masuda was "damaged goods." How she survived to become a Geisha, is beyond me. Overall, I must say that I found Ms. Masuda's story a good read. Considering that this woman's educational level was no more than that of an early Elementary School child makes her story even more remarkable. She did what she felt she had to do to survive! Dog-eat-dog comes to mind in the world of the Geisha. Behind all the smiles, instrument playing and dancing, it's a competition. After all, these Geisha were earning their keep. It struck me that while she was plying her trade, the emotion love had never, ever entered her mind, until she ended up taking care of her little brother, who tragically took his own life when he became turbucular (apparently, their Dad died of the same disease). Her brother's death really took a terrible toll. Autobiography of a Geisha is a good, compelling, novel. Read this and get a glimpse of a real Geisha's world! Congratulations to G. G. Rowley for such an expert translation of this work into English for all of us to experience! My rating for this book: 5 stars! (4 stars for the story, 1 extra star for the translation!)

The life this woman led is unbelievable. Neglected and abused as a child, then sold to a geisha house by her mother, which was basically being sold into sex slavery. There is no explicit content in the book, which I was grateful for, but Masuda Sayo was very honest about her experiences. Although Geisha, a Life by Mineko Iwasaki provides a much nicer side of geisha life, she admitted some geisha do sleep with customers. However, she insisted geisha are not prostitutes. Masuda Sayo’s book destroys that, with Masuda’s own analysis that the only difference between geisha and prostitutes was that geisha had training in music and dance while prostitutes did not. Now, it is clear from Mineko Iwasaki’s book that ALL geisha are not and were not prostitutes; but Masuda Sayo’s makes it clear that some geisha’s lives were nothing more than sex for sale.

I actually bought this book several years ago, but have reread it several times. As much as the maiko and geiko of Gion are lauded, there is another entire world outside of its confines with geisha of very differing circumstances. Aside the famous geisha of Tokyo, geisha dotted (and perhaps still do to some extent) various places across Japan. Sayo Masuda's honest telling of her own brutal upbringing and short life as a geisha is both heartbreaking and compelling. Her sad, but at times inspiring story is one that not only tells of her personal experiences, but those of countless other girls and women. Her humor makes such of her tale easier to digest, and her thoughtful, frank descriptions and opinions make her easily sympathetic.

We should keep in mind, Memoirs of a Geisha was written about a fictional character. In this book, we explore the sad life of a real character, in this instance, a hot springs geisha (or more accurately, a glorified prostitute). Her candor and reflection were fascinating. We should not expect a historical account of events from an uneducated victim of indentured servitude. I did, however, get more than I expected in the way of storytelling, as perceived by the author. If anything is the biographical counterpart to Goldman's book, this one is...absent the fancies of fiction. The author wishes to escape her past now and has surrounded herself only with people who know nothing of her past. I only hope she has recorded her life after this book ends so that when she leaves us, the rest of her story is not lost. Of all the books I have read on this subject, I enjoyed this one the most.

Anyone who has read "Geisha, A Life" by Mineko Iwasaki probably knows how few autobiographies of Geisha exist in the world. Where Iwasaki's autobiography was that of a high-class geisha heavily invested in her art and also an atotori (one who will inherit the okiya after her mother), this autobiography is a stark contrast. Sayo Masuda was an illegitimate child sold into the Hot-spring Geisha business like a slave. Hot Spring Geisha are different than their city-geisha counterparts in that sexual relations are an expectation. Masuda was disliked by many people right from the beginning and her journey to find acceptance and meaning in the world she was thrust into was full of hardship and heartbreak. Overall, I would recommend Mineko Iwasaki's autobiography over this one if a person has an interest in learning about the day-to-day aspects about becoming a Geisha. This book was more of a broad scope of Masuda's life which included being an actually Geisha for only a part of the rather short memoir. As I said, however, it is an interesting and sad contrast to the life lead by the Geisha like Iwasaki. I do recommend this book as another perspective on the world of Geisha.

A uniquely authentic view into the life a small town geisha in the 1st half of the 20th century. Highly recommended!

An amazing autobiography, especially after reading several other books about geisha. If you've read Memoirs of a Geisha, this might be a shocking read for you. The story of this woman made me cry and laugh--I could hardly believe it was real. I wondered (just a little) if Arthur Golden had also spoken to the author as well as Mineko Iwasaki before writing his Memoirs. Ms Masuda writes her heartbreaking story in a personal way that I couldn't help feel her presence. I really loved this book.

"Autobiography Of A Geisha" provides the reader with an unvarnished look at what it was like to be a geisha in prewar Japan. It’s a heart wrenching tale of a young woman who plied her trade because she was incapable of doing anything else. “Memoirs of A Geisha” by Arthur Golden painted a sanitized portrait of geisha; “The Autobiography of A Geisha” portrayed the seamy side of the story. A highly recommended read for those interested in “the rest of the story”….

ein sehr spannendes ergreifend erzähltes Buch. Ich kam tatsächlich über den Film da ich ihn sehr mag und einfach mal die echte Geschichte lesen wollte. Ich hab die normalen Schul Englisch Kenntnisse und konnte das Buch ohne übersetzen und Nachschlagen gut verstehen und flüssig lesen.

Sad story.... Contradicts the glamorous stories of Geisha's we are often told....

I read several books on geishas, and this was not my favorite one. Still interesting if fond of the geisha world, as it gives several information on the phenomenon.

Sayo Masuda nous dévoile sa vie sans pudeur et en toute sincérité. C'est une belle leçon de vie que nous avons là. C'est également un témoignage des conditions de vie des toutes jeunes filles pauvres dans les régions rurales du Japon vendues dans les maisons de Geishas traitées à peine mieux que des esclaves par leur "acheteur" et selon le retour sur investissement qu'elles sont capables ou non de générer. La narratrice a certes souffert d'avoir souvent été considérée seulement comme une monnaie d'échange, un corps loué, de ne pas avoir connu l'amour maternel...mais elle n'en a pas moins gardé une dignité exemplaire et un courage extraordinaire.

I really enjoyed reading this autobiography. Sayo Masuda's book gives a great insight into what a geisha's life and purpose was during WW2, which isn't anything like the glamorous life of a geisha in the 1960/70s, as described by Mineko Iwasaki in her book. The translator does a great job of keeping Sayo's voice and emotions, and she writes her story in a such heartfelt way, you feel her loses and her pain, from the moment she begins. And her little brother she writes about, I still feel sad thinking about how much the two had to go through, and the tragic way things ended... But it's in the end, this tough woman realizes what her purpose is. Sayo didn't resent being a geisha; To her, her geisha sisters and all the other women she met along the way, it was a way of surviving in a world where they were born poor and unloved.