Mineko Iwasaki

kimonobox — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 09:03:14 +0000

At the age of five Mineko left home to study traditional Japanese dance in Gion, Kyoto and by 21, she was considered Japan’s best dancer and maiko.

I was pleased to have found these clips on youtube.

The first clip shows Mineko Iwasaki’s introduction to the okiya – geisha house as a child.

: Fabulous picture of Japan's most famous geisha

Thanks to ImmortalGeisha and Naomi no Kimono Asobi for the photo.

The second clip provides an insight into the problems surrounding the publication of the best-selling book, Memoirs of a Geisha. Iwasaki was interviewed in the process of researching this book and the interview in the second clip discusses the apparent broken promises of the author. In the interview, she explains that this caused her much grief.

Mineko Iwasaki later wrote her own book, Geisha of Gion, and sued Arthur Golden for breach of contract and defamation.

I wonder how many of you have read Mineko Iwasaki’s book?

: Geisha_of_Gion

For some more photos of Mineko Iwasaki as a maiko and geisha, go to this flickr account.

For more info on geisha, I suggest a very recent post on Evening with a Geisha by @shanesakata – thenihonsun At the age of five Mineko left home to study traditional Japanese dance in Gion, Kyoto and by 21, she was considered Japan’s best dancer and maiko.