∎ Read Autobiography of a Geisha Sayo Masuda Books

Autobiography of a Geisha Sayo Masuda Books

Download As PDF : Autobiography of a Geisha Sayo Masuda Books

Autobiography of a Geisha Sayo Masuda Books

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.


Tags : Amazon.com: Autobiography of a Geisha (9780099462040): Sayo Masuda: Books,Sayo Masuda,Autobiography of a Geisha,Vintage Books USA,0099462044,Geishas - Biography,20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000,Asia - Japan,Asian history,Autobiography: Historical, Political & Military,Autobiography: general,BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY Cultural, Ethnic & Regional Asian & Asian American,BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY Historical,BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY Women,Biography & Autobiography,Biography & Autobiography Personal Memoirs,Biography Autobiography,Cultural studies,Gender studies: women,Gender studies: women & girls,Japan,Memoirs,Personal Memoirs,SOCIAL SCIENCE Anthropology Cultural & Social,SOCIAL SCIENCE Women's Studies,Social & ethical issues,Women,c 1918 to c 1939 (Inter-war period),BiographyAutobiography

Autobiography of a Geisha Sayo Masuda Books Reviews

This is a sad and beautiful story. Very different environment than the story by Arthur Golden, Memoirs of a Geisha. Read it all in two sittings. I recommend it! Enjoy!
Incredible account of a Geiko of rural Japan. I experienced so many emotions reading this story, following Sayo's life from childhood to adulthood. It is a story of an unrequited desire for happiness full of highs and lows, empathy and anger.
"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”….
If you've read MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA and GEISHA A LIFE, by Arthur Golden and Mineko Iwasaki respectively, then your image of geisha is probably one of a world of glamor--high-status, highly-trained women existing in a world of glitter and flash, dealing with celebrities, scientists, movie stars of the stage and screen, mistresses of their chosen arts, and honored for their talents.

While this may be true of Kyoto geisha, this experience is not representative of all geisha, or even most geisha, as Sayo Masuda's book demonstrates clearly. Masuda was a hot-springs geisha, sold into servitude at the age of twelve, to a place as different from the glamor centers of Kyoto as it is possible to get. Though she was trained in shamisen and dance, the sexual aspect of her profession was at least as important as the artistic aspect, and she routinely met with cruelty, poverty and hunger.

I won't say this book shows what the life of a geisha was "really" like--Mineko's autobiography demonstrates that the glamor world of Kyoto was a real one. But it was not the only one, or even the majority one, and for a more comprehensive view of a different kind of geisha, this book here is indispensible. If Kyoto is all you know of the "flower and willow world," I recommend that you pick up Sayo Masuda's work, and expand your horizons.
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!)
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.
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.