geisha_a_lifeIn 2002, Mineko Iwasaki began working with Rande Brown in an effort to tell her story. Geisha, A Life was published in September 2003. The story of Mineko Iwasaki’s life is a truly engaging and riveting read.

I have read Geisha, A Life over ten times, and it never gets old. Born in 1949, Mineko moved into the geisha house at the age of five and started training at age six. Mineko was the most famous and sought-after geisha of her time and even entertained Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles, among others. If the ‘flower and willow world’ is something that you have an interest in, or are curious about, this is the book for you.

If you have read Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden, you should read this. As you may know, Mineko was one of the geisha that Arthur interviewed for his bestseller, and it is commonly thought that Sayuri, the protagonist in Memoirs of a Geisha, was based on Mineko. Geisha have a three-hundred-year-old tradition of keeping what goes on in the karyukai secret from the outside world, so when she agreed to let Arthur interview her, she stipulated that her involvement remain confidential. Arthur breached this agreement by mentioning her name in his book, along with during press interviews.

Mineko was outraged because of the rife inaccuracy within the book, and because he had violated their contract. In 2001, Mineko sued Arthur for breach of contract and defamation of character. The case was settled out of court in 2003. However, the damage was done. Mineko stated that as a result of her involvement being made public, she not only lost friends and garnered harsh criticism, but received death threats as well. Posterity owes Mineko a debt of gratitude. Mineko has gracefully endured adversity and defied tradition in order to give us a glimpse into a rapidly disappearing way of life.