Buku-buku dan Link Mengenai Geisha

Ini adalah beberapa link mengenai GEISHA Hakone Geisha Organisation After Koito-san paved the way more members of the Hanamachi are branching into cyberspace Koito-san's webpage (contemporary Geisha) Japanese Mail Magazine's Geisha Gallery Japanese Ukiyo-e museum of Nagoya TV Possibly the best online Ukiyo-e Exhibit I've ever seen, Nagoya TV bought the print collection of Yijima and given is a selection of astounding and often very famous prints (Japanese and English) Geisha and Maiko of Japan (Frantisek Staud's beautiful photographs) Immortal Geisha Naomi's exquisite site, well researched and highly recommended Geisha's Garden Geisha: the Entertainment Arts (About.com's guide to Geisha, a links site) Geisha of Japan Some poor HTML but some nice info, nothing new if you've read more than a couple of books though Geisha and Maiko PhotoPostcards The Shizuka Online Teahouse Geisha MAICA (a tourist site where you can pay to dress and be photographed as a Maiko) Geisha ( a nicely written historical essay for a college class ) History of the Geisha (a book excerpt, my understanding is that this is the American title for Lesley Downer's book, if I am wrong please correct me) Japan Corner - Benihana - Geisha (this site also has an excellent page on Kimono styles) The Babelfish Translator (for translating Japanese pages) Tale of Murasaki .com; Liza Dalby's site devoted to Heian Japan  BUKU BUKU MENGENAI GEISHA Geisha : A Living Tradition by Kyoko Aihara

This book was a wonderful find. Though expensive (AUD$40 for the hardback) the quality of the book, the information and the photographs was worth the price. This is an excellent book to buy for a new enthusiast, with a good understanding of modern Geisha life, ceremonies and attire, with wonderful images throughout. This book is only about current day Geisha however and does not contain much history.

Geisha by Liza Crihfield Dalby

Liza Dalby is the only foreigner to have become a Geisha. In conducting an ethnographic study for her postgraduate work she became a Geisha for a period of a year, her youth delved in Japanese culture and art became a rich asset as doors opened for her that would for no other Western woman. The culmination of her research is this book, based on her experiences in the Pontocho district. This gives a realistic idea of the daily life of a Geisha, with some history and understanding given to the traditions, along with some delightful anecdotes that could only come from one so steeped in Geisha culture. This is IMHO the essential book to own for any Geisha fan and I'd recommend buying it as your first serious read.

Women of the Pleasure Quarters : The Secret History of the Geisha by Lesley Downer

This book is a wonderful source of history for the origins of the Geisha, as well as sharing some marvellous insights into the contemporary Hanamachi, though not as in depth as Dalby's work obviously. The explanation of the pleasure quarters and their evolution into the Hanamachi of today is exquisite and I have been unable to find much of this information elsewhere. This book is a fantastic read (though could be a bit tiresome if you are not used to reading history texts) and highly recommended. This book is also known as "Geisha: The Secret History of a Vanishing World" in the UK and Australia, please do not recommend this to me as a separate book.

Geisha: A Life by Mineko Iwesaki

Mineko Iwesaki claims to be the inspiration for Memoirs of a Geisha. She was horrified by the tale that Golden spun and supposedly had this book published (with the help of an English writer) to set the record straight. There's a lot of good information here, and would be a preferable starting place for the Geisha enthusiast but it's a first hand account rather than a history book and contains mostly modern era experiences. A realistic and thoughtful look into the life of an actual full time geisha.

Madame Sadayakko: The Geisha Who Bewitched the West by Lesley Downer

Sadayakko was one of the first Geisha to make it truly famous outside of Japan. She is commonly held as the inspiration for Puccini's Madame Butterfly. This is very much a biography, with I think a little licence taken with some of the information. I wouldn't suggest it for anyone who hasn't read a reasonable amount of geisha history as it assumes a little knowledge of the geisha culture and systems and doesn't go into much depth of explanation. It doesn't really capture very well the cult of personality that Sadayakko inspired, or really I guess even why she was so fascinating to so many... but it's still more than an enjoyable read and if you liked Downer's style in her other geisha book I'd more than recommend it.

Geisha: A pillow book for lovers by Anonymous

This is an item that I would recommend for the fan of shunga and books rather than of geisha. I never bought it for myself expecting it to be one of those Karma Sutra style bookstore love manuals, but was bought it as a gift. Presentationally it's beautiful and makes a nice addition to the bookshelf of any bibliophile; the pages aren't attached to the cover but presented accordian style similar to 19th century shunga books. One side has geisha information; which is quite basic and with watercolours based on popular geisha photos (which you probably have if you own the books on this page)... but the pictures aren't accurate and often look a little western! The real prize winner as far as I'm concerned is the reverse side of the accordian which contains a series of more famous Shunga (lots of Hokusai) with accompanying poems, ko-uta and Haiku. Worth buying perhaps as a coffee table book but not as a geisha information bible; especially since the author references only Aihara's and Dalby's geisha books... so if you have these it's rather pointless.

Geisha : The Life, the Voices, the Art by Jodi Cobb, Jodi, Ian Buruma (Introduction)

This is a photo journalistic piece; it contains a lot of candid photos of geisha performances and preparation that you don't often see. A lot of the text are quotes from modern Tokyo geisha about their lives and is interesting to see from a 'real' perspective. The photographs are beautiful for anyone but the text IMHO is most beneficial to those who either have a misguided view of the modern flower and willow world, or who already have a fairly strong background knowledge base.

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

For many this is the point at which they discover the world of Geisha. Arthur Golden has written a wonderful story, though some attribute it to the memoirs or a now rather annoyed retired Geisha (see Geisha: A Life by Mineko Iwesaki). The story is captivating and even has some historical truths about it, but to own the truth this book really irritates me. The tale of a past era, Sayuri's story is one of slavery and bondage; sold to an okiya and forced to pay for her own freedom. This book has given many people the wrong idea of the Geisha life and see the Japanese people as barbaric in a sense. Combined with an ending that makes me grit my teeth I consider this book a good read *if* taken with a grain of salt.

The Life of a Geisha by Eleanor Underwood

This book is now out of print and so I'm assuming it will probably begin to sell at a price far above its worth. Much of the book compares modern Geisha to Sayuri of Memoirs, which rather annoyed me as I hadn't read Memoirs at the time I purchased this book. Some of the historical photographs are lovely, but the habit of colouration spoils this slightly. Worth buying if you happen across it but I'd not go out of my way to find it.

Little songs of the Geisha: Traditional Japanese Ko-uta by Liza Dalby
	Ko-uta songs; a form of traditional Japanese music which is one of the 'gei' (arts) performed by Geisha. Not knowing the shamisen or Japanese singing styles I have not found the need to buy this book.