HISTORICAL FICTION

Memoirs Of A Geisha
By Arthur Golden

In 1929, nine-year old Chiyo Sakamoto and her 15-

year-old sister, Satsu, are sold by their father to work
within the entertainment districts of Kyoto. They are taken
from their home, the coastal fishing village of Yoroido
along the Sea of Japan, and travel to Kyoto by train; upon
arrival, Chiyo is taken to the Nitta Okiya (geisha boarding
house) in Gion, whereas Satsu - deemed less attractive and
therefore a poor investment - is instead taken to a brothel
within Kyoto's pleasure district.
Chiyo is taken inside, and is introduced to Auntie,
Mother (Auntie's adoptive older sister and the matriarch of
the house) and Granny, their elderly and poor-natured
adoptive mother and the okiya's former "mother". Both
Auntie and Mother are strict, though Auntie is kinder to
Chiyo, whereas Mother is driven by money and business. Chiyo is also introduced to Hatsumomo
- the premier geisha of the okiya, its primary earner, and one of the most famous, beautiful and
ill-mannered geisha of Gion. Hatsumomo takes an instant disliking to Chiyo, and goes out of her
way to torment her. Auntie warns Chiyo against both angering and trusting Hatsumomo, knowing
the ill-mannered geisha's true nature very well.
Chiyo begins her "training" at the okiya, which consists of household drudgery, before she
is deemed worthy enough and starts her geisha training. Having learnt the location of Satsu from
Hatsumomo, upon an errand one day, Chiyo runs off to find her, and discovers her working in the
pleasure district. The two conspire to run away and escape. Returning to the okiya, Chiyo discovers
Hatsumomo with her boyfriend, Koichi; both Hatsumomo and Chiyo are punished after Chiyo is
falsely accused of stealing by the furious Hatsumomo.
Miserable and desperate, Chiyo plans to finally run away from the okiya; however, she is
caught when she falls off the roof and breaks her arm. Enraged at her for being a poor investment,
Mother stops investing in Chiyo's geisha apprenticeship and returns her to the life of a maid. In a
letter, Chiyo learns of her parents' deaths, and that Satsu managed to escape and return to
Yoroido, only to run away with the son of a fisherman.
 A few years later, a downtrodden Chiyo is given money and a handkerchief in the street
by a kind stranger known to Chiyo as the Chairman. She donates the money to a shrine in Gion,
praying to become a geisha of sufficient status to entertain the Chairman, and keeps the
handkerchief as a memento. Soon afterwards, Pumpkin prepares to make her debut as a maiko,
and the "younger sister" of Hatsumomo, whilst Chiyo remains a maid; this is, however, until
Mameha, another famous geisha in Gion, persuades a reluctant Mother to reinvest in Chiyo's
training, with Mameha acting as Chiyo's mentor and "older sister".
Under Mameha's care, Chiyo becomes a maiko with the given name of Sayuri, and is
reacquainted with Chairman Iwamura (who appears not to recognise her), his closest friend and
business partner Nobu, and a number of other prominent men. As Sayuri gains popularity,
Hatsumomo - who has been refused succession of the okiya through adoption by Mother - tries
to hurt Sayuri's reputation and career in the hopes of Mother adopting Pumpkin instead, through
whom Hatsumomo can run the okiya by proxy.
Mameha devises a plan to orchestrate a bidding war for Sayuri's mizuage (portrayed as a
deflowering "ceremony" for maiko as a step to becoming a full-fledged geisha). The plan is almost
ruined when Hatsumomo attempts to spread the rumour of Sayuri no longer being a virgin;
however, her attempt fails, and Mameha uses the record-breaking payment for Sayuri's mizuage
to cover all of her debts. Mother adopts Sayuri over Pumpkin, ultimately destroying their
friendship forever, and Hatsumomo begins a downward spiral into alcoholism before being
thrown out of the okiya permanently following the assault of a kabuki actor during a party.
Upon Sayuri's promotion to fully-fledged geishahood, Nobu expresses an interest in
becoming Sayuri's danna (patron), but loses to General Tottori; with Japan on the eve of war,
Mother decides that a connection to the military is more important to the okiya. In 1944, geisha
districts are ordered to close, and with many geisha conscripted to work in the factories, Sayuri
desperately asks Nobu for help to avoid being conscripted into factory work. He sends Sayuri far
north to live with his old friend, Arashino, a kimono maker, where she stays for much of the war.
At the end of the war, Nobu visits Sayuri, asking that she return to Gion to entertain the
new Deputy Minister, Sato, whose aid Nobu desperately needs to rebuild his and the Chairman's
business, Iwamura Electric. Sayuri returns to Gion to find Pumpkin working in a new okiya; despite
hoping to rekindle their friendship, Pumpkin later sabotages Sayuri's plan to scare Nobu off from
proposing to be her danna, as revenge for taking her place in the adoption so many years ago.
A few days after her plan fails, Sayuri is summoned to meet a client at a teahouse.
Believing Nobu has called her to discuss the arrangements for becoming her danna, Sayuri is
surprised to see the Chairman instead, and confesses that she has worked for years to become
close to the Chairman. The Chairman admits that he has always known she was the girl he met
on the street, and confesses his feelings for her as well, but felt he owed Nobu - his oldest and
closest friend - the chance to be with Sayuri out of kindness. He also admits to having asked
Mameha to train Sayuri.

Sayuri peacefully retires from geisha work when the Chairman becomes her danna. It is heavily
implied that they have an illegitimate son together. Foreseeing the consequences this could have
regarding the inheritance of Iwamura Electric, she relocates to New York City and opens her own
small tea house for entertaining Japanese men on business in the United States. Sayuri severs her
links to the Nitta okiya and in effect, Japan. The Chairman remains her danna until his death and
the story concludes with a reflection on Sayuri and her life.
***END***

Let’s do this!

6-WORD MEMOIR. A Memoir is a historical account or biography written from personal

knowledge. It can also be an essay on a learned subject. Combined, a memoir is a highlight in
one’s life, told in a capsule.
Legend has it that Ernest Hemingway was once challenged to write a story in only six
words. His response? “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.” In November 2006, Larry Smith, founder
of SMITH Magazine, gave the six-word novel a personal twist by asking his community to describe
their lives in exactly six words. They sent in short life stories in droves, from the bittersweet
(“Cursed with cancer, blessed with friends”) and poignant (“I still make coffee for two”) to the
inspirational (“From migrant worker to NASA astronaut”). and hilarious (“Married by Elvis,
divorced by Friday”). And the Six-Word Memoir project was born.
Your turn. TELL YOUR LIFE STORY IN SIX WORDS.
PS. Since we have summarized your life in six words, add a hint of sophistication to your
work. Present your 6-word memoir in a grafitti, calligraphy, doodle or any word art that would
befit the tone and expression conveyed in your memoir.

Your 6-word memoir here