Notoriously boring

Liza Dalby is an American anthropologist, specializing in Japan and its culture. She has published several books on the topic, including historical fiction. The part of Dalby’s life we are mostly interested in for the purposes of this review is her time as a geisha apprentice. In 1975 Dalby went to Japan, specifically Kyoto. Here she intended to study the geisha (or geiko as they are known in Kyoto).

She started by talking to the geisha and quickly realized that they felt incredibly misunderstood by the Western audience. After six months of interviews and research, it was a geisha who suggested that Dalby borrow a shamisen and kimono and actually join them as a geisha herself. And so, she became a geisha. At the time she was the first American woman to do this! The book Geisha is the product of this period of research in Kyoto and the rest of Japan.

Now enough about Liza Dalby, on to the book!

By its publication in 1983, Geisha quickly became a work renowned for its insights into a space that had been hidden before its publication.

The book revolves around the culture of the Japanese geisha, with a focus on Pontocho, Kyoto where Dalby worked as a novice geisha. It is a deep dive into the relationships within this closed world. Geisha to geisha, and geisha to customer. Nothing is left out, you will read about geisha and their art, their clothes, their morality, and their traditions.

Sprinkled throughout all this information there is the story of how Liza Dalby herself, became a geisha. This is my favorite part of this book if I have to be honest! The look behind this curtain feels incredibly intimate and I loved getting “the real story”, after having read a lot of fiction about geisha. (Liza Dalby was actually a consultant on Memoirs of a Geisha, the movie, and the book!)

Accessibility

Now all this might sound rather intimidating! And I won’t lie, the text is a rather hard read, with a reading level of grade 11. But it is also very forgiving towards people, who have never read anything about geisha. It will explain almost every aspect of the subject. This includes geisha from all walks of life, not just Kyoto. And yes! There is a difference! But, as Liza Dalby herself is fluent in Japanese, I get the sense that she sometimes forgets, that not everyone is. And because of this, a few Japanese phrases and words remain untranslated. But even if you have no prior knowledge of the Japanese language, you will be able to follow this book. It will need a lot of energy and focus, but after having read this, the entire world of geisha will be laid before your eyes. It is rewarding and if you have the time and energy, or you just really find yourself interested in geisha, it is worth it!

Fun

Now here Liza Dalby runs into some issues. Even as a seasoned history- book-reader, I sometimes found myself phasing in and out of focus when reading. It shines through very clearly, that what Dalby cares about in this book, is her own experience as a geisha, and the women she met during that time. And you can tell by her writing! The chapters about these topics are amazing and engaging! Yet, the chapters on geisha history suffer in turn. They are not terrible, but if you are going to read this book, I would recommend reading the chapters on geisha history, in separate sittings. That is the chapters: Pontocho of long ago and Geisha renovation especially. There are other history chapters, but they are more current in time, and you can feel, that this is where Dalby feels more at home in her writing. (It must be noted here, that Liza Dalby is an expert in the field of geisha. I am in no way implying she doesn’t know about geisha history!)

Reliability

As mentioned before, Geisha by Liza Dalby is one of the, if not the, most renowned book on geisha and their culture. Many other books on the topic, rest on the foundation of this book. And even though it has received criticism, especially in newer times, it is still one of the most reliable books on the topic. It has to be said, that you can tell Dalby was a geisha in Pontocho, Kyoto. There is a certain disdain for geisha of other places, which shines through at times. Dalby herself is aware of this and even mentions it in her introduction! And so I have no problem recommending this book on reliability alone!