Geisha of Gion

The remarkable bestselling memoir from Japan’s leading geisha offers a rare insight into the enchanting, mysterious, and subtly sensual world of the nearly mythical geisha, as described by Val Hennessy of the Daily Mail. The Times calls it an eloquent and original memoir. It begins on a cold winter afternoon when three-year-old Mineko is discovered by Madam Oima, the powerful head of a renowned geisha house in Gion, who sees in her the perfect successor. Taken gently but firmly from her family, Mineko embarks on a demanding path to become the best geisha. Despite her beauty and favor within the okiya, she faces intense challenges, including rivalry from her jealous sister. Geisha of Gion is a moving and captivating account of Mineko’s rise to fame and her eventual choice to leave a profession she found restrictive. After centuries of silence, Mineko is the first geisha to share her true story—the story the West has long awaited.