Geisha, a Life Quotes

“Cleaning is considered a vital part of the training process in all traditional Japanese disciplines and is a required practice for any novice. It is accorded spiritual significance. Purifying an unclean place is believed to purify the mind.”
― Mineko Iwasaki, Geisha, a Life

“And we are not mountaintop sages who can live by consuming mist.”
― Mineko Iwasaki, Geisha, a Life

“So we support the dance but it does not support us.”
― Mineko Iwasaki, Geisha of Gion: The True Story of Japan's Foremost Geisha

“Kimono, the. Costumes of our profession, are sacred to us. They are the emblems of our calling. Kimono embody beautyas we understand!!!”
― Mineko Iwasaki and Rande Brown, Geisha, a Life

“I had a serious conversation with the flowers and they told me where they came from. I was right. They were from the man who was secreted away in my heart. I missed him so much. I couldn’t wait to see him again. But, at the same time, I was scared of him. Whenever I thought of him a little door in my heart banged shut and I felt like crying. I had no idea what was going on.”
― Mineko Iwasaki, Geisha: A Life

“A star geiko is never, ever alone and I always wanted to be by myself.”
― Mineko Iwasaki, Geisha: A Life

“How come we kept celebrating things that made me feel bad?”
― Mineko Iwasaki, Geisha: A Life

“Whom did I belong to?”
― Mineko Iwasaki, Geisha: A Life

“Dance and the other art forms can be taught, but how to make an ozashiki sparkle can not.”
― Mineko Iwasaki, Geisha: A Life

“They begged me not to quit. But they didn’t offer to change anything.”
― Mineko Iwasaki, Geisha: A Life

“No, Mineko, beauty is universal. There is an absolute principle in this world that underlies the appearance and disappearance of all phenomena. That is what we call karma. It is constant and immutable, and gives rise to universal values like beauty and morality.”
― Mineko Iwasaki, Geisha, a Life

“Well, these fifteen years may have seemed short to you but they have been an eternity for me.”
― Mineko Iwasaki, Geisha: A Life

“In my mind I believe that her love for him still exists and that it will continue on for a thousand years, or into eternity.”
― Mineko Iwasaki, Geisha: A Life

“I took the obi from my father’s chest and took it with me. I kept it until I met my husband. I gave it to him. He still wears it.”
― Mineko Iwasaki, Geisha: A Life

“I had found what I was looking for. I was madly in love, and the intensity of our passion made a profound difference in my life. More than anything else, it affected my dancing, which attained the expressiveness I had been seeking for so long.”
― Mineko Iwasaki, Geisha: A Life

“A geiko’s kimono is a work of art and I would never wear a kimono that wasn’t absolutely perfect. All the kimono worn by maiko and geiko are one of a kind. Many of them are given names, like paintings, and are treasured as such. This is why I have such a vivid memory of everything I ever wore.”
― Mineko Iwasaki, Geisha: A Life

“I blurted out my whole laundry list of requirements. I clearly had in mind someone as sophisticated as my father or Dr. Tanigawa.”
― Mineko Iwasaki, Geisha: A Life

“The only adult male I had ever known was my father. All my ideas about love and responsibility came from him.”
― Mineko Iwasaki, Geisha: A Life

“I have no idea. It’s not my problem. But I’m sure you’ll do just fine. Anyway, you aren’t what I’m looking for. I’m looking for a grand passion, someone who will sweep me off my feet and teach me all about love. And then I’m going to become a really great dancer.”
― Mineko Iwasaki, Geisha: A Life

“And no matter how accomplished one may be, the hard work is to no avail if one doesn’t have the proper clothes in which to appear in public.”
― Mineko Iwasaki, Geisha: A Life

“Aha, Mine-chan, I see. It all becomes clear. And I have to hand it to you, you are a little rascal.” As far as I’m concerned, there is never an excuse for bad behavior.”
― Mineko Iwasaki, Geisha: A Life

“I lay there alone for hours, crying my eyes out. I was still trying to rationalize the relationship: Why can’t I let things just stay as they are? What difference does it make if he’s married? But the fact is it did matter. I refused to be second best any longer.”
― Mineko Iwasaki, Geisha: A Life

“I was thoroughly fed up with the system. I had followed the rules for all these years, but there was no way I could stay in the system and do what I wanted to do. The whole reason why the organization of Gion Kobu had been systematized in the first place was to ensure the dignity and financial independence of the women who worked there. Yet the strictures of the Inoue School kept us subservient to its authority. There was no room for any sort of autonomy.”
― Mineko Iwasaki, Geisha: A Life

“This arcane system has been in place, unchanged, for over a hundred years. It contains no procedure for modification, no avenue for improvement or reform. Complaining or resisting is taboo. As noted, I had been trying to initiate changes in the system since I was fifteen. To no avail.”
― Mineko Iwasaki, Geisha: A Life

“I would mediate engagements for the women who wanted to get married and help the others find new positions or start their own businesses.”
― Mineko Iwasaki, Geisha: A Life

“So, I’m sorry, but as long as things remain as they are I don’t feel comfortable taking on any younger sisters.”
― Mineko Iwasaki, Geisha: A Life

“I was glad for the additional income and, whenever possible, used the exposure to express my thoughts about the geiko system.”
― Mineko Iwasaki, Geisha: A Life

“Her death was a defining moment in my life. It felt like the brightest light in Gion Kobu had gone dark. Sadly, she was the last master of the musical tradition in which she had been trained. The form died with her.”
― Mineko Iwasaki, Geisha: A Life

“I was moved by her emotion, but she was unable to say the one thing I longed to hear. She couldn’t say, “Whatever you do, Mineko, please don’t stop dancing.” The system wouldn’t allow it. When I stopped being a geiko I would have to stop dancing.”
― Mineko Iwasaki, Geisha: A Life

“The transmission was done. I was free. The dance was mine.”
― Mineko Iwasaki, Geisha: A Life