What do you think?
Rate this book
Geisha: The Life, the Voices, the Art
Here, brought vividly to life, is an icon of Japanese culture and custom—the geisha in her role as human work of art and perfect woman.
A hundred years ago geisha numbered eighty thousand; today there are a thousand at most. Happily, Jodi Cobb is able to show us—before they vanish—both the ceremonial world of the geisha in Tokyo and Kyoto and their private world as few outsiders have ever seen it.
Many of the older women we meet here were forced into this world by hardship; the young women were drawn to it by their dream of a
romantic life or their love of traditional arts. We see geisha in their daytime routines: fine-tuning their breathtakingly lavish wardrobes; perfecting the art of makeup; training maikos (apprentices); and preparing for annual dance performances.
But as we watch the geisha at night, as they entertain (for huge sums) at private parties, their art takes a different form. Their purpose is to provide a dream—of luxury, romance and exclusivity. As the men sit at dinner, geisha position themselves at their elbows to serve them sake and delicacies and practice a brilliantly honed art of conversation. As the alcohol flows and the guests relax, geisha play party tricks and sing songs. Geisha have for centuries studied the male ego. They tend it like a garden—and we watch men bloom.
This long-hidden world is revealed here both in superlative photographs and in a fascinating text that includes the voices of the geisha themselves. These women have created a life of beauty, making themselves an embodiment of Japanese culture, tradition and refinement—a life that is captured exquisitely in this remarkable book.
A hundred years ago geisha numbered eighty thousand; today there are a thousand at most. Happily, Jodi Cobb is able to show us—before they vanish—both the ceremonial world of the geisha in Tokyo and Kyoto and their private world as few outsiders have ever seen it.
Many of the older women we meet here were forced into this world by hardship; the young women were drawn to it by their dream of a
romantic life or their love of traditional arts. We see geisha in their daytime routines: fine-tuning their breathtakingly lavish wardrobes; perfecting the art of makeup; training maikos (apprentices); and preparing for annual dance performances.
But as we watch the geisha at night, as they entertain (for huge sums) at private parties, their art takes a different form. Their purpose is to provide a dream—of luxury, romance and exclusivity. As the men sit at dinner, geisha position themselves at their elbows to serve them sake and delicacies and practice a brilliantly honed art of conversation. As the alcohol flows and the guests relax, geisha play party tricks and sing songs. Geisha have for centuries studied the male ego. They tend it like a garden—and we watch men bloom.
This long-hidden world is revealed here both in superlative photographs and in a fascinating text that includes the voices of the geisha themselves. These women have created a life of beauty, making themselves an embodiment of Japanese culture, tradition and refinement—a life that is captured exquisitely in this remarkable book.
128 pages, Paperback
First published November 7, 1995
3 people are currently reading
354 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
January 30, 2019
I put this book on hold at the library after reading about the author’s Pulitzer Prize nominated work in my Mizzou Alumni magazine. I’ve always been fascinated by geisha and Memoirs of a Geisha has been on my to-be-read list for years. After learning behind the scenes details of actual geisha life through this book, I’m ready to read more.
“Geisha: the life, the voices, the art” would make a great coffee table book but the writing in the front of the book and interview quotes throughout are equally as beautiful as the photos. This book provides you with an intimate, behind-the-scenes look at daily geisha life that is rarely seen. This book was published in the 90’s and even then geisha numbers were dwindling. I’m sure there are now very few “true” geisha remaining in Japan which makes this book all the more important. This book opened my eyes and taught me a lot about a culture I knew very little about.
“Geisha: the life, the voices, the art” would make a great coffee table book but the writing in the front of the book and interview quotes throughout are equally as beautiful as the photos. This book provides you with an intimate, behind-the-scenes look at daily geisha life that is rarely seen. This book was published in the 90’s and even then geisha numbers were dwindling. I’m sure there are now very few “true” geisha remaining in Japan which makes this book all the more important. This book opened my eyes and taught me a lot about a culture I knew very little about.
June 28, 2023
Published in 1995, Geisha captures a time in which becoming a geisha was rapidly becoming an old fashioned idea, a time when Japanese girls aspired to more intellectual pursuits than traditional music, dancing, and man-pleasing. In this large-scale picture book, Cobb’s photos feature geisha performances, interactions with men in teahouses, and behind-the-scenes preparations and offstage life both private and amongst geisha friends. Photos of geisha on the streets of Kyoto depict the contrast between their tradition and modern (late 20th century) life.
Cobb adds basic background on geisha, as well as thoughtful quotes from the girls themselves and excerpts from geisha poetry and song. Overall I like the photos, and they give good insight into the vanishing world of the geisha and the men who love and support them. Yet, not a book I would choose for my own coffee table
Cobb adds basic background on geisha, as well as thoughtful quotes from the girls themselves and excerpts from geisha poetry and song. Overall I like the photos, and they give good insight into the vanishing world of the geisha and the men who love and support them. Yet, not a book I would choose for my own coffee table
February 19, 2023
Interesting read about modern geisha. I liked the short memoirs by geisha best, and the images were great. They're very messy 90s in a way that complements well with modern geisha – their anachronistic glamour vs modernity and bacchanals.
August 23, 2021
Largely photos, obviously, but a great expose into the life of modern Geisha and lots of beautiful anecdotes.
September 22, 2021
Virtue of a woman is to be strong but not show it.
July 24, 2022
Very fascinating essay about the life of a Geisha i found the personal accounts and the quotes very eye opening, and the photos intimate and besutiful.
May 27, 2012
Beautiful pictures and interesting information on MODERN Geisha/Geiko. Though I wish there would have been some captions for the photos. And there were also some pictures of Oiran/Tayu, but distinctions were not made between the two for some reason... Geisha/Geiko and Oiran/Tayu are two completely different professions. Although I am interested in both, a newcomer to this history would probably not recognize the significant differences.
March 25, 2015
I like picture style coffee table books, but I'm really picky about what I grab. I usually look for unlikely pictures, ones that are behind the scenes shots, or candid shots and this book is full of them. It's neat to see these performers as people. The text is pretty informative, too. It's the book for someone who likes Japan, Geisha's or clothing.
February 14, 2013
A book in which the value lies more in the introduction than the photographs - if you want to learn about geisha without reading a full-length book, this is where I would go. Cobb writes clearly and concisely without sounding too "academic." Only about 50% of the photos are what I would call spectacular, but then again this was published in the mid-90s... Overall a great starter book on geisha.
February 10, 2010
It's a bunch of pictures of geisha and maiko with mostly-accurate captions. You could probably do better on Photobucket. The one strength of the book is that it shows several older geisha, and you don't usually get to see the wrinkly ones online. Very interesting how the makeup works.
April 17, 2008
Beautiful photos. Interesting stories.
May 17, 2010
Great information, gorgeous photos, and truly insightful, personal quotes.
March 29, 2012
The pictures are quite nice. The problem for me was that much of the text spoke about Tokyo Geisha and many of the images were of Kyoto Geiko. It was a bit of a disconnect for me.
February 17, 2014
This book is mostly photos but also text about Geisha, including interviews with them and their clients. A good book for those interested in Geisha.
Read
April 5, 2015a beautiful photo book
April 15, 2016
Enlightening!
April 18, 2017
"It is in the style of their self abandonment that [geisha] are granted a degree of self determination denied to ordinary members of the human hive." Xi
"A geisha's virtue, her strength and beauty come from history and tradition. She understands how the Japanese should be. She will teach you and lead you, yet make you look back. She is a hometown of the mind."
"The Gei of geisha means "art," and a geisha is a "person who lives by art." But hers is not the art if self expression; it is of the subjugation of self....A geisha doesn't strive for originality, but for perfection. She doesn't create her art, it creates her." Pg. 11
"A geisha's virtue, her strength and beauty come from history and tradition. She understands how the Japanese should be. She will teach you and lead you, yet make you look back. She is a hometown of the mind."
"The Gei of geisha means "art," and a geisha is a "person who lives by art." But hers is not the art if self expression; it is of the subjugation of self....A geisha doesn't strive for originality, but for perfection. She doesn't create her art, it creates her." Pg. 11
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews