Mujer de placer

by Kiyoko Murata, Makiko Sese (Translator), Daniel Villa (Translator)

Ichi, una joven buceadora, es vendida al burdel más exclusivo del barrio rojo de Kumamoto, en Kyushu, por la situación de pobreza de su familia. En un entorno marcado por la desesperanza y la explotación, aprende a leer y escribir en el Taller Femenino Bermellón, una escuela para prostitutas, mientras se convierte en la protegida de la oiran del más alto rango del burdel. Debido a su formación como cortesana, Ichi presencia las desgarradoras realidades de las mujeres atrapadas en un destino implacable por las fuerzas entre el sexo, el poder y el dinero: la que queda embarazada y debe renunciar a su hijo, la que escapa y es perseguida, la que pierde la vida en un conflicto amoroso y la que es revendida por las deudas contraídas por sus propios padres.

En medio de estas tragedias, las mujeres encuentran un rayo de esperanza. Murata recrea con asombroso detalle la brutal pero vibrante vida de estas mujeres, que, inspiradas por los vientos de cambio de la era Meiji, deciden alzarse juntas en una huelga para reclamar sus derechos y dignidad. Esta obra, galardonada con el prestigioso Premio Yomiuri, relata con intensidad y humanidad la lucha de las mujeres de placer, quienes, a pesar de su cruel destino, encuentran la fuerza para resistir y emprender la busca de un futuro mejor.

Una historia conmovedora que explora el poder de la solidaridad y la esperanza en tiempos de adversidad.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Japan, Historical, Japanese Literature, Feminism, Asia

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

En 1975, elle reçoit le prix du festival des arts de Kyushu pour « La voix de l’eau » ce qui l’encouragea fortement dans sa carrière littéraire. Son ouvrage « Le Chaudron » l’a ensuite rendue célèbre grâce à l’adaptation qu’en fit KUROSAWA Akira pour son film « Rhapsodie en août » sorti en 1991.

Reviews

[Alwynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kiyoko Murata’s absorbing, slice-of-life novel is a meticulous depiction of the everyday lives of women living and working in the designated “pleasure districts” of Meiji era Japan. Murata’s focus is on Aoi Ichi, a teenage girl who’s essentially been sold into prostitution by her parents – a comparatively common way of making money for impoverished families. It’s 1903 and Ichi’s been dispatched from her small island community to the upmarket, Shinonome brothel in the Kumamoto quarter of Kyushu – similar to Tokyo’s famous Yoshiwara district. The brothel operates like a society in miniature, with its own rules and concept of morality. Here what might be extraordinary in another context, murder, disease, suicide, is just background noise to the realities of existence for women of the brothel; girls suddenly have more worth than boys, and lies are often seen as more virtuous than truth. Every woman is strictly ranked, a hierarchy based on notions of beauty and acquired skills, from the lowly yūjo or woman of pleasure to the elevated, accomplished oirans, the highest-ranking courtesans.

The most celebrated courtesan at Ichi’s brothel is Shinonome, named after the brothel, a title that reduces her to a prized commodity, key representative of the house’s brand. Ichi is one of the select few chosen for special training by Shinonome, considered attractive enough to be a future oiran. Although Ichi’s rebellious nature soon becomes an obstacle, Ichi is sent with other trainees to the local Female Industrial School. There she becomes a student of Tetsuko an older prostitute, one of the few of her peers who’s dodged death by disease, suicide or violence. Murata delves into the minutiae of Ichi’s enclosed world, where women are regarded as more valuable than an overflowing wallet, carefully supervised, unable to go outside without permission, immersed in specialist training, from sexual techniques to poetry writing to sophisticated speech, all ways to increase earning potential. Menstruation is a welcome form of escape, because it results in a regular ‘red silk’ holiday.

Murata is less interested in plot or character here than in historical events and in the day-to-day experiences of Ichi and women like her. She deliberately sets her story in the run-up to the real-life, courtesan strike of 1904, partly inspired by news of general industrial unrest and the devastating impact of a faltering economy on many people’s livelihoods. Ichi and her fellow workers follow the progress of the Nagasaki shipyard strikes, and wonder if they too might be able to fight for better conditions. The brothel not only uses them to pay off family debt or further loans but charges inflated prices for food, tobacco and other necessities. Murata’s narrative features a mix of lyrical and docu-style prose, as well as striking imagery. Although, and I’m not sure how far this relates to translation decisions, some of the more informal passages are a little jarring – ‘hot sex’ for ‘penis’ is a prime example. But, despite minor flaws, I found this fascinating. I liked the way that Murata uses her narrative to reflect on broader social and political issues during this moment of change: a time in which legal shifts, spurred on by pressure groups, including a growing workers' and women’s movement, offered up the possibility of liberation for sex workers like Ichi. Although Murata is widely acclaimed in Japan, where she’s won multiple awards for her fiction, as well as worked with directors like Kurosawa, this is the first of her books to be available in English, I look forward to more. Translated by Juliet Winters Carpenter.

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher Footnote Press for an ARC

Rating: 3.5

[Roman Clodia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the material fascinating in this story of young Japanese girls sold into prostitution by their poor families but this worked less well as a novel for me. Set in 1903, the main character is Ichi who is spirited and also naive: short extracts from her diary light up each chapter with her quirky take on life in a brothel and I could easily have read more in this format.

But the book shifts between background and history (such as the legal regulations on prostitution) and the story of Ichi and her fellow sex workers. Their day to day lives, the record of their 'training', the two men a day, the medical exams and diseases, the way the 'debt' works is told in the kind of granular detail I wanted - but, somehow, the story got left out. There is a last minute strike against bad conditions but there isn't really pace and momentum.

Nevertheless, this remains an intriguing insight into a horrific practice: that families are so poor they're forced to sell their daughters into prostitution, sometimes having to add to the debt again. It's also interesting that when prostitutes get pregnant, it's the girl children who have value, cutting against the more usual patriarchal system - though, of course, this is because the girls can be brought up to work in the brothel. It's worth noting too that the 'pleasure' of the title is the one these women have to give to men.

So I found all the details of this enclosed world absorbing, but the writing could be a little dry and most of the characters are no more than names. Ichi stands out for her difference and her love for the island from which she has been exiled but the fiction elements are distinctly downplayed.

Thanks to Footnote Press for an ARC via Netgalley

[Emiliya Bozhilova · Rating 4 out of 5]

Никое човешко същество не се ражда господар или роб. И все пак робството в най-разнообразни форми доминира огромна част от човешката история - до такава степен, че се приема за “традиция” и дори носи привкуса на пикантното и екзотичното. Срещу отмяната му се възправя именно святата традиция на приемствеността и неизменността.

В Япония, а и в цяла източна Азия, като започнем с Китай, мизерията намира специфичен временен отдушник - момичетата. Всички деца са считани за пълна собственост на родителите си, и последните имат право да ги ползват като стока за обезпечение, и ги продават в бордеи. Нещо повече - имат право да ги използват почти вечно за натрупване на все нови и нови дългове, докато накрая от проституцията не остава друг изход освен смъртта. Обществото, разбира се, счита проститутките, продадени заради дългове, за неморални и пропаднали жени, а традицията на насадено сляпо подчинение и уважение към родителите отнема на момичетата дори утехата да ги осъдят и възневидят заради извършената огромна несправедливост.

Мурата прави отличен разрез на ситуацията в Япония в зората на 20-ти век, следвайки стъпките на 15 годишната Ичи. В обрания ѝ стил е събрана цялата гневна присъда на букет от извращения и несправедливости, закостенели като “традиция”. Най-вече - безкритичното подчинение. Японското общество прави първи плахи стъпки към разглеждането на обитателите си като отделни човешки същества, а не като винтчета, въртящи се в полза на силните на деня, които самодоволно приравняват проститутките към добитъка (официално постановено в закон), жените - към низшите видове, а бедните - към калта. Но тези стъпки са спъвани на всяка крачка от закостенялост и “традиция”.

Мурата силно ме изненада. У нея има нещо толкова просвещенско, толкова непокорно, толкова силно индивидуално - и същевременно абсолютно японско - че комбинацията е потресаваща. Тя намира корените за протеста си именно в основите на същата традиция, която обрича на неизменност и подчинение, но е родила и красотата на мимолетното и минимализма. Радвам се, че можах да прочета Мурата на български.

——————
🌺”Да се сравнява какво е най-важното в света на науката с това, което е най-важно в света на политиката, етиката или будизма, беше невъзможно. Но хората бяха живи същества и трябваше да разберат кое е най-важното в света на науката. Ако пренебрегнеха това и поставеха на първо място императора, баща си или Кобо Дайши, крайният резултат щеше да бъде катастрофален, мислеше Тецуко.”

🌺“Да си жена е непрактично”, заключи Шинономе.

[Sofia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set in Japan 1903, inspired by the courtesan strike, Murata takes us on a journey with Aoi Ichi, who is indentured into a brothel at a tender age because of family debt.

The pleasure mentioned here is not a pleasure this woman or other women feels. The pleasure is solely that of the buyer, the man, in the case, who makes use of the woman, and that of the brothel owners who make money out of such sales of pleasure.

Murata is a great storyteller who is an artist able to measure her words and choose the right ones. Her novel is like a haiku. It's words are measured and accurately placed to create the right feeling, create the right images that pertain to the story of these prostitutes and the work that they are forced into by their own loved ones. A tragic reality that they have to bow down to until..........

An ARC gently provided by author/publisher via Netgalley.

[Maede · Rating 3 out of 5]

ایچی یک دختر پانزده ساله‌ست که به دلیل بدهی خانواده‌ش در سال ۱۹۰۳ در ژاپن به یک فاحشه‌خانه فروخته میشه. اما در این فاحشه‌خانه‌ی سطح بالا، کار زنان فقط فراهم کردن رابطه‌ی جنسی نیست. این زنان تربیت میشن که مشتری‌هاشون رو سرگرم کنند و اوقات خوشی براشون فراهم کنند. برای همین برای خواندن و نوشتن، شعر، مراسم چای ژاپنی و هنرهای دیگه آموزش می‌بینند. اون‌ها عروسک‌های برده‌ای هستند که مردان چند ساعت به شکل‌های مختلف باهاشون بازی می‌کنند

در رأس این هرم، زن‌هایی من نام اویران بودند که روسپی‌های رده‌ بالا محسوب می‌شدند. این زنان مشتریان بسیار خاصی داشتند و فقط از طریق واسطه و هزینه‌های بالا، بودن باهاشون ممکن بود. اویران‌ها زنانی زیبا با آرایش‌های سنگین و سفید و کیمونوهای پیچیده و چند لایه بودند که در انواع هنرها آموزش دیده بودند. این زنان، روسپی‌های تازه وارد رو‌ هم آموزش می‌دادند و منبع اصلی درآمد فاحشه‌خانه‌های محله‌‌های قرمز بودند. اوج محبوبیت اویران‌ها در دوره‌ی ادو یا پیشامدرن ژاپن بود و با شروع دوره‌ی میجی در ۱۸۶۸ و حرکت ژاپن به سمت مدرنیته، به مرور بردگی زنان روسپی غیرقانونی اعلام شد و گیشا‌ها محبوبیت بیشتری پیدا کردند. امروزه در ژاپن فستیوالی هم برگزار میشه که زنان به شکل اویران‌ها لباس‌های مجلل می‌پوشند و در خیابان‌ها راه رژه میرن

داستان کتاب هم در اواخر دوره‌ی میجی اتفاق می‌افته و خواننده رو به داخل فاحشه‌خانه‌های ژاپنی می‌بره. ایچی، کاراکتر اصلی کتاب کم‌کم برای روسپی‌گری تربیت میشه و کارش رو شروع می‌کنه. اما تحولات تاریخی مسیر داستان رو عوض می‌کنه. خواندن در مورد این موضوع گاهی واقعاً اذیت کننده‌ست، به خصوص به عنوان یک زن تصور واگذار کردن استقلال و اختیار بدن به این شکل و شدت اصلا آسان نیست. اما آدم رو به این فکر می‌اندازه که چقدر راه درازی اومدیم و چرا باید ادامه‌ش داد

داستان به خاطر زمینه‌ی تاریخیش برام جالب بود، اما سطحی بودن کاراکترها توی ذوق می‌زد و راستش به دل��یل نامعلومی کتاب صوتی هم روی اعصابم بود. در کل اما باعث شد در مورد مسئله‌ای که هیچ‌چیز در موردش نمی‌دونستم کمی بخونم، جستجو کنم و یاد بگیرم

کتاب و صوتیش رو می‌تونید از اینجا دانلود کنید
Maede's Books

۱۴۰۳/۱۰/۲۶

[Maxwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set at the turn of the 20th century, we follow 15 year old Ichi as she is sold into prostitution to pay off her father's debts. She's taken from her home on the island of Iojima and employed by an exclusive brothel in Kumamoto, Japan. There she learns the tricks of the trade from her mentor, an 'oiran' or high-ranking courtesan, as well as from her teacher, Tetsuko, where the prostitutes learn to read, write and calculate their incomes and debts.

This was an engaging, easy to read, and informative historical fiction novel. I typically don't read a lot of historical fiction because I find it can be bogged down in the details, but this one blended the setting and facts of the time period with a fictional story that flowed very naturally. I felt for Ichi and enjoyed seeing her learn and grow as she sought her independence of both mind and body along with her fellow prostitutes.

[Repellent Boy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nacida en la isla Io, Ichi pasa sus días buceando como el resto de mujeres del lugar, hasta que un día su vida cambia. Ante la pobreza y deudas familiares, su padre decide venderla a un prestigioso burdel del barrio rojo de Kumamoto. Pasará a convertirse en la protegida de la oiran, la cortesana de más nivel de la casa, y comenzará a acudir al Taller Bermellón Femenino, una escuela de prostitutas, único derecho que las mujeres obligadas a trabajar en esto han alcanzado. Allí aprenderá caligrafía, contabilidad y buenos modales. Aun bajo la mirada inocente de Ichi, se pondrá de manifiesto la cruda realidad de estas mujeres: son vendidas a antojo de sus padres, generando una deuda que algunas nunca pueden pagar y gran parte de ellas acaban pereciendo a los pocos años. Pero algo está cambiando, una esperanza está cobrando forma, una disconformidad, una revolución silenciosa.

Lo primero que me llamó la atención fue Ichi, su protagonista, y como la inocencia con la que se enfrenta a la vida, no se pierde ante ninguna circunstancia. Y eso que es una mujer que se rebela, que trata de decir no, manteniendo su actitud de chica de pueblo, nada sofisticada. También destaca Shinonome, la oiran jefa, esta cortesana que ha alcanzado el nivel máximo de respeto para las mujeres que viven esta vida. Pese a su aparente conformismo o, incluso, aceptación de este destino, se esconde una mujer fuerte y decidida, que solo está esperando el momento de poder actuar. Por último, mi gran favorita, Tetsuko, nacida en una familia de samuráis caída en desgracia, es vendida y, ante su falta de atributos deseables para los clientes, acaba dando clases en el taller femenino. A través de esta última, la autora hace grandes reflexiones sobre la situación de la mujer en el Japón de la época y, especialmente, la que es obligada a vender su cuerpo, sobre su vulnerabilidad en la sociedad y su deseo imparable de que la situación cambie.Tetsuko tiene reflexiones feministas que me parecieron muy poderosas, hasta el punto que desafía la religión y a los grandes filóss, incluso a los que se jactan de la igualdad del hombre y la mujer, aunque luego demuestran lo contrario en sus escritos. Tetsuko es un personajazo del que me hubiera gustado ver más.

Creo que “Mujer de placer” de Kiyoko Murata es de esos libros con los que se aprende, los que acabas con la sensación de que ahora sabes un poquito más del mundo. Me ha gustado mucho conocer la vida de las cortesanas de la era Meiji, a través de estas mujeres el lector puede hacerse una idea de la vida que llevaron, de la lucha de sus derechos, a veces de una manera más silenciosa, pero otras veces alzando la voz, huyendo incluso hacia un destino incierto, convirtiéndose en prófugas de la justicia al hacerlo. He aprendido mucho de las normas, sus costumbres y de como funcionaba el negocio. También me ha sorprendido que tenían festividades propias.

Creo que la historia está muy bien narrada, ya que pese a contener una crítica social muy directa, esta va cogiendo forma poco a poco, presentándose muy sutilmente durante la mayor parte de la historia, para explotar en grandes momentos llenos de reivindicación. Muy curioso es que durante la era Meiji las cortesanas había conseguido que se fundasen sindicatos que luchaban por sus derechos, pero que a la hora de la verdad, no eran más que una pose, una manera de no ser mal vistos en Occidente, ya que estas mujeres seguían estando igual de atrapadas. Y no solo lo estaban por los dueños de estas casas, sino por sus propios padres, que no solo las vendían como si de objetos se tratasen, sino que además volvían a hipotecar la existencia de estas cada vez que necesitaban dinero. Nunca dejará de sorprenderme que las propias familias pudieran llegar a vender a sus hijas para obtener dinero. También permite al lector asistir a la dualidad de algunas de las cortesanas, estaban obligadas a acostarse con hombres para mantener a su familia, pero al menos podían comer todos los días, sus familiares no. De esta manera, ellas mismas se sentían responsables, cayendo en la trampa.

Una de las cosas que más me ha gustado encontrar en esta historia es la sororidad que desprende, ver como esas mujeres, que están pasando por lo mismo, se apoyan y se unen para ser más fuertes. Como se enseñan unas a las otras, ya que entienden que el conocimiento es la única manera de no ser engañadas, como se cuidan unas a las otras cuando lo necesitan. Hasta ahora, siempre que he leído una historia donde las cortesanas son personajes principales, nunca se hablaba de detalles como su unión, su lucha o estos sindicatos. ¿Por qué ocurre esto? Pues porque siempre lo había leído desde la perspectiva de hombres, y para ellos, parece ser, las únicas cosas interesantes a resaltar en relación a estas era la belleza o los buenos modales. Nada más tenía importancia. Cuando el tema lo trata una mujer, la cosa cambia.

Para finalizar diré que me hubiera gustado ver un poquito más de ese final, que tanto me ha gustado, al igual que me he quedado con ganas de ver algo más de esa unión que empieza a crecer entre Shinonome y Tetsuko. Es un libro exquisito, para leer muy atento y con ganas de aprender. Tengo que hacerme con el otro libro de la autora que tiene la editorial publicado, porque es una autora increíble. Mención especial merecen sus traductores, Makiko Sese y Daniel Villa. Cada vez que leo algo traducido por Makiko, me encuentro con una maravilla. No creo que sea casualidad.

[Willow Heath]

Set in 1903, during the Meiji Restoration of Japan, A Woman of Pleasure is a feminist novel that paints a vivid picture of the lives of courtesans. The novel primarily follows Aoi Ichi, a girl from a poor island community sold, like so many girls her age, by her impoverished parents. Through Ichi's eyes, we learn about the world of courtesans in post-Sengoku Japan, and we meet women who struggle, fall, and fight back.

My full thoughts: https://booksandbao.com/japanese-lite...

[Teju A · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sigh, every time I go out of my comfort zone.

This books reads like poetry; one must not get sidetracked though by its realities!
That fathers/families in that time would place impossible burdens on daughters in the name of survival, one can only imagine. Selling daughters to pleasure quaters.
Inasmuch as our MC made light of everything she went through, my heart goes out to these women. They had to deal with malnutrition, disease, poor working conditions and not to mention abandonment.
Some triggers in this book; but read with an open mind, this was the 1900's after all, and thank God for how far women have come!

Solid 3.5 stars!

[Afi (WhatAfiReads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Leaving meant stepping into hell, but staying was another kind of hell. Each woman had to decide for herself what hell to choose."

What a book.
This book had left me with all sorts of feelings. It made me sad, it made me angry and it made me laugh, bust most of all, it left me with a feeling of guilt and also hope. A hope for something bigger to come, even if we are still far from it.

The prose of the book feels simple and straightforward. We follow the narration from a 15 year old Aoi, who had been sold as a prostitute by her family at a brothel. There we go through the lives of hers as she grew up, the female friendship that was formed, the betrayal from someone that was supposed to protect you and about freedom. I really liked that we went through this book from the lenses of a child. Its a reflection of the cruel society and how women were forced to sell their bodies even if its against their will.

Reading this reminded me a lot of the Indian Movie -Gangubai Kathiawadi - where the premise sets at a red light district in Mumbai. And the key to freedom, in both the movie and the book, is education. The privilege to have education and to even be educated - as without having learning to write, read and count, there will be no freedom for a person. I absolutely loved the solidarity of the women in this book and it made me feel thankful for the privilege that I had with my education.

I feel that if you are new to japanese literature and wants to try going into the genre without it being too heavy - I would definitely recommend this book. Not only that the proses are simple, I liked that the critics for the government and social class is subtly intertwined but it is prominent. And at the end of the day, since this story is based on true events and in par with our reality now - to make a change, there needs to be a resistance. The fight for human rights and equality is a never ending journey and this book will be one of the books that I will remember for a very very long time.

Highly recommended!

Personal Ratings : 4.5🌟

Thank you to Pansing for the gifted copy! I truly appreciate it.

[Hanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

"For a woman of pleasure, lying is a virtue. The lies of an oiran are the greatest virtue of all"

A Woman Of Pleasure is a historical novel that shows the hard truth of courtesans life. The book details their long, painful preparation to become prostitutes, the strict rules they lived under, and the harsh differences between oiran, the high-ranking courtesans trained in the arts, and the lower-ranking prostitutes who often had no choice but to work their way out of debt, or die trying.

The novel centers around Aoi Ichi, a girl from a remote island who is sold to the Shinonome brothel by her family at the age of 15. Ichi, if one can even call it "lucky," is sold into a luxurious brothel where the owners are relatively fair and honest. Yet, the narrative doesn’t shy away from acknowledging the brutality faced by countless other girls who were sold into poorer brothels, where they were abused, overworked, and had no one to protect them.

Aside from Ichi, my favorite characters were Tetsuko, a former prostitute turned teacher, who shows a deep compassion for the young, unfortunate girls in her care, and Shinonome, an elegant and complex oiran of the house, whose presence commands both respect and admiration.

While the writing felt a bit abrupt in the beginning, possibly due to the translation from Japanese, I quickly got used to it. Once I adjusted, I liked how the prose mirrored the perspective of a 15-year-old girl. Also, it’s important to keep in mind that this is a historical novel, so the focus is more on the setting, culture, and daily life than on deep character development. The author doesn’t go very deep into the characters’ inner thoughts or emotional growth.

A Woman of Pleasure is one of those books that reminds us why feminism exists and why it matters. In a world where women’s bodies were bought, sold, and used without consent, where girls had no say in their fate, and where survival meant submission, we see clearly the origins of today’s patriarchal structures. And tragically, many of these injustices still echo in our modern society. As I read, I felt a profound respect for the girls and women who managed to find ways to survive, to protect each other, and sometimes even to find small moments of joy.

While the ending offers a glimmer of hope for the women of the story, the book left me with a deep, lingering sadness for the many who never got their chance at freedom.

[Bella Azam · Rating 5 out of 5]

9Kiyoko Murata was an Akutagawa Prize winner and this is her first English debut and certainly a perfect debut, I will say because this book highlighted on women, its about women and for women even if the protagonist presented here is a child but she is a child that lived as a girl forced into prostitution ripped apart from her youth but persevere in the adversity. Ichi is naive, brash, strong headed and just a teenage girl not knowing her fate being sold off for the sake of her family. Coming from a poor fishing family of 'ama' from the island where fishes are abundant and her mother and sister are called the female divers with their strong upper body fitted for diving, all Ichi knew of her life is the sea.

When she first come to Kumamoto, the high class establishment for prostitutes with one of their top oiran, Shinonome as her guardian mentor, Ichi was befuddled by the whole prospect of a new world, a world where women's body are used to satisfy other pleasure. In other words, their bodies are no longer their own but the property of the house and the customers. And it always shocked me how young these girls are to be trained to become as they say eligible of age to accept customers. Its horrifying & horrible as they have to pay debt in order to let their poor family survive or else.

Following Ichi's first encounter with being exposed of her body to others to get proper care and then being taught on the sexual tactics to please customer to her first "deflowering" by sleazy old man made me wanna barf but Ichi doesnt take all of this naively. She fought fiercely and she did so by physical fleeing or kicking the old man away, I applaud her bravery although this resistance came with brutal punishment by the master & servants. But Ichi's fierceness and strong will made her a great character to like. Her innocence and childishness are what kept her as she is, never betraying her roots from the island because she is proud of her own background even if she gets ridiculed for her thick accent sometimes.

We also learn about how these women get to attend a school to learn to read and write. That is probably the only good thing they received from the work is they got to learn to gain knowledge and have education even if the purpose is only to write letters to their customers. Tetsuko, the teacher is a former prostitute sold by her samurai family due to dire financial situation but after their family improved in welfare, she quit the job and taken up the position as a teacher to teach these women. I like how each chapters, there is the diary or journal written by Ichi to reflect what she was feeling or the moments she experienced and she shared this to Tetsuko. These small pieces of entries really let you into Ichi's mind of her own emotions and perspectives.

This story was inspired by a real life of movement or strike made by the women once they regain their autonomy as free women. They decided not to work until they get fair compensation, shifting a ripple in the house as one by one start to follow the lead. They left their brothel in the middle of the night, unrestrained as they freed themselves from the shackle of life as prostitute to a place where they feel like they can belong and do anything they want.

I truly enjoyed this as a whole. Its more of a character based story with day to day life of a young girl learning to navigate the place she is in but also discussed on how women particularly these prostitutes are being used and treated and how cruelly misogynistic the society towards them regarding them as lower than animals which beyond disgust me. I felt like this book although not is the best out there but its the kind that dont feel like a need to say out loud why we rebel and how we rebel. It just show how women work their hardest for their family & still have compassionate for others even in terrible state.

Thank you to Edelweiss and Counterpoint Press for the e-arc and Definitely Books #pansingdistribution for the review copy

[Rosamund Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is 1903. Aoi Ichi comes from the tiny island of Iojima, where her parents dive and fish for food, and her whole life revolves around the sea. She loves the sea turtles she sees swimming in the waters, and worships the seven-tail turtle sea god. Her parents sell her to a brothel in Kyushu at the age of 14, where she is initiated into a world of debt, endless work, and sexual exploitation. She is an indentured servant, carrying a heavy debt which she must pay off before she can leave the brothel. The novel is a subtle, emotional work, which gradually reveals the dangers and inequalities that Ichi faces. Ichi is illiterate when she arrives at the brothel, but she attends a school, where she learns calligraphy, arithmetic and writing. Her teacher, Tetsuko, a former sex worker, encourages Ichi, and helps the students to express themselves, as well as understand accounting and debt. Tetsuko is highly critical of the system of brothels, and the legislation that renders sex workers as "livestock" rather than people. She gives a fresh perspective to the girls. Ichi is full of life, intelligence and anger, and the diary entries she writes are a highlight of every chapter, giving a sense of her character and energy. Tetsuko's encouragement of Ichi helps her to see beyond her circumstances, and examine her worth as a person. This is a beautifully constructed book, giving space to its characters to develop within their historical period, and creates a sense of their autonomy despite the traumas they experience. It is a challenging, considered work, and shows how much a writer can achieve within a relatively short space. Although it's a sad story, it's also a cutting commentary on society, and offers a sense of the possibility for change.

[Rich · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book explores the mercurial subject of prostitution done in a personal POV method much like "Memoirs of a Geisha". I felt this book was more raw than Geisha. There was very little explicit material, much less than typical romance novels. A well written hardship story that has its times of sunshine.
The timeframe is early 1900's in Japan's brothel districts. Ichi is a young girl brought in from a small island known for sea diving and fishing. She is not the most beautiful but she has both physical and inner strength that gives her immediate higher status. She is put under the wing of a vaunted Geisha like women to learn.
Things about the book that stood out for me were details of the mechanics and structure of the brothel district. The Laws that were in effect were jaw dropping. The Prostitution Liberation Law of 1872, which was supposed to outlaw human trafficking. But owners were still able control things through intimidation and police bribery. And the Livestock Emancipation Law which stated that Prostitutes and Geishas lost their human rights and are no different that livestock.
Another was the human spirit of Ichi which never seemed to break given terrible situations and events.
So Ichi works hard and is paying off her debt. Her parents needed money to survive so they sold her to the brothel. She has to pay off this debt to be able to leave. She realizes that she has to work hard to pay off debt before her contract expires. If the contract expires before debt is paid off then she has to work as a house hand(cook) or move to a lower class brothel (less money). Neither are good things. As she is working, news comes that her father is coming to see her. She gets all excited. It turns out he is just there to add to her debt and doesn't even see her.
The Salvation Army at this time is fighting for human rights in Japan. They are able to provide an option for prostitutes to actually leave brothels. Many of the women go on strike and then leave together. There is much more going on but this is the gist. The ending is with Ichi finding her way to another fishing village a free person.
The MC character strength is inspiring through a captivating journey.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Woman of Pleasure is the first novel by well-known Japanese writer Kiyoko Murata to have been translated into English (by Juliet Winters Carpenter). Set in the first years of the twentieth century, it follows a teenage girl, Aoi Ichi, sold into prostitution in the Kumamoto quarter of Kyushu, and so forced to leave her southern fishing village with its community of women divers who live their lives tanned and naked. Her memories of this free, if poor life stay with her throughout this story, contrasting sharply with the regimented world of the brothel. Nevertheless, Ichi discovers female solidarity among her fellow prostitutes as well when they take part in the courtesan strike of 1904. For me, this read more like a fascinating first draft than a finished novel. The structure is a bit shapeless and weirdly repetitive - a key reveal about the same legislation being used to regulate prostitutes and livestock is presented to the reader twice, for example, and there are multiple smaller moments that are similarly duplicated. I also wasn't sure about some of the translation decisions, although it's hard to judge given that I don't read Japanese. In particular, I found the English version of Ichi's island dialect jarring, and thought that more could have been done with the English rendering of the slow development of her writing, which confines itself to a few missing apostrophes. The historical material is great, and I liked that it doesn't go for a Memoirs of A Geisha style plot about bitchy female infighting and Ichi's destined greatness, but instead positions her realistically as a mid-tier prostitute and allows her and the other girls to ally with characters such as the older Tetsuko, a retired prostitute who teaches in the female industrial school, and even Shinonome, one of the highest-ranking courtesans or oirans. But it just all felt a bit rushed and incomplete.

I received a free proof copy of this novel from the publisher for review.

[The book of Lora · Rating 5 out of 5]

Изключително силен предговор от Гери Дечева,който ми образува буца в гърлото.
А първите страници на романа на Киоко Мурата ми зашлевиха два шамара.
Първият, когато при пристигането на Ичи (15г.) , в публичния дом , в който е продадена от родителите си е извършена стандартна проверка от собственика;
Вторият - почистването й .
Романът е базиран на реални исторически събития от ерата на Мейджи в Япония. Обществото е било толкова бедно , неграмотно необразовано, на ръба на оцеляването, че за да не умрат от глад и да изплатят дълговете си, са продавали дъщерите си като проститутки в лицензирани квартали.
Телата на момичетата, защо пък да не напиша децата , защото за мен на 15-16г. все още си дете, са продавани като стока, а услугите които са предоставяли са доставяне удоволствие на клиентите. Приравнени с добитък без права, а само със задължения.
Още два персонажа ми харесаха в романа учителката Тецуко (в квартала освен да бъдат обучени в сексуални техники за задоволяване на клиента, проститутките са били учени да четат и пишат, с цел да създават красиви писма, за да ухажват клиентите си) и Шинономе - ойрата (най-високата ,,длъжност,, в йерархията на този бизнес на сексуална експлоатация .
Още споделям във видеото си : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QirC5...

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75/5

What I liked:
A very heavy topic but not overly traumatic. I really appreciate reading about the historical setting, and the camaraderie between the sex workers & their teacher is heartwarming.

Not so much:
- the translator’s note mentioned “language charged with the beauty and force of poetry”—the English version is quite straightforward imo and doesn’t have that poetic feeling 😅
- the book blurb basically gave the whole plot away…

[Iva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Мъчно я прочетох тази. Бедността не оправдава отношението на родителите към децата. Родиш ли се момиче, те продават като добитък за да изплатиш дълговете на семейството. Никой не пита искаш или не искаш, още на 13/14.
Това не е романтична книга като "Мемоарите на една гейша". Това си е чиста истина...мизерия, бедност и проституция.
Бягството е бленувано спасение от всяко дете тогава...
Макар и късно, японците признават как са се отнасяли към жените си в този времеви период - началото на 20 век.
А тази корица е повече от прекрасна!

[Faris · Rating 2 out of 5]

i found the concept and subject matter of the book quite intriguing and was looking forward to it, but i didn’t really like the execution. the writing in this book focused more on giving historical exposition rather than developing the characters, which resulted in the characters coming off as flat and lacking depth. i struggled to keep track of the many characters, each indistinguishable from the next. throughout the book, we are given excerpts from the characters’ letters and journal entries. i loved these parts as they gave a far better viewpoint of what is going on in their heads, and i wish there were more of them. also, there were a few sequences or pieces of exposition that were repeated in the book. these felt like a mistake or like they were overlooked instead of them being intentional, causing the book to come off as unfinished. moreover, the story felt lacklustre overall, with the climax feeling inadequate and inconsequential

[Queralt✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Woman of Pleasure is a historical fiction book following sex workers in Japan in the early 1900s.

The writing is good and had amazing research work behind it, but the main character was just passively going through everything (diseases, inflation, policies changing, etc.). The characters weren’t too interesting, they were just there to demonstrate how X change (i.e., kimono prices going up) impacted sex workers.

All in all, good historical fiction if you’re into facts, but I wasn’t engaging at all.

[Marija S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

4. 5/5 for historical background
3/5 for the story

I don't know how to feel about the translator'choice not to translate the main protagonist's writings and speech in an equivalent English dialect... Yes, it would interfere with smoothness of reading, but isn't that just the point? Her speech was supposed to be incomprehensible and jarring. If Japanese readers can handle it, why wouldn't we?

The lazy translation tipped the overall decision to 3/5 stars

[Mel || mel.the.mood.reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful, unforgettable book and my favourite read of my month of "Japan in translation" reading so far! The events depicted in story are rather bleak on paper, following a 15-year old Ichi who is sold into prostitution by her impoverished father, but the way the novel unfolds is a poetic slice of life. The story is never sensationalized and never drifts into trauma p*rn, focusing instead on the quiet interior lives of Ichi and her peers. I'm so happy to have read this stunning novel, and I look forward to revisiting it again over the years.

[Célestine Decloedt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I believe the book is great in Japanese, and that a translation just doesn't grasps the full essence. The story was interesting and even more disturbing, knowing that it's based on true events (it feels like a fantasy book because it's so unreal).

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was eager to read A WOMAN OF PLEASURE by Kiyoko Murata translated from the Japanese by Juliet Winters Carpenter and I really enjoyed this novel! After finishing it I thought women are amazing! From the author to translator to the remarkable female characters. The main character Ichi, a fifteen year old girl sold into working at a brothel in 1903, shows great strength, humour and optimism. Her growth as she comes of age and discovers her power as a woman and with her coworkers is astounding. I really liked how Ichi’s journal entries were included which showed her distinctive writing style. I’ve been loving reading about such strong women!

Thank you to Counterpoint Press for my gifted review copy!

[Sungyena · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nonfic in fiction’s clothing.

“Completely illiterate, they couldn’t write even their own names. They didn’t know that the earth was round, or that it orbited the sun, or that life on earth depended on sunlight. They had never been taught anything of the world beyond their kitchens at home. Now they would devote their lives to learning about and finally coming to know one thing: men.”

[Mriya 🇺🇦 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the book. I have just finished it with tears in my eyes. I couldn’t even write a review without too my spoilers. So I’m going to put here the translator’s note after the novel. It is much better than the short description to the novel.
It is hard to believe that it is a true story, but it is.

“That was from something odd called the Livestock Emancipation Law.”
“Livestock?”
“Yes,” Tetsuko said quietly, “like horses and cows. A law to liberate livestock.”
“Are you telling me,” Shinonome spoke even more softly, “they used that word to refer to prostitutes?” “Exactly.”
“But why?” “Because prostitutes are not human, they said.”
“Not human?”
“Lower than humans.”

Juliet Winters Carpenter: Translator’s note

A Woman of Pleasure was originally published in 2013 and received the 65th Yomiuri Prize for Fiction. It is a work of fiction based on true events, written by one of Japan’s most celebrated novelists. In language charged with the beauty and force of poetry, Murata Kiyoko takes us into the life and mind of fifteen-year-old Aoi Ichi, sold by her father into prostitution from the tiny island of Iojima (known in the West as Iwo Jima) at the turn of the twentieth century. The Shinonome was an exclusive brothel in the Nihongi pleasure district of Kumamoto on the southern island of Kyushu. That storied world is re-created in remarkable detail, with unforgettable portraits of a panoply of women—everyone from the beautiful Kannon-like oiran at the top down to hapless girls at the bottom plagued with mounting debts, along with the occupational hazards of “knobby backside” and worse. The novel’s memorable opening pages give a sobering indication of the indignities and trials that lie ahead for Ichi and the other newcomers. Amid these difficulties, Ichi finds comfort and courage in her memories of life on her idyllic island, where she swam in blue waters alongside giant sea turtles and dolphins; in her friendships with the other girls, not to mention with ants in the garden; and above all in mandatory classes at the nearby Female Industrial School, where her beloved teacher, Akae Tetsuko, aims to inculcate not just literacy but also habits of clear thinking and self-expression. In 1901, the Kumamoto brothel owners association did in fact establish such a school for the benefit of women working in the pleasure quarter, as required by law. Ichi, arriving in 1903, attends classes daily and keeps a journal where, with simplicity and insight, and writing in her native dialect, she sets down her observations and reactions to her new life. The entries are the highlights of each chapter, functioning rather like the envoys or summary tanka that follow long poems in the Man’yoshu. Her appealing teacher is an independent thinker who admires the progressive views of the educator Fukuzawa Yukichi—famous for his declaration “Heaven does not create one person above another”—but is infuriated when she realizes that his definition of “person” applies only to the upper classes. He writes off women working in the licensed quarter as “not human to begin with.” Under Tetsuko’s guidance, Ichi blossoms. Ultimately, Ichi joins a labor strike triggered by the prostitutes’ irritation at the high price they are forced to pay for tobacco. Soon the strikers come up with a comprehensive list of demands.
As the novel shows, this historic event, memorialized in a popular ditty called “The Shinonome Strike,” was inspired in part by a labor strike at a nearby Nagasaki shipyard. What happened to the original strikers we do not know, but those in the book seem to have an excellent chance of remaking their lives for the better. The strike is the perfect culmination of Ichi’s journey of self-discovery. Murata expertly presents Ichi’s story in its full historical and social context. Readers may be interested to see the role played by the Salvation Army in encouraging prostitutes to aim higher in life. We associate the Salvation Army of today with thrift shops and street-corner donations of red kettles at Christmastime, but in late Meiji Japan, under the leadership of Yamamuro Gumpei, the first Japanese officer of the Salvation Army, the organization fought for the abolition of public prostitution and pushed for social reform. Christian doctrine also serves as a foil for Ichi’s beliefs rooted in Japanese folklore, especially the myth of the Ryugujo, the underwater palace of the dragon god of the sea 🌊

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

La editorial Hermida cuenta entre sus últimas novedades un segundo libro de la celebrada autora japonesa Kiyoko Murata a la que conocí con “Dentro del caldero”, libro que disfruté inmensamente el pasado marzo. De nuevo la editorial confía sus traducciones al equipo formado por Makiko Sese y Daniel Villa, que vuelven a realizar un trabajo magnífico, consiguiendo trasladar la especial sensibilidad de la autora al intentar hacernos llegar las historias de las mujeres de los barrios rojos o de placer de Japón durante, en este caso, la era Meiji.

A través de nuestra conductora y protagonista, la jovencísima Ichi, nos colamos dentro de una de esas casas, una de las mejores, de la zona a donde ha llegado tras ser vendida por su padre. La era Meiji fue un periodo que van de principios del año 1868 a poco más de mediados del año 1812. Japón empezaba a abrirse al mundo y aunque en las grandes ciudades eso podía suponer nuevas oportunidades, la realidad en el entorno rural era completamente diferente. La pobreza y la escasez llevaba a que los padres de forma habitual vendieran a sus hijas o las perdieran a través de importantes deudas. En cualquier caso las niñas eran separadas de sus familias y enviadas a estos barrios de placer donde recibían una educación exquisita y después se las obligaba a ejercer la prostitución. Por las deudas contraídas y los pagos entregados por ellas, pocas eran las que conseguían escapar, ser liberadas (compradas por señores) o casarse (también previo pago). No podían salir de allí y aunque, comparadas con sus hermanas en cierto modo eran privilegiadas, pues no tenían que preocuparse por un techo y comida, en realidad estaban enjauladas. No podían cruzar el portón que accedía al barrio y que era tanto su cárcel como su protección.

De esta visión de Murata me fascina especialmente que haya creado para ser su vehículo conductor a un personaje como la joven Ichi. A pesar del tipo de vida al que se ve sometida, Ichi nunca pierde su genuina inocencia, su candor, su curiosidad, su poderosa imaginación y su entusiasmo por la vida. Tiene tal carácter que al mismo tiempo es indómita y adorable. Ichi, con su llegada y su influencia sobre las demás mujeres, les cambia completamente el espíritu y les da un pequeño foco de luz, que poco a poco se va haciendo más grande. Esta decisión de crear a Ichi como es es una decisión súmamente inteligente por parte de la autora: En ningún momento del relato se romantiza la vida de las prostitutas, y las describe a todas, tanto de alto como de bajo rango. Las chicas sufrían castigos por desobediencia o intento de huida, sufrían humillaciones constantes y la sociedad en general (y Murata hace mucho hincapie en esto) ni siquiera las ve ya como seres humanos, tal es el desprecio y la degradación que caen sobre ellas. El mensaje está muy claro. La funcion de Ichi es la de rebajar el dramatismo y hacerlo más accesible al lector, rompiendo los obstáculos impuestos por la sensibilidad humana: no hay obstáculos, el mensaje llega.

Al final el pequeño foco de luz, la alegría esporádica del barrio es como un soplo de aire fresco en una habitación que ha estado años cerrada: es la esperanza de estas mujeres en una era de cambios, también para ellas.

[hans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Traversing the Meiji era in 1903 in a brothel setting where women were sold (and resold), and forced into prostitution— a tale of youth and sisterhood, on vignette of culture, lifestyle and the unsettling one’s value and a force to survive. I followed the intricate journey of Aoi Ichi, a young girl from a tiny island in Iojima who was brought to live under the roof of Hajima Mohei’s brothel after being sold by her father for a large sum of money.

Having an engrossing worldbuilding and storytelling as it was mostly narrated through Ichi’s 15-year-old perspective— her naivety was enchanting (I love it everytime she tells me about her mother and the island where she grew up) and as much as I love those school of prostitutites scenes that Ichi diligently attending, can’t help to still feeling uneasy on how harshly the progress took me into the world of patriarchy and power, a view on poverty, hierarchy and of society’s treatment as well the controversial law system that later played as an important twist to the plot.

Some drama for later that hooked me with Ichi’s dynamic, nothing too draggy or underwhelming for me and I like how it was plotted alternatingly with other main character’s narrative in between. From stories of both Mohei and the teacher Tetsuko to Shinonome the most popular courtesan as well Murasaki and her incident; a slight conflict and strike risen in the aftermath yet I love how those narratives giving more substance to Ichi’s characterization and evoking a sense for her to decide on her stance. Their sisterhood and interactions were my most fav part and it was enthralling much to see how these women bond to survive and fight towards the enslavement culture and the mistreatment they received from the established system.

Such a raw and vivid observation that was inspired from a fragment of an era, few parts can be provoking and quite displeasing to read but for a historical fic on a women related theme, this was rivetingly written to me. A recommendation, nonetheless.

Thank you Pansing Distribution for sending me a copy to review!

[Jamie Walker · Rating 3 out of 5]

The language and storytelling were genuinely breathtaking in places, but I found the plot repeated exposition and the observations about prostitution to be rather basic. Though the setting and time period offered a unique perspective, that I think Murata explores well, I just don't think it moves too far beyond the surface. The themes get muddled towards the end and the stakes just seem rather low, meaning that Ichi's revolt is not as impactful because she's only been shown to have contempt for the brothel: the only times she acknowledges her tenuous position and economic need for her job are briefly when going to other places or when he father turns up. The latter is handled amazingly, a proper gut punch, but her indifference throughout the novel just made me care less about the ending.

Granted, I think this would serve as a brilliant introductory book to historical fiction or prostitute fiction.

[Zana · Rating 4 out of 5]

'A Woman of Pleasure' is set in 1903, in Kumamoto, Japan.
It's about Ichi Aoi, a fifteen-year-old girl, who is sold to the most exclusive brothel in the area because of family debt.
In the brothel, Ichi is chosen for special training by Shinonome, the brothel's oiran (mentor) who sees a lot of potential in her. Ichi's rebellious nature lands her in the local Female Industrial School, where Tetsuko, a former prostitute, teaches girls about seduction skills and  how their bodies must only be used for the pleasure of others.

The girls also get an unofficial education at school, such as reading, writing, critical thinking and self-expression.
The initial purpose of getting an education was to please their customers, but over the course of her lessons Ichi discovers her power as a woman and fighting for her rights.

'A Woman of Pleasure'  paints a vivid picture of the lives of women in the "pleasure districts" of Meiji era Japan.
It's about the bonds between women and pursuing the life you want.

"She took the chalk and wrote two more words in kanji: "human" and "beast." Humans and beasts were differentiated by the presence or absence of fur. That
and whether they could utter words and communicate using language. No more needed to be said, Tetsuko thought. After reading Fukuzawa Yukichi's New Greater Learning for Women, she was even less sure whether humans were superior to animals or if it was the other way around."