祗園の課外授業

by Mineko Iwasaki

お座敷が正規の授業なら、これは私の課外授業。
表舞台が祗園の花柳界を自在に舞う舞妓・芸妓だとしたら、裏は「七転び八起き」の挫折の人生でした。でも私には、道に迷ったからこその、人生の達人との宝物のような素敵な出逢いがあったのです。

236 pages, Tankobon Hardcover

First published September 24, 2004

About the author

Mineko Iwasaki (born Masako Tanaka) is a Japanese businesswoman, author and former geisha. Iwasaki was the most famous geisha in Japan until her sudden retirement at the age of 29. Known for her performances for celebrity and royalty during her geisha life, Iwasaki was the heir apparent (atotori) to her geisha house (okiya) while she was just a young apprentice.
American author Arthur Golden interviewed her for background information when writing his 1997 book, Memoirs of a Geisha. Iwasaki later regretted interviewing for Golden, having cited a breach of confidentiality, and later sued and settled out of court with Golden for the parallelism between his book and her life. In 2002, she released her own autobiography, titled Geisha of Gion in the UK and Geisha: A Life in the US.