Japanese Culture: Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden Essay examples

As mentioned earlier, Miss Sasagawara does possess worthy merits such as being intellectual and refined. However, her merits are disregarded simply because she was different in appearance from the rest. Yamamoto uses Miss Sasagawara’s character to challenge the presupposed notion that people who are different are necessarily not of value and thus unable to contribute positively to society. There should not be a belittling attitude taken, such as the reception Miss Sasagawara received when she took upon herself to teach a class of girls ballet, and was the only adult rewarded with a bath towel, an intimate gift that she had to open in front of the audience, bearing in mind that this very act could possibly be seen as humiliating based on traditional conservative Japanese culture.

The Japanese term geisha literally means “person of art” as they were known as entertainers from the 16th century. The Japanese view geisha as professional entertainers. They are also known as geigi or geiko. However, the majority of the world perceive them as white faced, red-lipped prostitutes that wear their hair in a bun. Geisha are much more than women with too much makeup, they are an important part of the traditional Japanese social life. Even today, they are the definition of beauty and grace. Geisha are not prostitutes reflected in their history, appearance, skills and role.

Kimonos have been part of the Japanese culture since the year 700s. Initially, the Kimono was part of the Japanese’s women daily garment. Actually is only used for celebrations and festivals. The time-line for the use of the Kimono is divided into four Periods: (i) Nara and Heian Period: the simplest form of the kimono was use beginning on the year 700, (ii) Kamakura and Muromachi Period: more color was added to the garment, (iii) Edo Period: this period was developed during the feudal time, and kimonos became more elaborated and complex, and (iv) Meiji Period: this period started around 1800s, Japanese and Western culture began to interact, and the kimono started to be worn only for special occasions (Favors, 2016).

Rivalry with an older geisha almost destroys her career. Sayuri is tormented and inspired by love for a man who she believes she cannot have. The story covers the period of the second world war - the end of an era for Japan.

In the novel, Memoirs of a Geisha, by Arthur Golden the theme of deception is prominent. Through the deception experienced by Sayuri, golden teaches his readers that deception can hurt but it can lead to something better.

As you look on the television and are constantly bombarded by issues of racial calamity in this day and age, do you notice a specific unrepresented group? For me and several of my fellow peers, this answer is clearly a yes. The topic that I’m choosing to talk about in relation to this class is the “Asian Advantage” or the less well-known name, Model minority. From the very beginning of life, Asian Americans are characterized and limited to a specific subset of life. Often times, this subset is often seen as positive, therefore negating any consequence or fault that this myth may have.

The Tokugawa Period is often said to be the longest period of peace in Japanese history; as it was a period characterized by economic reform, the celebration of art and culture, and the installation of new social order. Ieyasu Tokugawa, with the aid of Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Oda Nobunaga, first established the Tokugawa Shogunate in 1603 as a means of reforming Japanese society and government. During this period, significant policies were enforced in order to ensure that power remained in the hands of the Shogunate, and also to negate the possibility of conflict between different domains. With Ieyasu beginning his rule, Japan was ending its Sengoku period; otherwise known as the Warring States period, Japanese society was finally leaving an era marked by social upheaval, suffering political stability, and domanial conflict. In

Japans history dates back almost 53,000 years and is filled with interesting and fascinating events. Most of Japans actions have left the major world powers in the world stunned. The base of this amazing country is astonishing just by itself. The base is a bunch of active and large under water volcanoes. Japans uniqueness from the rest of the world ranges from its culture to its very interesting history to the change in government every few hundred years and their trading dilemma with petroleum and their assortment of fish that they export. Japan as a country is so very appealing and kind compared to the rest of the world its no wonder that it’s geographically separate from the rest of the world.

There are fundamental differences between Eastern and Western cultures and the meeting of these cultures has had several effects, both in Asia and here in the US. Overseas, you can see the juxtaposition of American pop culture on the older modes of Asian thought and society. Here, New Age religions find new excuses in Asian religions and philosophies and Anime is appears regularly on Saturday morning cartoons. Often, this juxtaposition becomes turbulent as the younger generations are caught between two seemingly opposing cultures. As a result, crime rates rise with the integration of Western ideals and culture into Asian society. This is true here in America too as the first generation of

The novel Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson is about the way Japanese Americans were treated in the United States during the time of Pearl Harbor and afterwards. Guterson got his inspiration for a novel about a court trial full of prejudice from Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird. His father was a lawyer, so Guterson was able to reenact a realistic trial that could have occurred during the late 1940s in the book (Sherwin 1). Kabuo Miyamoto, the man accused of murder in the book, is presumed guilty because he looks different. When Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, most Americans became fearful of the Japanese. The Japanese-Americans didn’t have as many rights as other

They sing, dance, and are well trained in the many arts such as the art of conversation. A geisha during the feudal era of Japanwas first taken in by a geisha house, and trained as an apprentice geisha. They would be trained on how to act properly, and the many skills of her job such as classical dances that she must perform without flaw, to sing classic songs, and to play stringed instruments such as the koto or shamisen. She was also taught calligraphy, jokes, tea ceremonies, how to serve sake, and most importantly she was taught how to converse with men. A geisha was typically hired as a companion to spend time with a gentleman or group of gentleman. She was taught to treat them like kings during their time spent together. A geisha, unlike other women, was not allowed to

This print depicts the courtyard of a rest house where we can see guests being served on the left, and on the right, geisha dressing up for their performance. From this, we can conclude that the society was still male dominant. In the print, there are only men at the rest house and only women are serving them. Only the men traveled and went to other places as we can see because there are no women stopping at the rest house. The women in this picture are also of much paler skin than the males, showing that they mainly stayed home or indoors working away from the sun. We can also see this because there are only women servers, meaning that the women were the ones who are supposed to be working for the men. Another thing we can decipher from this print is that the entertainments and arts were important which also means that the Tokugawa period was a time of peace. We can tell that the arts were important because we can see the Geishas painting their faces in the back, and even though it was just a rest stop, entertainment was provided for the guests in a form of dance that was popular at the time. Usually when there is time of peace, the arts flourish because the people didn't have to worry about any problems, whether it was invasions or natural disasters. Because

Western Influence on Japan Japan, as a nation, is a continually changing society. Ever since western nations became involved with Japan, its changes over recent times have increased at a substantial rate. Japan now faces cultural, economical and social differences as a result of the western involvement. The involvement was initiated by the Japanese themselves, beginning during the Meiji Period1 through current times.

So it could be said one significant factor in Japanese culture is idealization, and Geisha is a component of this fantasy. They are pulled out from themselves as women and then become an illusory form. When Sayuri wears the twelve layers of elegant kimonos with exquisite makeup, stepped on those expensive black wooden clogs,

It is no secret that for centuries, the Japanese woman has been, to most observers, a model of elegance and graceful beauty. A picture of a kimono-clad, modest, and often silent woman has been plastered everywhere, allowing for the upmost passive subjection. If we look deeper into this image of woman, can we tell if this picture is complete? How do these women painted in representative images far in the modern world? The ideal woman in Japan is expected to be both a good wife, and a wise mother. Though these seem like reasonable expectations, there is a much deeper meaning to them that has shown signs of being outdated. During the 1800’s and 1900’s, women were subjected to society’s vision of them, and could not break free for fear of the