Synopses & Reviews
PREFACE The European gentlemen who visit Japan generally wish to see the geisha, who are very famous throughout the world as a special class of singing and dancing girls. Some of the new visitors, however, seem to misunderstand these girls to be equivalent to those in a lower kind of the female professions. Jf anybody believes them to be so, he is decidedly in a great error on the contrary, they are a kind of arfisfes almost indispensable in the society of Japan, if not for ever, at least in the present age. Of course, there may be some exceptional groups among their circles, who are of low character and in base conduct, just as there are exceptions in all classes of human beings. We do not call them the true geisha girls. As the women in the geisha calling are generally young girls, they often talk of love, but there are no young women, throughout the vii PREFACE upper and lower classes, who do not embrace love in their bosom. We hope the readers of the book would understand the true features of our geisha girls. THE AUTHOR. CONTENTS Crabe. PA6S ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT OF GIiSHA GIRLS -A.-Down to the Age of the Kamakura Government A. D. 1300 . . I B.-Down to the Age of --the Tokugawa ., ShGgunate A. D. 1850 . 14 C.-Down to the Present Time . 23 11. TRUE FEATURES OF GEISHA GIRLS -A.-Dancing Girls . . 29 B.-Employment of Girls . 31 C.-Classes of Girls . 31 D.-Income of Girls . 32 E.-Expenses of Girls . 34 F.-Characteristics of Girls 35 GtCurses and Conjurations . . 38 H.-Spectral Traditions . 43 111. ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF GIRLS 52 IV. A GIRL ROYALIST . 61 ix CONTENTS CHAP. PAGE V. A STORY OF AN OLD WOMAN WELL EX PERIENCED AS A GEISHA GIRL . . 81 VI. TALL TALKS OF AN OLD G E S I G A IRL-A.-Men liked by Geisha Girls . 90 B.-Men disliked by Geisha Girls . 9 C.-Kinds of the Geisha Spree. . 92 D.-Kinds of Guests classified by Geisha Girls . 93 E.-Are Men of What Age most liked by Geisha Girls 95 F.-The Waiting-House or the Assignation-House . 98 G.-Learning of Geisha Girls 99 V11. GEISHA GIRLS IN GENERAL. . I01 VIII. GLIMPSES OF THE GEIS IA CIRCLE AT PRESENT -A.-A Kitten and a Dancing Girl . . 106 B.-Sympathy of the Hostess . . IIO C.-A Faithful Girl . . 1x5 D.-A Girl and a Millionaire . . 121 E.-A School for Geisha Girls and Waitresses . . 124 F.-The Geisha Girls Love observed by a Geisha Girl . . 126 APPENDIX I.-SONGS . Is6 X CONTENTS CIXAP. PAGE APPENDIX 11.-GIRLS IN LOCAL CITIES AND TOWNS-. 39 A.-Yokohama . . 141 B.-Nagoya . . 142 C.-Kyoto . I43 D.-Osaka . I45 E.-K S . I49 F.-Miscellaneous Quarters . I53 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS A GEISHA GIRL IN HER STANDING FORM . GIRLS IN PLEASURE-BOATS . . A GIRL PLAYING PUPPETS . . . . SHIRABY SHIINABOAT. . . . . A GARMENT CALLED SUIKAN AND A HEAD GEAR NAMED TA 1-2-EBOSH W I O RN BY SH RABYUSHI . . . . . A OIRL IN KATSUGI OVERHEAD GARMENT, ICHIMJ-G H A A S T A, A ND SANDALS . AGARMENT NAMED KOUCHIGIAND A TSUZUMI HAND-DRUM USED BY SHIRABY SHI A SH RABYUW. 1 . . . . . MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS PLAYED BY GIRLS -A BIWA LUTE, A WAGON HARP, A Sd HARP, A SHU FLUTE, AND A RUB l FLUTE, A DRUM, A KOKY THREE STRINGED FIDDLE, AND A SAMISEN THREE - STRINGED GUITAR, A K A N BELL . . . . . . ALLY WORN BY GEISHA GIRLS - THE BACK VIEW ., . . ALLY WORN BY GEISHA GIRLS - THE 1 THE SHIMADA CHIGNON, A COIFFURE GENER THE SHIMADA CHIGNON, A COIFFURE GENERSIDEVIEW . . . . . . A HOUSE-BOAT . . . . . . A CffOKI BOAT . . . . . . l X111 ... Frontispieez To face p.4 11 8 l, I2 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS . 1 A DANCING GIRL . . . . DANCING GIRL PLAYING A TSUZUMZ HAND-DRUM . . . . . t To facep. a6 A DANCING GIRL LOOKING ON A HAND-GLASS DANCING GIRLS IN KYOTO . A DANCING GIRL AND PLUM FLOWERS . i 99 32 A DANCING GIRL WEARING A VEIL. ...
Synopsis
Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.