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ENTRY

Review: Butterfly's Sisters
May 18, 2011

Butterfly's Sisters: The Geisha in Western Culture
by Yoko Kawaguchi

For some reason, or more likely many reasons, the West has been fascinated with Japan's geisha, and several books have been written about this subject. Yoko Kawaguchi, a Japanese researcher, who grew up in North America, adds to this collection with her fascinating and well-researched Butterfly's Sisters. "Butterfly", of course, refers to Madam Butterfly, the geisha of Puccini's opera. This western depiction of the (supposedly) ultimate Japanese woman -- trained to please men, be subservient, and most of all represent idealized femininity -- has colored the view of Japanese and Asian women in general.

Kawaguchi admits she was offended by this view. Not only did it make her cringe by the affectedness and artificiality, but that she felt "the geisha was being held up to me as a standard of exotic glamor that I could not possibly hope to live up to." But then she had to admit to herself she really knew little about real geisha, and was reacting to the western construct. So in this book, she investigates the roots of this image, how it developed, and how it still influences representations of Japanese women.

Kawaguchi describes the pre-twentieth century origins of the westernized geisha image. Historically, Japan was nearly completely isolated from European and American influences until 1853. Prior to the opening of Japan, the sole point of contact was a Dutch trading company on an island at the port of Nagasaki. The sailors, traders, and administrators, were allowed to participate in regulated prostitution. After the opening of the port of Yokohama and then others, Western contact increased dramatically, and a tourist trade began to flourish.

The pleasure quarters of brothels and teahouses attracted their share of attention, but nothing intrigued the travelers more than geisha. In particular, writers Pierre Loti (Madame Chrysanthème) and John Luther Long (Madam Butterfly) wrote stories dealing with a westerner's liaison with a local girl. These stories inspired Puccini's opera. The young woman devotes her life to the man, but in the end he chooses his life back home over one with her in Japan. These women became symbolic of geisha, whom most westerners assumed to be like all women involved in the pleasure trade.

In actuality, geisha represent a small portion of the business. They are highly trained in cultural highlights such as tea ceremony, dance, and stringed instruments, as well as in making intelligent conversation. Of course, the intimate way in which these skills are applied always brought up the question of sexual contact. And the lack of a clear answer added to their mystique.

By the beginning of the twentieth-century, Japan and particularly geisha became the rage especially in popular theater, photography, and art. Like most things imported, they are made to fit local tastes. A fascinating part of Yamaguchi's book follows a Japanese theater troupe making their way across America and Europe taking advantage of the Japan craze in the early 1900s.

The book follows the trail of how this image of geisha has affected the view of Japanese and Asian women in western culture through the rise of Japan's military power and colonialism, the devastation of World War II and American Occupation, the postwar rise of Japan's economic power, and the interest in Japan's popular culture. The book is dense with information but well written, and the logic progression of ideas is well thought out. I highly recommend the book for those interested in Japanese history and culture, and how it has been usurped to a large degree by western bias from over a century ago.

© 2013

COMMENTS

Number of comments: 1
click here to add a comment

Jo Reed
An interesting take on this issue is a book titled "Goodbye Madam Butterfly" a series of recent interviews with Japanese women.

ARCHIVE

date (comments)

Review: Paprika
April 21, 2013 (3)

Review: A Straight Road With 99 Curves
March 30, 2013 (1)

Gripping writing
Feb. 28, 2013 (2)

Review: Salvation of a Saint
January 19, 2013 (2)

2012 in review
December 30, 2012 (2)

Review: Ninja
September 30, 2012 (2)

Review: My Postwar Life
August 21, 2012 (1)

New interview with Colin Marshall
July 15, 2012 (3)

Book events
April 25, 2012 (2)

Subduction
March 14, 2012 (8)

Review: A Room Where the Star Spangled Banner Cannot Be Heard
January 14, 2012 (1)

Review: Plainsong
December 20, 2011 (3)

Review: The Devil's Disciple
November 29, 2011 (2)

Haruki Murakami
October 5, 2011 (2)

Busyness and demons
September 25, 2011 (2)

Characters: The Bully
July 30, 2011 (3)

Review: Manazuru
June 28, 2011 (2)

Deadlines!
June 24, 2011 (2)

Review: Butterfly's Sisters
May 18, 2011 (1)

Review: Isle of Dreams
April 20, 2011 (2)

Cades Award for Literature press release
April 12, 2011 (2)

Japan and other news
March 29, 2011 (1)

Borders bankruptcy
February 17, 2011 (2)

2010 review
December 17, 2010 (6)

Congratulations Mario Vargas Llosa
October 7, 2010 (2)

OH! wins best book award
September 23, 2010 (2)

Review: Kissing the Mask
August 22, 2010 (1)

Jonathan Lethem: Writing at the margins
July 12, 2010 (2)

Review: Love in Translation
June 22, 2010 (3)

Jose Saramago
June 18, 2010 (0)

Marketplace of Ideas interview
June 11, 2010 (2)

Imagining Memory
May 6, 2010 (1)

Upcoming Los Angeles events
April 7, 2010 (2)

Time and energy
March 30, 2010 (2)

Review: Botchan
February 28, 2010 (2)

J.D. Salinger
January 28, 2010 (1)

2009 Reviewed
December 31, 2009 (5)

Review: The Word Book
December 12, 2009 (1)

Chaat and Chat event with OH!
November 6, 2009 (2)

Home at last
November 2, 2009 (2)

Los Angeles events
October 17, 2009 (1)

Poets and poetry
October 7, 2009 (1)

Time + place
September 24, 2009 (1)

The future of books
September 23, 2009 (1)

October book tour
September 6, 2009 (1)

Blogging at Powell's Books
August 28, 2009 (2)

The evolution of an idea
August 3, 2009 (1)

The Poetics of Motoori Norinaga: A Hermeneutical Journey
July 9, 2009 (2)

Tour debrief
July 2, 2009 (3)

Book tour events
May 18, 2009 (3)

Simply in the mood
April 24, 2009 (2)

Book tour
April 8, 2009 (6)

The Necessary Book
March 2, 2009 (2)

"Murder Makes the Magazine"
February 7, 2009 (3)

John Updike
January 27, 2009 (2)

2008 misc. (good news, bad news)
January 1, 2009 (3)

Publishing woes and query letters
December 13, 2008 (4)

Punctuation compunction
November 16, 2008 (3)

The Fountain of Youth (and other Ideas)
October 10, 2008 (2)

David Foster Wallace
September 14, 2008 (2)

Ending it all
September 12, 2008 (2)

The mystery of plotting, the plotting of mysteries
August 29, 2008 (3)

Blocking out the block
August 20, 2008 (3)

"What kind of books do you write?"
August 8, 2008 (2)

Theory of Satisfaction: Part 4
July 21, 2008 (3)

Show and tell
July 14, 2008 (3)

Theory of Satisfaction: Part 3
July 7, 2008 (7)

Advice for first-time writers (Barry Gifford and me)
June 30, 2008 (6)

Theory of Satisfaction: Part 2
June 18, 2008 (3)

To be or not to be
June 10, 2008 (6)

Theory of Satisfaction: Part 1
June 3, 2008 (6)

Virtual unreality
May 31, 2008 (4)

The purpose of this blog
May 21, 2008 (5)

Todd Shimoda's Writer's Blog home \| current \| forthcoming \| past \| contact
ENTRY Review: Butterfly's Sisters May 18, 2011 Butterfly's Sisters: The Geisha in Western Culture by Yoko Kawaguchi For some reason, or more likely many reasons, the West has been fascinated with Japan's geisha, and several books have been written about this subject. Yoko Kawaguchi, a Japanese researcher, who grew up in North America, adds to this collection with her fascinating and well-researched Butterfly's Sisters. "Butterfly", of course, refers to Madam Butterfly, the geisha of Puccini's opera. This western depiction of the (supposedly) ultimate Japanese woman -- trained to please men, be subservient, and most of all represent idealized femininity -- has colored the view of Japanese and Asian women in general. Kawaguchi admits she was offended by this view. Not only did it make her cringe by the affectedness and artificiality, but that she felt "the geisha was being held up to me as a standard of exotic glamor that I could not possibly hope to live up to." But then she had to admit to herself she really knew little about real geisha, and was reacting to the western construct. So in this book, she investigates the roots of this image, how it developed, and how it still influences representations of Japanese women. Kawaguchi describes the pre-twentieth century origins of the westernized geisha image. Historically, Japan was nearly completely isolated from European and American influences until 1853. Prior to the opening of Japan, the sole point of contact was a Dutch trading company on an island at the port of Nagasaki. The sailors, traders, and administrators, were allowed to participate in regulated prostitution. After the opening of the port of Yokohama and then others, Western contact increased dramatically, and a tourist trade began to flourish. The pleasure quarters of brothels and teahouses attracted their share of attention, but nothing intrigued the travelers more than geisha. In particular, writers Pierre Loti (Madame Chrysanthème) and John Luther Long (Madam Butterfly) wrote stories dealing with a westerner's liaison with a local girl. These stories inspired Puccini's opera. The young woman devotes her life to the man, but in the end he chooses his life back home over one with her in Japan. These women became symbolic of geisha, whom most westerners assumed to be like all women involved in the pleasure trade. In actuality, geisha represent a small portion of the business. They are highly trained in cultural highlights such as tea ceremony, dance, and stringed instruments, as well as in making intelligent conversation. Of course, the intimate way in which these skills are applied always brought up the question of sexual contact. And the lack of a clear answer added to their mystique. By the beginning of the twentieth-century, Japan and particularly geisha became the rage especially in popular theater, photography, and art. Like most things imported, they are made to fit local tastes. A fascinating part of Yamaguchi's book follows a Japanese theater troupe making their way across America and Europe taking advantage of the Japan craze in the early 1900s. The book follows the trail of how this image of geisha has affected the view of Japanese and Asian women in western culture through the rise of Japan's military power and colonialism, the devastation of World War II and American Occupation, the postwar rise of Japan's economic power, and the interest in Japan's popular culture. The book is dense with information but well written, and the logic progression of ideas is well thought out. I highly recommend the book for those interested in Japanese history and culture, and how it has been usurped to a large degree by western bias from over a century ago. © 2013	COMMENTS Number of comments: 1 click here to add a comment Jo Reed An interesting take on this issue is a book titled "Goodbye Madam Butterfly" a series of recent interviews with Japanese women.	ARCHIVE date (comments) Review: Paprika April 21, 2013 (3) Review: A Straight Road With 99 Curves March 30, 2013 (1) Gripping writing Feb. 28, 2013 (2) Review: Salvation of a Saint January 19, 2013 (2) 2012 in review December 30, 2012 (2) Review: Ninja September 30, 2012 (2) Review: My Postwar Life August 21, 2012 (1) New interview with Colin Marshall July 15, 2012 (3) Book events April 25, 2012 (2) Subduction March 14, 2012 (8) Review: A Room Where the Star Spangled Banner Cannot Be Heard January 14, 2012 (1) Review: Plainsong December 20, 2011 (3) Review: The Devil's Disciple November 29, 2011 (2) Haruki Murakami October 5, 2011 (2) Busyness and demons September 25, 2011 (2) Characters: The Bully July 30, 2011 (3) Review: Manazuru June 28, 2011 (2) Deadlines! June 24, 2011 (2) Review: Butterfly's Sisters May 18, 2011 (1) Review: Isle of Dreams April 20, 2011 (2) Cades Award for Literature press release April 12, 2011 (2) Japan and other news March 29, 2011 (1) Borders bankruptcy February 17, 2011 (2) 2010 review December 17, 2010 (6) Congratulations Mario Vargas Llosa October 7, 2010 (2) OH! wins best book award September 23, 2010 (2) Review: Kissing the Mask August 22, 2010 (1) Jonathan Lethem: Writing at the margins July 12, 2010 (2) Review: Love in Translation June 22, 2010 (3) Jose Saramago June 18, 2010 (0) Marketplace of Ideas interview June 11, 2010 (2) Imagining Memory May 6, 2010 (1) Upcoming Los Angeles events April 7, 2010 (2) Time and energy March 30, 2010 (2) Review: Botchan February 28, 2010 (2) J.D. Salinger January 28, 2010 (1) 2009 Reviewed December 31, 2009 (5) Review: The Word Book December 12, 2009 (1) Chaat and Chat event with OH! November 6, 2009 (2) Home at last November 2, 2009 (2) Los Angeles events October 17, 2009 (1) Poets and poetry October 7, 2009 (1) Time + place September 24, 2009 (1) The future of books September 23, 2009 (1) October book tour September 6, 2009 (1) Blogging at Powell's Books August 28, 2009 (2) The evolution of an idea August 3, 2009 (1) The Poetics of Motoori Norinaga: A Hermeneutical Journey July 9, 2009 (2) Tour debrief July 2, 2009 (3) Book tour events May 18, 2009 (3) Simply in the mood April 24, 2009 (2) Book tour April 8, 2009 (6) The Necessary Book March 2, 2009 (2) "Murder Makes the Magazine" February 7, 2009 (3) John Updike January 27, 2009 (2) 2008 misc. (good news, bad news) January 1, 2009 (3) Publishing woes and query letters December 13, 2008 (4) Punctuation compunction November 16, 2008 (3) The Fountain of Youth (and other Ideas) October 10, 2008 (2) David Foster Wallace September 14, 2008 (2) Ending it all September 12, 2008 (2) The mystery of plotting, the plotting of mysteries August 29, 2008 (3) Blocking out the block August 20, 2008 (3) "What kind of books do you write?" August 8, 2008 (2) Theory of Satisfaction: Part 4 July 21, 2008 (3) Show and tell July 14, 2008 (3) Theory of Satisfaction: Part 3 July 7, 2008 (7) Advice for first-time writers (Barry Gifford and me) June 30, 2008 (6) Theory of Satisfaction: Part 2 June 18, 2008 (3) To be or not to be June 10, 2008 (6) Theory of Satisfaction: Part 1 June 3, 2008 (6) Virtual unreality May 31, 2008 (4) The purpose of this blog May 21, 2008 (5)