" MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA " "Sakamoto." "A story like mine should never be told." "For my world is as forbidden as it is fragile." "For without its mysteries it cannot survive." "I certainly wasn't born to the life of a Geisha." "Like so much in my strange life-i was carried there by the current." "The first time I knew my mother was sick," "..was when my father threw the fish back into the sea." "That night we went hungry, to understand emptiness he told us." "Mother always said that my sister Satsu was like wood," "As rooted to the earth as a Sagura tree." "But she told me I was like water," "Water can carve its way, even through stone." "And when trapped, water makes a new path." "These are the girls from Tanaka?" "Sisters, yes, from Yurida." "This one maybe, the other one no." "Show your respect for mother." "You must not speak, I will answer for you." "Okai-san" "Kneel, and head down, never look her in the face." "How old are you?" "She's year of the rooster." "Only nine..." "Where is my sister?" "Let me see those eyes." "Look at me." "Too much water." " But mother, a little water is good to guard against fire." "You wouldn't have to worry about the okea burning, losing all your people, no...." "These country girls!" "Too late to send her back now." "Go." "Pumpkin, keep her quiet, mother is downstairs" "Let me go!" "Let me go!" "Let me go!" "Mother will hear you!" "She's got a bamboo stick." "I want my sister." "Satsu!" "I cried too at first." "You know it is easier if you just forget everything that happened before you came to the okea." "If you impress mother, and do exactly as she says," "She will send you to school to be a Geisha." "A what?" "A Geisha, like Hatsumomo." "You will get to drink sake, and sleep until noon." "Where is my sister?" "Probably in another okea in Hanonoke." "Your family sold you to this house, you live here now." "Outside you wear these, inside these." "We don't display our naked feet like monkeys." "It's not flesh we're selling here," "This is a Geisha house." "Remember to always honour this okea." "You listen, you learn, now get to work." "Be Quiet." "Hatsumomo is sleeping" "Pumpkin, when can I go outside?" "Outside the okea?" "You can't." "It's not allowed." "How will I find Satsu?" "You can't just walk out to every house in Hanamachi." "Do you know how many there are?" "Look" "Tighter!" "Chiyo, Chiyo-chan come..." "Two nights ago.." "..Hatsumomo had to stay at the Tea-house until dawn," "Thats what she told madam." "But she was really here with a man, the whole..." "Why can't you be quiet?" "!" "So, this is the new arrival." "A pity she still stinks of fish." "Stay out of my room." "Your fingers smell.." "I can't have you touching my things!" "Only reason mother tolerates Hatsumomo is because she brings in good money." "Never forget it is Hatsumomo who pays for your supper, the clothes on your back." "By the time she was twenty .she had already earned back her purchase price." "She has been the talk of the Hanamachi ever since." "These are all hers?" "Certainly not, they belong to the okea." "A Geisha needs an elegant wardrobe.." "...just like an artist needs ink." "If she's not properly dressed.." "then she is not a true Geisha." "Nobody told me what a Geisha is..." "You will find out soon enough." "I have news for you child, mother has determined that it is off to school with you." "You are to become Geisha!" "Chiyo, Pumpkin!" "Quick quick, don't be late.." "and you will be late." "This way." "Pumpkin, Pumpkin..." "I'm going to run, I'm going to find Satsu." "Not yet you don't." "You will ruin your own chances, and mine too" "Please..." "Stay with me.." "Wait there!" "Squid!" "Look for your sister's name later!" "You are late!" "Chiyo, where is granny's food?" "Where have you been?" "It's freezing cold!" "." "Close the window." "Hai!" "(yes)." "Chiyo, Chiyo, come quickly." "Hatsumomo is at the bath-house..here tidy up." "But she told me to stay out..." "Hatsumomo does not run this okea." "Why look who's in my room..." "Did you touch this?" "I can just hear the General now.." "".." "Why Hatsumomo, you used to smell of jasmine,.." "".." "What's this new perfume?" "Blowfish?" ".."" "I told you to never to touch my things." "Can't you understand why?" "Because your general will say, "Hatsumomo, you stink!"" "At least you don't smell as bad as your sister you know,....she was here..." "She came by looking for you." "Chiyo:" "What?" "Was I wrong to ask her to leave?" "Please, tell me where she is." "Only if you swear yourself to me first." "yes?" "Huh?" "Now get out!" "Shh..." "Hatsumomo you'll wake the entire house." "Your big sister is thirsty, so am I, go and get us some beer." "I'm not in the mood for beer." "I know what you're in the mood for.." "And his name is Koichi" "What did you say Korin?" "Im Sorry.." "I forgot" "You're just jealous someone cares for me!" "Guess who this belongs to?" "A Geisha as desired as she is.." "ought to keep a closer eye on her clothes." "It's Mameha's?" "!" "Yes!" "How did you get it?" "Bribed her maid." "We can't...." "Give it to her." "Chiyo, come, come." "Now then little Chiyo, it is time.." "to practice your calligraphy." "There." "Remember, you swore yourself to me." "Yes." "Don't let anybody see you." "Go, go!" "This will teach the great Mameha." "Thieving rat!" "." "That kimono was worth more than you." "Careful, you will hurt yourself more than her." "Let me." "Kneel." "What have you done to Hatsumomo?" "I haven't done anything, I promise you." "Her little trick with than kimono will cost you." "Whatever you have done to anger her, you'd be wise to stop, now!" "Lie down." "I will beat you hard, so mother doesn't beat you harder." "I told you not to let anybody see you." "I have kept my promise, so tell me, where is she?" "She is the next Hanamachi... in a house called Tatsuyo, in the pleasure district." "Trust me little Chiyo, you will find her." "Satsu, Satsu, Satsu..." "Satsu, open the door.." "Satsu!" ".." "Satsu, Satsu, no!" "Satsu!" "Satsu!" "Satsu, Satsu!" "Chiyo!" "What took you so long?" "But Satsu, I tried..." "I went to your okea weeks ago, they laughed and turned me away." "Please, I did not know I've missed you so much." "Let's leave, tonight." "But we need money too." "I know I can steal some, first thing tomorrow..." "No, please, tonight!" "No, tomorrow, meet me at the Saturn-May bridge, as soon as it's dark." "Now you have to go.... quickly." "Before somene catches" "What if I cannot get away?" "Be there Chiyo, its our one chance, once I've left I can't go back." "I've waited as long as I can, now go." "What is she doing here?" "What?" "She's seen us!" "Stupid girl." "Stupid girl, why have you come back?" "You're probably trying to escape!" "Get in." "Get in!" "Koichi please!" "Look at us, we're sneaking around like criminals!" "Koichi don't!" "It's degrading!" "What's going on?" "Koichi..." "Who's there?" "Go now.." "Go.." "Show your face!" "Okai-san, I caught her stealing" "..she was running away with her sister the whore!" "You little thief!" "No, she's lying." "After all we've done for her!" "I saw her with a man, right there!" "His name is Koichi!" "Shut up!" "We should kick her out." "Take her arms." "You are never to see him again, huh?" "What do you think?" "A Geisha is free to love?" "Never!" "." "Bolt the gate, no one is leaving this okea!" "Doctor Ohura is very expensive." "You seem to be racking up quite a debt, huh?" "Kimono destroyed, Geisha school... ..rice and pickles, train ticket, Mr. Bekku,.. all this on top of the money I paid Mr. Tanaka?" "Then for what?" "And now I hear that your sister has run away." "She didn't wait for you and now she can never come back." "You must forget you ever had a sister, huh?" "We are your only family now." ""Dear Satsu and little Chiyo, as one who was once an orphan child myself, this humble person is sorry to inform you that six weeks after you left for your new life in Myoko the suffering of your honoured mother came to it's end ..." "..And only a few weeks afterwards.." "..your honoured father departed this world as well... ..this humble person feels confident that both your honoured parents.." "..have found their places in paradise."" "At the temple there is a poem called loss carved into the stone." "It has three words, but the poet has scratched them out." "You cannot read loss, only feel it." "My father and mother had left this life, my sister I never heard of again." "I had dishonoured the okea so mother had other plans for me." "I would pay back my debt, year after year after year." "Not as a Geisha, as her slave." "It is too pretty a day to be so unhappy." "Did you fall down?" "Why so shy?" "Nothing to be ashamed of." "We all stumble from time to time." "You see that enchanting lady in green?" "Once, when she was just a Miko (an apprentice Geisha) she fell clean off her wooden shoes." "It's true, I did." "And now look at her, so elegant!" "Mr. Chairman, shouldn't we hurry?" "We will miss the beginning." "We see the Spring dances every year." "We can spare a moment." "What's your name?" "Don't be afraid to look at me." "Do you like sweet plum or cherry?" "You mean to eat?" "I like sweet plum myself." "None of us find much kindness in this life, as we should." "Hi, both kinds please." "My children wait for these every Spring." "Now I am a Geisha too." "So you are." "How did you come by such surprising eyes?" "My mother gave them to me." "Generous of her wasn't it?" "As you have been to me." "Smile for me won't you?" "There now, that is your gift to me." "This will buy your supper." "Now promise me onething," "Next time you take a tumble, no frowns." "That's better." "In that moment I changed from a girl, facing nothing but emptiness to someone with purpose." "I saw that to be a Geisha could be a stepping stone to something else.." "A place in "His" world." "The money the chairman had given me, could have bought fish and rice for a month," "But I gave it back in prayer, keeping only his handkerchief." "I asked one day to become a Geisha, and then somehow, to meet him again." "Chiyo-chan?" "I can't find my coat, did you find it yet?" "I couldn't sleep last night I was so worried about my stupid hair." "Am I lopsided?" "You look beautiful." "With your hair like that you look more like a pumpkin than ever." "Don't fold your neck forward like a tortoise." "She's not ready?" "We will be late." "Poor pumpkin, her debut and everybody will be staring at you." "Hurry up, huh?" "." "This time, do your "Shamsin" before you play, when you make a fool of yourself your big sister gets the blame" "Stop crying, your face will run." "Pumpkin!" "The winter I turned fifteen, I saw the chairman again," "But that wasn't the only surprise fate brought me that season." "Along with the snow came a most unexpected visitor." "Why is she here?" "Chiyo, Chiyo, open the gate!" "Now that your beloved granny has gone you have no need for a maid." "I would never question the great Mameha, but you could choose anyone in the Hanamachi." "You flatter me, truly." "I would give you my pumpkin if she weren't already tied to Hatsumomo." "Please I would never dream of asking." "Besides, I can always sell Chiyo to Mrs. Tetsuyo" "With your eye for beauty and nose for talent, surely you can see what a terrible waste that would be." "If you were not the kind hearted Geisha" "I know you to be, then" "I might think that you were scheming against Hatsumomo." "Then I'm grateful Mrs. Nita that you don't have a suspicious mind." "Perhaps you can pique my interest with.." "Yes?" "..your offer." "I will cover Chiyo's schooling, all her expenses, until after her debut." "Now I am confident that you are teasing." "I could not be more sincere." "If Chiyo has not repaid her debt within six months after her debut." "Impossible, too little time!" "Then I will pay you twice over." "What...?" "No Geisha could ever..." "I am certain you will not object to one trivial condition" "Uh yes...?" "If Chiyo erases her debt in the time allowed," "You will not have any part in her future earnings." "It's too good to be true, Mameha is up to something." "She isn't in it for the money, that much is for certain." "Rumour has it, ever since the Prime Minister bought her Misuage(virginity) she's been rich" "It is Absurd?" "Absurd, to think that she noticed Chiyo." "It's that kimono, she remembers how you destroyed it, now she wants to get even." "An odd picture isn't it?" "Hatsumomo sweeping into tea-house after tea-house with our little Pumpkin, and the Mameha with our maid." "I'm so far behind, I will never catch up to you." "Don't worry, I will help you." "Pumpkin!" "You are never to speak to her again, now you are rivals!" "This is how it was, this tiny world of women, friend turned against friend." "And now the two greatest Geisha in Myoko at war over me." "Hatsumomo at my back, Mameha calling, offering me the chance to become one of those elegant women I had seen on the bridge, floating in a silk kimono, the chairman at my side." "Chiyo is my new protoge as lovely as her big sister," "And with eyes the colour of rain." "The baron is a very special man to me, my "Daninia", someday if you are fortunate, you will have a patron too." "Don't kneel, you are not a servant girl anymore." "Step into the light." "I see water in you." "Does that displease you?" "Water is powerful." "It can wash away earth, put out fire, and even destroy iron." "But you have not drawn on those strengths have you?" "About your kimono...." "You may apologise if you wish." "Why that is a perfect bow, for a pig farmer..." "Don't drop your head," "..fingertips together, elbows in, no weight on the hands." "Yes." "As for the kimono, I'm no fool Chiyo." "Hatsumomo cannot tolerate competition." "She is jealous of you." "Not me I'm afraid, someone closer to home." "Rise." "Not like a horse." "Slide your foot forward." "That's it." "Now walk." "You are a magnificent Geisha." "Tell me Chiyo, does Mrs. Nita ever speak of the future?" "Not to me." "Well someday soon she will have to name an heir." "One of her own Geisha to succeed her." "Strange isn't it that she has not adopted Hatsumomo." "That would be like releasing a tiger from it's cage." "You have a gift for expression." "And if Mrs. Nita adopts Pumpkin that is hardly a threat but a young girl with eyes like rain..." "But Mrs. Nita would never choose me." "On the contrary, that is our goal It is?" "Of course." "If you do not inherit the okea, then we will all be at the tiger's mercy." "Water is always in such a hurry, perhaps that is just as well." "We have no time to lose." "We must transform you." "And what takes years you must learn in months." "Say I'm entertaining the baron, like so many clients he's trapped in an arranged marriage," "So in the tea-house when he's seeking my company instead," "I reward him like this with a glimpse of my wrist." "Seeing this demure little trace of naked skin." "Well,...it gives him pleasure." "Or when you're sitting down, for the briefest moment.." "..press your leg against his," "Always by accident of course." "Mameha, when does a Geisha choose her donor?" "I'm afraid it's the other way around, focus on your studies Chiyo, music, the art of conversation," "That's the surest way to attract a donor on your feet, not off them!" "Remember Chiyo, Geisha are not courtesans, and we're not wives." "We sell our skills, not our bodies." "We create another secret world, a place only of beauty." "The very word Geisha means artist, and to be a Geisha ... ..is to be judged as a moving work of art" "Agony and beauty, for us, live side by side." "Your feet will suffer, your fingers will bleed." "Even sitting and sleeping will be painful." "You cannot call yourself a true Geisha until you can stop a man in his tracks with a single look." "No one can do that." "Choose someone for me." "The grey hat..." "Choose someone for me sister." "The boy on the bike, with one look." "You are ready." "Hurry up, you're not making money standing there gawking at yourself." "For luck." "This binds us together forever as sisters." "Today you leave your childhood and cast away your name." "From this day forward you will be known as Sayuri." "When Mameha granted me my new name I felt little Chiyo disappear behind a white mask with red lips." "I was a miko now, an apprentice Geisha." "From that moment I told myself when I make tea, whenI pour sake, when I dance, when I tie my kimono it will be for the chairman, until he finds me until I am his." "Ready?" "Onay-san.." "Thank you." "Friends, we have the pleasure to witness the debut of a new Miko, Cheers!" "I remember those eyes what was her name?" "Sayuri." "Determined isn't she?" "If there had been a drop of tea in that pot... ..I believe, Sayuri would have gotten it out." "I told you Mr. Baron, it is her very first time." "What a beautiful dance, yes Pumpkin?" "Her fans are so hypnotic, that you may not even notice her feet!" "What's her name?" "Her name is Sayuri." "Sayuri..." "A name as sweet as she is." "I'm afraid that these days even a common chambermaid can call herself a Geisha." "So it's nice to see such a sincere young apprentice, isn't it?" "Why yes." " Surely you would like to thank Hatsumomo for her gracious compliment." "There is so much I would like to say to Hatsumomo." "Sometimes the smartest remark is silence." "What better advice to follow than your own?" "Sayuri!" "I was a miko myself once." "Of course!" "but it's been such a very long, long, long..." "long, long, time." "I shall destroy you." "She can destroy you." "She would spread rumours." "Stalk you from tea-house to tea-house, then steal your clients, all in the hope that Mrs. Nita adopts Pumpkin instead of you." "What can we do?" "We've got to outwit her, to find a place somewhere beyond her reach, where you can practice your skills without any interference." "Your first sumo match." "What?" "Today you will meet (Chairman) Iwamura." "He is head of the Iwamura electric company in Osaka." "My client for years." "We will entertain him and his partner Nobu." "You may find Nobu quite a challenge." "He does not like Geisha." "Be attentive, I will do the rest." "Chairman Iwamura, President Nobu, this is my new younger sister Sayuri." "Nobu-san?" " Nobu-toshi-kashi-san Injured in Manchuria, war hero." "Sayuri, is this your first sumo match?" "Nobu-san will have to educate you, I cannot tell one wrestler from the next." "That is the Chairman's diplomatic way of saying he hates sumo." "Did you notice our contribution, we are harnessing the power of water to bring electricity to some of the smaller villages." "It was in the newspaper wasn't it?" "Ah, the Chairman's picture, yes." "You compensate for all my shortcomings don't you?" "May I ask, How does someone harness the power of water?" "You should never ask an engineer to explain a thing because he will!" "Let the girl watch sumo." "Hatsumomo, that snake!" "Quick, turn your attention to Nobu." "but Mameha-san..." "Hatsumomo finds him repulsive, she would never steal him away." "Mislead her, go." "Perhaps Nobu-san would be kind enough to explain the rules of the match." "Three things matter in life..." "...sumo, business, and war," "Understand one, you know them all." "But why should a Geisha care?" "You spend your time plucking strings and dancing." "I humbly beg to differ." "What is sumo but a dance between giants?" "What is business but a dance between companies?" "I'd like to know about every kind of dance." "They are throwing salt to purify the ring." "That man is Miyagi-Ammar, the greatest fighter in Japan." "But he's so tiny!" "Only compared to his opponent." "Miyagi may use..." "Are you listening?" "Yes." "Hataki-comi is a movement a smaller opponent uses to throw a larger opponent off balance." "Victory does not always belong to the powerful!" "Look, there, in his eyes!" "I'm afraid our time has come to a close." "Going so soon?" "Not yet!" "I want her to see." "Now that is Hataki-comi!" "I see now why you like sumo." "You can never judge a man's power by his appearance alone." "Mameha!" "You may bring her again." "I scoured the newspaper for the Chairman's photograph." "Anything to preserve our moment together." "A moment, stolen, when I was forced to turn my attention to Nobu." "In that instant I felt the world shift..." "But not my own determination I made a secret promise." "Along with his picture, I would lock away my heart, and save it for him." "Mameha-san." "Come here." "Tonight we will deliver a quick blow to Hatsumomo" " Hataki-comi." "How?" "We will meet Nobu-san at the Sunashima restaurant." "But first a visit to Dr. Crab." "Dr. Crab?" "It's a little nickname he's earned over the years." "Mameha-san!" " Hold still!" "I have something in mind, a plan." "Now cut your leg where I've marked it." "What?" "!" "Or I will do it for you." "Have you gone mad?" "Do you trust me or don't you?" "Well?" "Go ahead, do it!" "." "Careless with the sowing scissors were you?" "Right through your beautiful kimono." "Such a pity." "It won't leave a scar will it?" "Sayuri is a special girl at a very special time in her life." "Yes, with those eyes, You must be quite a commodity." "Clean cut, won't leave a mark, I promise." "But I had best prescribe a bit of antiseptic." "Your honourable sister says,"Cut your leg", You cut your leg." "She says follow me?" "You follow her." "My life had turned into a game and only she knew the rules." "At the right moment slip it to Nobu - discreetly." "He will know what it means." "You have kept us waiting." "Please forgive us Nobu-san." "The Chairman thinks I should take more pleasure in life, like music and the theatre." "What is your impression?" "It is useless to push your cart sideways, one could not wish, Nobu-san, to be anyone other than Nobu-san." "I could not agree more." "I owe this man everything." "He gives me too much credit as usual." "Probably, cheers!" "Cheers!" "It is a trinket, I found it a few days ago..." "Nobu-san, I had no idea you were so sentimental." "Call it my "new leaf."" "My mother...my mother, she used to wear something similar." "You do not like it?" "Forgive me, I've never received a present before." "What a beautiful comb." "Such a joyous moment Sayuri." "You're finally getting what you deserve." "How lovely." "And now will you excuse us please, we have another engagement, many in fact." "Pumpkin?" "You are most kind." "Now give this one to Dr. Crab." "Mameha please..." "You're upset?" "I want to trust you I do but you have to tell me what's going on." "I am ensuring your future." "But tell me how, I beg you." "I am trying to orchestrate a bidding war." "What for?" "Your most precious attribute." "And what is that?" "Your misuage (virginity)." "Did mother ever tell you about the eel in the cave?" "Well, every once in a while, a man's eel likes to visit a woman's cave." "Yes I know." "You do?" "I live with Hatsumomo." "Well, your cave is untouched...men like that." "We call this misuage (virginity)." "And to become a full Geisha we must sell this to the highest bidder." "Did you sell yours?" "The largest sum ever paid - ten thousand yen." "I freed myself from debt, and so will you." "When you slip the rice-cake to Dr. Crab its the sign your Misuage is ripe for sale." "The doctor has no desire to see you tonight...or any night." "Pumpkin!" "Hatsumomo went to see Dr. Crab, yes?" "I have to go Chiyo-chan" "Didn't she?" "I do not know." "Of course you know!" "You shadow her every step." "You expect me to betray my big sister." "Has she made you cruel as well?" "No." "My Pumpkin always told the truth." "The truth..." "Tonight, we went to the tea-house to see Dr. Crab." "I sat outside but I could still hear through the screen and Hatsumomo then said to him "I live in the same Okea as Sayuri.."" ""..and did you know that she brings men back to her room?"" ""No" he said, "they come in, sailors, and fishermen too."" "And the doctor looked queazy like he didnt want to hear anymore." "But she kept going." "And Hatsumomo said to him "What's the matter?"" ""have I told you more than you wanted to know?"" "I'm so sorry, I wanted to say something but how could I Chiyo-chan?" "...how?" "Am I really like her?" "Am I?" "Of course not." "Is Mameha-san cruel to you too?" "No, she's so kind to me but sometimes I worry she's taken me further from the things I want." "That man Nobu Do you really like him?" "No." "That's what I thought." "Do you like somebody else?" "Don't worry about me Chiyo-chan." "I'll be fine." "Better than fine." "Mother plans to adopt me, so my dream of having some place to live out my life may come true." "I have to go." "We could still win Sayuri." "How?" "Hatsumomo has poisoned Dr. Crab against me." "Forget about him, there are plenty of other fish in the sea." "The Chairman has been kind..." "Sayuri!" "Nobu and the Chairman are business partners, they would never bid against one another." "It is time we cast a wider net." "Suppose there was a night in Myoko." "Hundreds of men all in one place, eager to bid for you." "What do you mean?" "Where you are the object of all their fantasies." "The most famous Geisha in the Hanamachi." "But I'm not." " You will be..." "Who is responsible for this?" "Ask Mameha." "I'm asking you Oka-san." "How come Sayuri gets to be the lead?" "It's your own fault." "You should practice more." "What did Mameha do?" "Speak to the director in private?" "Not every Geisha uses that kind of currency." "I'm looking forward to your performance." "You know how I adore watching you dance..." "Chiyo." "They all have come.." "the Baron, Nobu-san, our beloved Hatsumomo, and that dapper General of hers.." "Anybody else?" "And even your old friend, Dr. Crab." "Mameha-san, what if I dance poorly, what if I disgrace myself, and no one takes interest?" "You will be glorious." "Now, it's time." "Sayuri, you remember the Doctor." "I hope my performance pleased you Doctor." "Aah, you danced with such profound fury." "I most humbly thank you." "It seems you've once again caught the Doctor's interest." "And I am most grateful." "If you have heard any gossip..." "Ah yes?" "Then I hope you will follow your own advice." "And what would that be, pray tell?" "Seek a second opinion." "Ah Chairman." "Sayuri gave such a passionate performance, don't you think?" "Indeed." " Mameha, did you invite the Chairman to my estate this weekend?" "It's my annual blossom viewing party." "Baron, I told you I cannot go." "I have an urgent appointment." "Taking care of a little nuisance, or was that a naughty secret?" "Baron, wouldn't Sayuri look stunning... among the flowers on your estate?" "Yes, very pretty." "Be sure to send her along." "With a chaparone of course," "I'm certain Mr. Bekku will oblige." "That's a fine idea Baron, but Sayuri is required at the theatre." "Mameha, I expect her there." "Nobu, coming Saturday?" "All that way to see a cherry tree?" "I will leave that to the Chairman." "[You were] wonderful tonight." "Excuse me." "If you would rather not go." "I'd like to go very much." "Then be on your guard, every moment." "There is a reason Hatsumomo wants you there." "Trust me, I know my Baron, Sayuri." "He has a weakness for beautiful women." "And now, you are the most celebrated Geisha in all Myoko." "The most desired as well." "Sayuri, today, even the cherry blossoms are envious of her." "There's something I've been wanting to say to you for some time now." "I'd like to..." "to thank you for your attention to Nobu-san." "Nobu can be a difficult man." "So you see dear, at parties, sake only in moderation." "And he disdains Geisha." "But he he's fond of you." "Because you admire him, I respect him more." "He would never tell you himself." "He's far too modest." "We were fighting in Manchuria together, there was an explosion." "He protected me from the worst of it." "As you might imagine, I owe him quite a debt." "Nobu has taught me a great deal, patience, for one thing." "I, in turn, have tried to teach him." "You have to savour life while you can." "The legend of the cherry blossom." "That is why Nobu likes you." "We must not expect happiness Sayuri, it is not something we deserve." "When life goes well, it's a sudden gift, it cannot last forever." "Ah Sayuri, there you are." "I have a present for you." "Mameha asked me to show you my kimono collection." "It's quite venerated, my grandfather and father," "..collected kimono before me." "I've given a number of valuable kimono to Mameha." "I like to give presents to beautiful girls." "It's for you." "Come, have a closer look." "Isn't it lovely?" "Try it on." "The Baron is too kind." "I will happily try it on, with Mameha, when the Baron returns to Myoko." "Who knows when that would be?" "Put it on now, don't be shy." "Don't worry.." "I have experience in knotting kimonos, and untying them as well." "Please, Mr. Bekku is waiting." "Mr. Bekku is waiting for no one." "Please...stop!" "Please stop now!" "Sayuri, I only want to have a look." "No harm in that." "Any man would do the same." "I heard a message on the wind." "So careless!" "You have ruined all our plans!" "I did nothing." "Sayuri, do not insult me." "I know the Baron better than that.." "He gave me a kimono." "You sold yourself for a kimono!" "I did not sell myself." "Today is the day I accept bids for your misuage." "But what kind of price can I hope to demand with a finger pointed at your back?" "He looked at me that's all Onay-san." "You will be examined at the misuage ceremony." "If you are found to be worthless..." "I am not worthless!" "I am not worthless." "How much longer is this bidding going to take?" "Besides, who wants a plum when someone has already had a bite?" "What is it?" "Twenty yen, thirty?" "This can't be the right amount." "I trust you agree, I have won the wager." "Sayuri's made history, no misuage has ever been sold for more." "Not even mine." "Fifteen thousand yen." "Unbelievable." "Arigato Gudaimas Onay-san" "Of course none of it will go to Sayuri, or to you Mameha." "It goes to this okea." "All fifteen thousand yen." "To this estate." "I do not understand." "That, Sayuri, you will inherit as my adopted daughter." "What?" "You wouldn't dare!" "I'm entitled to do as I choose." "But you promised the okea to Pumpkin!" "Look at her, still a virgin Miko." "Pumpkin!" "Can't you adopt us both?" "Quiet Sayuri." "Now I'm no fool." "Pumpkin would only be Hatsumomo's puppet." "How long will it take before you kick us out onto the street?" "I have given you my life." "Yes, and your impudence, your wild temper." "Who paid for that kimono on your back," "The rice in your bowl The tobacco in that paper of yours?" "Who?" "Don't exaggerate!" "You have never even had a patron." "Don't say it, don't say it!" "You chose that no good Koichi." "Peeking through your window at all hours of the night." " Quiet!" "Not like a Geisha, like a common prostitute." "Besides, you are getting old." "But Sayuri, Sayuri's destined to become a legend." "My dear Oka-san." "We will see." "Won't we?" "Sayuri, your room is too small." "Take Hatsumomo's." "From now on, your name is Nita Sayuri.." "May I congratulate you both." "You may." "Onay-san.." "Everything we wanted you made happen." "Thank you." "May I ask who?" "Dr. Crab." "Was Nobu disappointed?" "Nobu did not bid." "It was against his mighty principles." "Dr. Crab was opposed by the Baron, my Baron." "Do you want to know the truth Sayuri?" "He was the highest bidder." "Forgive me, but I let it go to Dr. Crab.." "I think you understand why." "I swear to you, I am innocent." "Of course you are." "No man would ever bid so much for a thing he had already taken." "It was my own fault." "I did not protect you." "Celebrate this moment Sayuri." "Tonight, the lights in the Hanamachi all burn for you.." "My daughter..." "You are a full geisha now." "What are you doing in my room?" "I came to congratulate you." "Please get out." "Why little Chiyo, look what I've found." "His initials, how elegant." "You have been hiding your love for a long time." "The sacrifice every Geisha must make." "Don't!" "Is this where you keep it?" "Next to your heart?" "Give it back." "Give it BACK!" "MOTHER!" "I could be her." "Now I am Geisha to this house." "I could be her." "Were we so different?" "She loved once." "She hoped once." "I might be looking into my own future." "Until the real future came falling from the air." "Stop." "Korin, have you see Sayuri?" "No..." "I don't know." "Chairman!" "They are sending us away but they won't say where." "Osaka, but you must not go." "The city is a prime target." "Get your things, quickly." "Nobu and I are trying to find safe havens for as many of you as we can." "Come." "Here, work certificates, nurse's aid." "A friend of mine is the chief surgeon in Kamioka." "What about Sayuri?" "Can't we go together?" " NO." "Don't worry, she will be taken care of...so.." "Here we go..." "Sayuri!" "Onay-san" "Sayuri come." "This is Alima, he will take you into the hills." "Nobu has got a friend there, a kimono maker." "Anyone stops you, show them this." "Do I have to go?" "It's remote, you will be safe." "What about you?" "You said Osaka was dangerous.." "Our factory is there, I have no choice." "Go, I will express your gratitude to Nobu-san." "A year without news, except news of death." "Defeat." "Shame." "Rumours of cities evaporating into clouds of smoke." "Then another year, and then another." "Until the old life is a dream-life." "Was I ever a Geisha?" "Did I ever dance, holding a fan?" "Who would hold a fan now..." "or paint their lips?" "And then another year." "Nothing." "Rice...work." "Rice...work." "Nothing." "Sayuri." "Sayuri, a man from Osaka has come to see you." "Nobu-san" "General Tottori was captured and tried as a war criminal.." "The Baron lost his fortune and committed suicide." "What about the okea?" "Mr. Bekku has gone, but the others..." "Auntie and mother?" "Indestructible as always." "And the chairman?" "As well as can be expected." "This is all that remains of our factories." "I'm so sorry Nobu-san." "Sayuri..." "We want to rebuild, but to do that we will need your help." "What can I do?" "Somewhere, under those rags, are you still the greatest Geisha in Myoko." "If a tree has no leaves or branches, can you still call that a tree?" "With nothing but rubble at my feet, can I still call myself a businessman?" "I should have taken better care of you." "Please, you saved my life." "I owe you so much in return." "The chairman and I need American financing." "There is a man, a certain Colonel Derricks who has the power to grant us a contract." "I showed him your picture." "He asked to meet you." "I am not a persuasive man Sayuri, but if you, and a few Geisha, would once again put on your kimono and join us, we can show the Americans how hospitable our country can be." "How I wish Nobu-san." "But that was a long time ago." "I have no doubt Sayuri, that you could still melt the heart of any man.... ...no matter how resistant." "I am not accustomed to begging, but please know that if you consent, the Chairman and I would be most grateful." "The Chairman needed me." "But I was a far cry from the Geisha I had once been." "The secrets of our hidden world were postcards now for girls back home." "Any street-walker with a painted face and silk kimono... ..could call herself a geisha." "I looked for the one person who might help...." "Mameha." "The war was written on her face." "Everything about her, not just her home, was less than before." "Sayuri, when my poor Baron filled his pockets with stones," "I was desperate." "What could I do?" "I sold my kimono." "I traded my jade cones for rations." "It was painful at first, but I have made my peace." "Now, I make a small but tidy living renting rooms." "I am not about to go chasing the past." "It might do you good." "How?" "To remind you that once with a single glance, you could bring a man like the Baron, to his knees." "Well, I did keep one kimono." "The Baron gave it to me when he became my patron." "Thank you Onay-san." "So tell me What do we know about entertaining Americans?" "Chiyo-chan, is that you?" "I have no right to ask favours of you, Pumpkin" "I know that." "Guess what?" "I only smoke Chesterfield's now." "I've wanted to apologise to you for so long.." "about the okea." "These Soldier boys..." "You know who, they've got me singing.." "It should've gone to you, not me Frank Sinatra and Dana Short" "Is it so hard to forgive me?" "Sayuri don't." "The honest truth?" "I'd rather chew sand than go back to all that." "Then you are not angry with me?" "Don't worry about me chica-dee.." "I've got more clients than I can handle." "You see so at-home with these Americans." "They're bastards!" "So, who's this colonel?" "Sounds like top-brass." "He has the power to approve American funding for Nobu and the Chairman." "So, is he willing to pay us American dollars?" "Cash?" "Don't waste my time." "Do you think I'm a sucker?" "I want sixty cases of Lucky Strike or I'm taking my business to Sgt. McFee." "I had to become a Geisha once more." "Mother had reopened the okea, but my powder-box was empty." "My charcoal had turned to dust." "And yet, it was my one chance to see the Chairman again." "Would he notice my weathered hands?" "The threadbare silk?" "See...you are yourself again." "The world had changed completely." "Had he?" "And would I finally find the strength to tell him all that I felt?" "Just look at you Sayuri, it's as if the war did not happen." "I'm so glad to see that the Chairman's safe." "Please accept my apologies asking this of you." "No, there's nothing I can't do to return your kindness." "I've wanted to tell you that..." "Sayuri!" "May I present Colonel Derricks." "Konichiwa." "My god, you're more stunning in person." "This is my associate Lt. Hutchins." "Sayuri is one of the mysteries of the orient I told you about." "A mystery that perhaps you can solve." "Would you mind?" "Can we?" "Yes, of course." "Colonel?" "Beautiful." "Hey, who likes whisky?" "Chairman, don't tell me you've started the party without me." " May I present Pumpkin?" "Gentlemen." "Back home a bath is nothin' more than a quick shower and a cold towel with a lotta soap." "Right?" "But here you make everything a ritual don't you?" "That is the art of turning habit into pleasure Colonel." "Spoken like a true Geisha." "If we are in business together, then perhaps we will visit you some day." "I'd like to see the United States" "I know a little game we can play.." "it's called truth and lies." "I know this game, back home we call it marriage." "Now listens closely," "Sayuri knows the rules." "Each person says two things." "One is true, the other is not." "If you guess right, the liar pays the price." "So it pays to lose?" "There you go." "Ok I go first." "One day in Sapporo, where I was born, a fisherman caught a Token-fish..." "This story is the true one, and I haven't even heard it yet." "If I drown, it's all your fault." "Please, I am no match for these Geisha, they are expert in the art of deceit." "I'm an expert in one thing, and one thing only, Sake." "Sayuri, the truest story you know." "Once, when I was a little girl, on the banks of the Sunagawa, a handsome stranger was kind enough to buy me a cup of sweet ice." "Sayuri, I think we have to stop the game if Pumpkin drinks any more Sake, she will pass out." "So, what is the protocol?" "Excuse me?" "Suppose I wanted to see you in private..." "I beg your pardon Colonel, that is not a Geisha's custom." "If it's a question of price?" "If there were a price, you could never afford it." "I saw the two of you whispering." "You have arranged some kind of twist, haven't you?" "What did you promise him?" "Your company, nothing more." "He seemed to expect a great deal." "If I wanted a common whore, I could have hired one." "What are you trying to say?" "." "Just the idea of you with him, with any man, you would be dead to me." "Can't you see that I want you for myself?" "You have ruined me." "Before we met I was a disciplined man." "I shouldnt have asked you to come" "The chairman was against it I should have listened to him." "I must beg your forgiveness Nobu-san." "I was foolish to think you would barter me away." "Then you made no arrangement with the Colonel?" "Please, don't insult me again." "If he ratifies our contract, then I will be a man of means again." "There is nothing I want more Sayuri, than to become your patron." "I already owe you far too much." "I will not be refused." "Please don't..." " We are tied to each other." "I know you feel it too." "I never meant to mislead you." "Sayuri..." "I do not like things held out before me, that I cannot have." "When you first introduced me to Nobu, I was such a fool to give him my attention." "You cannot refuse him, you must not." "But Mameha..." "What is he to think?" "He safeguarded your life!" "So he owns it?" "!" "Sayuri, I know what it is like to try to scrape by without a patron." "I would do something, anything else" "Scrounging for every meal?" "Is this the life that you want?" "I want a life that is mine!" "Nobu has never treated you with anything but kindness." "I don't want mere kindness." "What?" "What more can we expect?" "We're Geisha." "You had feelings for the Baron didn't you?" "I never allowed myself that." "Don't lie to me." "In time, you learn." "I dont want to learn" "Sayuri!" "We don't become Geisha to pursue our own destinies." "We become Geisha because we have no choice." "Pumpkin!" "What is it, what's wrong?" "Nothing." "I have a favour to ask, that's all." "Ask." "At nine o'clock, bring Nobu to the pool, on the far side of the garden." "Not a minute before, not a minute after." "Yes?" "And please, do not tell Nobu that I will be there waiting." "It's a surprise?" "Yes." "It's a surprise." "Chairman?" "Chairman!" "How could you?" "You don't know what you have done." "But I do." "I do not understand." "Why did you have to bring the Chairman?" "Because I know how you feel about him." "A long time ago, you took something from me." "The only thing I ever truly wanted." "Well...now you know how it feels." "The heart dies, a slow death, shedding each hope like leaves until one day there are none." "No hopes." "Nothing remains." "She paints her face to hide her face." "Her eyes like deep water." "It is not for Geisha to want." "It is not for Geisha to feel." "Geisha is an artist of the floating world." "She dances." "She sings." "She entertains you" "..whatever you want." "The rest is shadows." "The rest is secret." "Sayuri, quick quick, the tea-house just called." "You are to meet a very important client tonight." "Who?" "It must be Nobu." "Yes, he's going to be one of the richest men in Osaka." "He'll want to honour his promise, to become your patron at last." "It's about time, finally." "A return on my investment." "Giko, maybe, one day, you will bel as lucky." "No Geisha can ever hope for more." "Chairman!" "Where is Nobu-san?" "He won't be coming." "Is something wrong?" "He knows what happened." "It is not in his nature to forgive." "Chairman, what happened on the island..." "Please, you do not have to explain." "But I have shamed myself so deeply past all forgiveness." "No, I am the one who must be forgiven." "I do not understand." "Perhaps if you had only known the truth." "The truth?" "Some years ago.." "I was on my way to the theatre, I saw a little girl weeping by the Sunagawa," "I stopped to buy her a cup of sweet ice." "You knew I was that little girl?" "Didn't you ever wonder why Mameha took you under her wing?" "Mameha came to me because of you." "I wish you could have told me long ago." "What could I do?" "I owe Nobu my life." "And so, when I saw he had a chance at happiness with you, I stood silent." "But..." "But I cannot any longer." "I hope...it is not too late." "Don't be afraid to look at me" " Chiyo." "Can't you see?" "Every step I have taken, since I was that child on the bridge, has been to bring myself closer to you." "You cannot say to the sun "more sun," or to the rain "less rain."" "To a man Geisha can only be half a wife." "We are the wives of nightfall." "And yet to learn of kindness after so much unkindness." "To understand that a little girl with more courage than she knew, would find that her prayers were answered, can that not be called happiness?" "After all, these are not the memoirs of an empress, nor of a queen these are memoirs of another kind."