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A Geisha's Journey
My Life as a Kyoto Apprentice
Photographs by Naoyuki Ogino
Text by Komomo
Hardcover 144 pages
190 x 250mm
ISBN : 978-4-7700-3067-2 / 4-7700-3067-3
Publish : Apr, 2008
Price : $29.95 |
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[ About the Book ]
This is the story of a contemporary Japanese teenager who, in a search for an identity, became fascinated with the world of geiko-as Kyoto's geisha are known-and discovered in herself the will and the commitment to overcome the many years of apprenticeship necessary to become one.
It is a story related by a young Japanese photographer who grew up overseas, and who also was captivated by the lives led by these women who choose to dedicate their lives to their art. He began following and documenting the life of the teenager, Komomo, as she studied and grew into her role.
His photographs follow the entire narrative of her journey, from her first tentative visits after finding the geiko house on the Internet, through her commitment as an apprentice and the hard schedule of learning arts that go back centuries. He continued shooting all the way to the ceremony of her officially becoming one of the rare breed of geiko-and beyond. From the cobbled streets where she walks in her elaborate dress to the inner sanctums of her dressing room, he has captured a very rare look at a very unique, living art.
The photographs are accompanied by autobiographical text and captions by Komomo, as she shares her thoughts and emotions, and describes the life of a Kyoto apprentice. It is an illuminating view of seven years in the life of a very unique young woman.
"The world of Geisha can be seen as fine artists serving pre-modern-minded modern Japan. It is window into another side of Japan cultural achievement, one very different from manga, anime, and robots."
Hiroshi Sugimoto, Artist
Reviews
"A Geisha's Journey is a captivating story of both will and serendipity, told through the lens of Naoyuki Ogino and the narrative of Komomo, a young girl determined to become a geiko."-The International Herald Tribune
About the Author
NAOYUKI OGINO grew up in Tokyo, where he was born, and in Mexico. He graduated with a degree in physics from Nagoya University, and pursued his dream of becoming a photographer while working for Japan's largest ad agency. In 2006, he quit the agency and began a full-time career as a professional photographer. He has held a number of exhibitions in Mexico, the U.S., China, and many Japanese cities.
KOMOMO grew up in Japan, Mexico, and China before becoming a geisha's apprentice-or maiko-in 2000. She became a full-fledged geiko, as geisha are known in Kyoto, in 2005.
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