Asian Studies - East Asia - Japan, Women's History - Asia, Women - Asia, Women & Employment - International

Geisha

Name: Geisha
Author: Jodi Cobb
ISBN: 9780679437741

by Jodi Cobb

Write a review

Overview

Here, brought vividly to life, is an icon of Japanese culture and custom - the geisha in her role as human work of art and perfect woman. Geisha first entertained men in Japan as dancers and musicians in the seventeenth century, and were originally male; female geisha arose in the eighteenth century. A hundred years ago they numbered eighty thousand; today there are a thousand at most. Happily, Jodi Cobb is able to show us - before they vanish - both the ceremonial world of the geisha in Tokyo and Kyoto and their private world as few outsiders have ever seen it. This long-hidden world is revealed here both in superlative photographs and in a fascinating text that includes the voices of the geisha themselves.

In remarkable detail, and with the cooperation of geisha in Kyoto and Tokyo, this beautiful book captures the private world of the geisha, revealing her in her role as a human work of art--the perfect woman artistically, conversationally, and erotically. 95 color photos.

Synopsis

With 77 full-color photographs

About the Author, Jodi Cobb

Jodi Cobb is a staff photographer at National Geographic who has produced more than twenty articles for the magazine. Her work has appeared in many books, including several in the A Day in the Life of . . . series. She was the first woman named White House Photographer of the Year and has been the recipient of numerous awards from the National Press Photographers Association. Ms. Cobb's photographs have been exhibited at the International Center of Photography and the Corcoran Gallery of Art. She lives in Washington, D.C.

Reviews

There are no reviews yet. Log in to write one.

Editorials

Booknews

Cobb is a staff photographer at National Geographic and has been the recipient of numerous awards for her work. These photos provide an intimate portrayal of geishas in the modern world. An introduction by Ian Burham offers interpretation of Cobb's portraits, and Cobb's own well-researched essay sets the context. Photos are accompanied by brief quotes from the subjects about their lives, or poems and songs that convey the geisha experience. 11.5x10.5" Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Donna Seaman

The fabled world of the geisha is one few Westerners know anything about. Cobb, whose prose is as pristine as her photographs, was able to enter this secretive, sensual, and artful realm and learn the truth about the lives of the ever-dwindling community of traditional geishas. Cobb summarizes their curious history and their hallowed place in Japan's hierarchical society, describes their training, and relates life stories of individuals, tales full of heartbreak and stoicism, pride and nobility. Geishas are both artists and living works of art, professional performers who transform themselves into embodiments of a timeless, anonymous, and emblematic beauty. With their stark white faces and carefully exposed necks, sculptured black hair, and brilliant red lips, eyebrows, and eyelids, these poised and elegant women transcend the everyday, offering their clients the opportunity to live a fantasy and providing themselves with a sustaining way of life in a culture that offers women few options beyond marriage. Cobb's elegant study is both striking and haunting.