Tanaka-san!
A story like mine should never be told
For my world is as forbidden as it is fragile
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 my sister Satsu was like wood
As rooted to the earth as a sakura 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
Stop here
These are the girls from T anaka?
Sisters, yes, from Yoroido
This one, maybe. The other one, no
-No, no, Chiyo! Chiyo! Chiyo! -Satsu! Satsu!
-Chiyo! -Satsu!
Show your respect for Mother
You must not speak. I will answer for you
Kneel
And head down. Never look her in the face
-How old are you? -She is Year of the Rooster
Only 9
Where is my sister?
Let me see those eyes
Look at me
Too much water
But, Okasan, a little water is good to guard against fire
You won't have to worry about the okiya burning¡­
¡­Iosing all your kimono
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! Let me go!
-Stop that -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 okiya
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 okiya in the hanamachi
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 honor this okiya
You listen, you learn
Now get to work
Be quiet. Hatsumomo is sleeping
Pumpkin, when can I go outside?
Outside the okiya?You can't. It's not allowed
How will I find Satsu?
You can't just walk up to every house in the hanamachi
Do you know how many there are?
Look
Tighter!
Chiyo. Chiyo-chan
Come. Two nights ago, Hatsumomo had to stay at the teahouse until dawn
That's what she told Mother. 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 20¡­
¡­she had already earned back her purchase price
Unheard of
She has been the talk of the hanamachi ever since
These are all hers?
Certainly not. They belong to the okiya
A kimono like this, made of Tatsumura silk¡­
¡­it would take a lifetime to earn
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 it is off to school with you
You are to become geisha
Chiyo! Pumpkin!
Quick, quick! Don't be late!
You will be late
Go. Go
This way!
Pumpkin! Pumpkin!
Pumpkin! I'm going to run. I'm going to find Satsu
No, Chiyo-chan, don't!
You will ruin your own chances. And mine too
Please, stay with me
Squid. Come on!
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!
-With millions of people unemployed, on the brink of starvation
Banking institutions have continued to suffer in Germany¡­
¡­due to rapid inflation
Another cause of Germany's suffering is the constant struggle¡­
¡­to pay the heavy burden of war reparations it's still¡­
Chiyo! Chiyo, come quickly!
Hatsumomo is at the bathhouse. Tidy up
-But she told me to stay out¡­ -Hatsumomo does not run this okiya
The Japanese emperor has agreed to send army instructors to Manchuria
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 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
What?
Was I wrong to ask her to leave?
Please, tell me where she is
Only if you swear yourself to me first
Yes?
Now, get out
Hatsumomo. You'll wake the entire house
Your big sister is thirsty. So am I. Go 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?
I'm 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 close eye on her clothes
-It's Mameha's? -Yes
-How did you get it? -Bribed her maid
-There -I can't
Give it to her
-Pretty Chiyo, come. Come -Chiyo
Now, then, little Chiyo, it's 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
Come, come
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 that kimono will cost you
Whatever you have done to anger her, you'd be wise to stop now
Lie facedown!
I will beat you hard¡­
¡­so Mother does not beat you harder
I told you not to let anybody see you
I have kept my promise
So tell me, where is she?
She's in the next hanamachi in the house called Tatsuyo
In the pleasure district
Trust me, little Chiyo, you will find her
Tatsuyo?
Satsu! Satsu!
Satsu!
Satsu from Yoroido! Satsu! Satsu!
No! Satsu! No! Satsu! Satsu!
Sat¡­
Satsu! Satsu!
Chiyo-chan!
-What took you so long? -But, Satsu, I tried!
I went to your okiya 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, Chiyo. I know I can steal some first thing tomorrow
-No, please! Tonight! -No, tomorrow!
Meet me at the Sasame Bridge as soon as it's dark
Now I have to go. Quickly, before someone catches us
What if I cannot get away?
Be there, Chiyo. It's 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?She's seen us
Stupid girl. Why have you come back?
Your perfect chance to escape!
Get in!
-Koichi, please -Look at us
Sneaking around like criminals
-Koichi, don't¡­ -It's degrading
What's going on?
Koichi
Who's there?
Go! Now! Go!
Show your face
Look, Okasan! I caught her stealing!
She was running away with her sister, the whore!
You little thief!
No! She is lying!
-After all we have 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
What do you think?A geisha is free to love?
Never
Bolt the gate!
No one is leaving this okiya
Dr. Moro is very expensive
You seem to be racking up quite a debt
Kimono destroyed¡­
¡­geisha school¡­
¡­rice and pickles, train ticket, Mr. Bekku
All this on top of the money I paid Mr. Tanaka
And 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
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 Miyako¡­
¡­the suffering of your honored mother came to its end
And only a few weeks afterward¡­
¡­your honored father departed this world as well
This humble person feels confident both your honored parents¡­
¡­have found their places in paradise. But happily¡­
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 dishonored the okiya, 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 maiko, 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
Come
None of us find as much kindness in this life as we should
Hi. Both kinds, please
My children wait for these every spring
Now I'm a geisha too
And 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 one thing:
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
The Imperial War Ministry announces news:
A great victory for our friend Adolf Hitler
Today, Hitler demanded self-determination¡­
¡­for Germans living in Austria
Hitler's quest for lebensraum, ¡°living space¡±¡­
Chiyo-chan, I can't find my comb! Did you find it yet?
Pumpkin, it's time to go
-I found it -Arigato, Chiyo
Oh, 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 poke your neck forward like a tortoise
She's not ready? We will be late
Poor Pumpkin. Her debut, and everyone will be staring at you
-Hurry up, huh? -This time¡­
¡­tune your shamisen 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 15, 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 is gone¡­
¡­you'll 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'd give you my Pumpkin if she were not already tied to Hatsumomo
Please. I would never dream of asking
Besides, I could always sell Chiyo to Mrs. Tatsuyo
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 kindhearted geisha I know you to be¡­
¡­then I might think you were scheming against Hatsumomo
Then I'm grateful, Mrs. Nitta, 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¡­
¡­till after her debut
Now I am confident you are teasing
I could not be more sincere
If Chiyo hasn't 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
Yes?
If Chiyo erases her debt in the time allowed¡­
¡­you will have no 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
Rumor has it, ever since the prime minister bought her mizuage¡­
¡­she's been rich
That so? Absurd to think 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 teahouse after teahouse with our little Pumpkin
And Mameha with our maid
I'm so far behind. I will never catch up to you
Don't worry, Chiyo-chan. I will help you
Pumpkin!
You are never to speak to her again
Now you are rivals