I cut the following as Thread Mode, in case anyone wants to rework it back into the page:
Note: This book is a work of fiction. The author, Arthur Golden, goes to some lengths to muddy the waters in the "translator's note" at the beginning, but several aspects (such as a girl's virginity being auctioned off) are dramatic license.
Note to the note: Well the auction part might be dramatic license but it is a fact that men paid for the privilege of deflowering young geisha. The practice has, of course, been discontinued.
Note to the note to the note: It is widely thought that the practice of men ceremonially deflowering geisha is a misconception. Oiran, or high-class courtesans who dressed in manners similar to geisha, participated in this event, but not young geiko. The two could be distinguished by the way they tied their obi—geiko had theirs tied in the back, whereas oiran, who would be removing their kimono frequently, tied it in the front.
I cut the following as Thread Mode, in case anyone wants to rework it back into the page:
Note: This book is a work of fiction. The author, Arthur Golden, goes to some lengths to muddy the waters in the "translator's note" at the beginning, but several aspects (such as a girl's virginity being auctioned off) are dramatic license.
Note to the note: Well the auction part might be dramatic license but it is a fact that men paid for the privilege of deflowering young geisha. The practice has, of course, been discontinued.
Note to the note to the note: It is widely thought that the practice of men ceremonially deflowering geisha is a misconception. Oiran, or high-class courtesans who dressed in manners similar to geisha, participated in this event, but not young geiko. The two could be distinguished by the way they tied their obi—geiko had theirs tied in the back, whereas oiran, who would be removing their kimono frequently, tied it in the front.