GAMBARAN KEHIDUPAN ONSEN GEISHA BERDASARKAN KARYA NOBEL YASUNARI KAWABATA

Abstract

This article attempts to explore the question of who or what a geisha is based on the life-story of a geisha named Komaka characterised by Yasunari Kawabata's popular novel Desa Salji (Snow Country). The common interpretation that has been popularised of the concept of a geisha is that of a individual who is an entertainer who has learned music and classical Japanese dances and who performs the music and dances at certain functions for the purpose of raising money to cover the costs of their artistic training. Nevertheless a closer examination of the geisha system that was popular in the past also reveals a certain other reality of the life of a geisha that is associated with the trade in women. This article revisits the concept of a geisha to consider the various other facets of the life of a geisha that has not received much attention previously.