First ever Western geisha leaves the 'sisterhood' - Telegraph

Quote:

Oxford-educated Fiona Graham, 47, was the only foreigner in 400 years to be accepted into the ranks of the geisha, whose skills in traditional Japanese dance, poetry and music are a revered part of national culture. But now, having gone through rigorous training to enter a profession long considered off-limits to non-Japanese, she has parted company with its professional organisation after clashes with fellow members. The Sunday Telegraph understands that Ms Graham, who took the name "Sakuyi" (transparent happiness) after making her debut as a geisha in 2007, was accused of refusing to follow its customs, failing to attend obligatory classes in music and dance, and spending too much time on self-promotion. Worst of all, insiders claim, in a world that is built on traditions and adherence to conventions, she refused to show respect to her elders. "She was in the association for more than three years, but she did not take part in lessons and she did not follow our rules," another geisha, who asked not to be named, told The Sunday Telegraph. "And she was always fighting us." Ms Graham, an Australian, first came to Japan at the age of 15 on a school exchange programme and, seduced by the culture, went to a Japanese high school before attending the prestigious Keio University and then completing a doctorate in social anthropology at Oxford. She found a particular fascination in the geisha world, famously depicted in the 1997 novel Memoirs of Geisha, by Arthur Golden, which describes a young woman's apprenticeship into its customs. Often mistakenly assumed to be part of the sex industry, geishas focus on providing entertainment around the dinner table, including genteel tea ceremonies, drinking rituals, lute-playing and calligraphy. After being accepted into a trainee geisha house - known as an "okiya" - Ms Graham underwent basic schooling, specialising in the Japanese bamboo flute. To mark her geisha debut, she wore a powder-blue kimono with a white fringe and flecks of gold dust at the hem that belonged to her "okiya mother," and is worth around Y2 million (£15,000). However, according to the strict rules of the geisha world, a newcomer must get the permission of her elders to perform in front of customers, usually in tea houses and restaurants. Those that are not sufficiently accomplished are not allowed to perform. "She says she is a flute player but she does not go to lessons and said she was already good enough," said the fellow geisha. "But to perform in front of guests is very important. You have to be good enough and you need to have permission. "No-one would give her permission because she was not good enough - so she became hysterical, yelling at everyone. That is not our style. We have a traditional way of thinking and we have to obey our older 'sisters'." Keiji Chiba, a spokesman for the Asakusa Geisha Association, declined to comment on whether Ms Graham was fired from the association, although another official did not deny that she had been "asked to leave." The only comment that Mr Chiba would make about Ms Graham was that, "She tried." In an interview with this newspaper shortly after her debut, Ms Graham, who planned to document her experiences for a book and television programme, said that she was proud to have been accepted as the first Western geisha in Japan. More recently, she has become the public face of a chain of second-hand kimono shops. Last week she declined to comment when asked about the claims made against her. However, Peter MacIntosh, a documentary maker who has studied the secretive world of geisha for 18 years, said: "I have refused to call her Sayuki. When she starts acting like a geisha, then I'll call her by her geisha name." He pointed out that geisha did not normally wear the traditional white make-up after around the age of 30 and that "Western guests are not going to want to see a 47-year-old Western woman in makeup." Ms Graham has also accused the geisha association of bullying her, sources told The Sunday Telegraph, although the association insists it treated her no differently from anyone else. One geisha noted that because the association would not permit Ms Graham to perform in front of customers, she began arranging her own events outside the geisha district. "She organised these parties, but most of the other geisha didn't go because we don't think that she is a geisha," she said, adding that as Ms Graham had no-one to accompany her flute playing, she used backing music from a portable music player. "She played like that in front of the guests - we would not dare do that," the geisha said. "It's embarrassing, but she just does not understand that."

I don't think she's actually the first, she's just said it so often that it's become an accepted fact.

I guess Japanese xenophobia vs. self-publicising Australian was never going to work. I bet there are hella Japanese girls who get ostracised like that too, but they shut up and take it so no one hears about it. The Western reaction is to strike out on your own, which just leads to more snide ostracism. There's basically no way to win is what I'm saying.

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Hmm, not just xenophobia though. The martial arts is full of the same stuff. Someone who, say, thought he was good enough to enter tournaments when his sensei didn't would have exactly the same sort of result. There is a big difference in attitudes between a dojo set up by a westerner striking out on their own and one in which the sensei trained in Japan. I mean things like counting in Japanese because thats the way it's done, not because it really makes any difference to your pressups. It is western individualism versus Japanese conformity, but I don't think xenophobia as such. Not overtly anyway, I mean I'm sure lots of the Japanese thought to themselves, "I knew she would never hack it," but I think that if she'd been willing to play precisely by their rules, things would have been ok.

At any rate, plenty of westerners have been through the karate and judo etc systems, although blowouts like this are also known, but usually they get weeded out before they get to Japan. I don't have a problem with the system myself, although I've never been exposed to the full blown thing. I didn't mind bowing to my sensei, because I respected him, but I would never bow to the queen, frex.