In particular, Sayuri's blue-grey eyes are said to reveal the abundant amount of water in her personality. In contrast with the deceptive world of the Geisha, her eyes represent her truthful nature.
Sayuri's eyes symbolically relate to the old saying that “eyes are the windows to the soul.” Sayuri's translucent blue-grey eyes lead many characters to believe that she has a lot of water in her personality.
''Memoirs of a Geisha'' is about 9-year-old Chiyo, a girl with unusual gray-blue eyes, who is sold by her destitute father to an okiya, or geisha house. She is initiated into the geisha's rigorous rites, lessons in dancing and playing the shamisen, a banjo-like instrument, and in the art of the tea ceremony.
How old is the chairman? / What is the age gap between the chairman and Chiyo “Sayuri”? The chairman met Sayuri when he was 45 years old and she was 9. The age gap is 36 years.
Mameha's wealthy and aristocratic patron who bids against Dr. Crab for Sayuri's virginity. A drunk and an uncaring man, he forces Sayuri to undress in front of him so that he can pleasure himself while looking at her in the mirror.
The Chairman falls in love with Sayuri at that moment because he sees an honest openness in her eyes that is different from the lies and deceit in the rest of the world.
But when Nobu rejects Sayuri, the Chairman becomes her danna (a man who pays a geisha to be his long-term mistress). He does not marry her (he already has a family), but he pays all of her expenses and allows her to move to New York to open her teahouse and rear their son. He takes care of Sayuri until his death.
The Chairman, in the novel Memoirs of a Geisha, is Chairman Ken Iwamura, a wealthy businessman who is 36 years old than Sayuri. Sayuri retires from geisha work after the Chairman becomes her danna. She relocates to New York, opens a tea house, and raises their son.
At times petty and unforgiving, he ultimately forgoes any relationship, whether romantic or platonic, with Sayuri when he learns that she slept with a piggish man named Sato, whom Nobu thinks is beneath her.
A key moment to understanding Sayuri's feelings is when she mistakes the Chairman for Mr. Tanaka, the man who sold her as a geisha. Mr. Tanaka got Sayuri into the business of being a geisha, and she hopes the Chairman will provide her with a way out.
Pumpkin vehemently out of anger (cool, but still upset in the movie) told her she took away her rightful place as Mother's daughter and heir of the Nitta Okiya. A heart-broken Sayuri threw away the cherished handkerchief, and gave in to her fate.
In ancient times, there was no electricity in Japan, and most facilities were only lit by candlelight. Since candlelight was not bright enough, Geishas painted their faces white to enhance their skin tones and to contour their faces, making their faces more visible and recognizable.
Sayuri's beloved older sister. Since Satsu is not as pretty or as clever as Sayuri, Mr. Tanaka sells her to a brothel instead of an okiya. Satsu despises life as a prostitute, so she runs away to her home village where she reunites with her boyfriend.
Why is Pumpkin mad at Memoirs of a geisha? Both Hatsumomo and Pumpkin feel like they are competing with Sayuri because they are jealous of her. Hatsumomo is jealous of her looks, and Pumpkin is jealous of her success.
Hatsumomo is jealous of Chiyo, who also has natural beauty and possesses rare bluish-gray eyes, like the color of rain. So Hatsumomo believes that when Chiyo comes of age, she will be a threat to her own Geisha status, since it would put Nitta in a great position to throw Hatsumomo out.
Even though most geisha are cynical when it comes to finding love, Sayuri keeps the Chairman's handkerchief in the sleeve of her kimono every day as a reminder of his kindness and the possibility of love.
Things will never be the same. Sayuri's first plane trip occurs when she goes to a party on an island with Nobu, the Chairman, and a greasy old Minister. Here, Sayuri sleeps with the Minister to stop Nobu from being interested in her.
Sayuri loses her virginity to Dr. Crab, and we talk about the creepy thing he does with her blood in his "Character" page. But once again, for good measure: he keeps it. He soaks it up in a rag, and puts it in a little jar.
In 1935 (estimate) it was sold for 15,000 yen. Accommodating for inflation that equals 20,200,000 yen today. Convert that to USD in 2011 (the highest year the converter would let me use) and it is $210,154.74. If anyone knows the actual year from the book message me.
Mameha says that she thinks Chiyo's eyes will make her one of the most successful geisha in Gion. Mother responds that the Depression has hurt the okiya, so she would be taking a large risk investing more money in Chiyo by letting her become a geisha.
How much did the Baron bid for Sayuri? Crab and the Baron. Dr. Crab wins, if you can call it that, with a record-breaking bid of 11,500 yen, "Much more than, say, a laborer might have earned in a year" (24.8).
No, it is not based on a true story.
However, a real geisha, named Mineko Iwasaki, sued the author of the book because of defamation. Surprisingly, not the plot, but some characters in the book resembled some of the real characters in Mineko Iwasaki's life that she shared with the author in a private conversation.
However, Kanha does not refuse to marry Sayuri where he is ready to marry her for the sake of Sayuri's life-long protection and the promise made to his Chiru Bro. Seeing everything and Kanha not going to refuse for marriage, Sayuri agrees for the marriage too. He is just fulfilling the promise that he gave to Cheeru.
Mineko Iwasaki (岩崎 峰子/岩崎 究香, Iwasaki Mineko), birthname Masako Tanaka (田中 政子, Tanaka Masako, born 2 November 1949), is a Japanese businesswoman, author and former geisha. Iwasaki was the most famous geisha in Japan until her sudden retirement at the age of 29.
Today there are only about 1,000 geisha in Japan. They can be found in several major cities including Tokyo, and Kanazawa but most of them work in Kyoto. They are often attending gatherings at tea houses and ryoutei —a kind of luxurious Japanese restaurant.