a geisha and her danna

Memoirs of a Geisha- Arthur Golden

The novel Memoirs of a Geisha, delves into the geisha district of Gion, weaving together not only a riveting account of one girl’s journey but also an intriguing look at the world and culture of geisha. One very interesting aspect of this culture is the relationship between the geisha and their danna, the men that pay to, in a sense, keep them. This relationship, as portrayed in the novel, has several benefits for both parties, but who is truly in control?

Danna definitely exert a considerable amount of power over how geisha act, as geisha essentially live to impress men. Geisha dress in exquisite clothing, thick make-up, and at times a forced smile in order to present the best impression of themselves to men in general and their danna in particular, but at the cost of their true selves. Sayuri, after years of spending time with Nobu, realizes that “Nobu didn’t understand [her] at all.” He doesn’t even know where she was born. Sayuri has to sacrifice her past, forget about escaping to Yoroido, in order to truly excel at being a geisha. She has to live entirely for the men she entertains. Even enemies like Hatsumomo and Mameha are forced to put on a show of friendship while entertaining for fear of hurting their image in front of men.

Of course, their caution is justified, because geisha make their living from men, especially their danna. Their earnings are made from entertaining men, so to show men anything but their best side would be equivalent to risking their livelihood. Their danna in particular are indispensable to them financially. As Mameha informs Chiyo, “My danna is a generous man and bought me most of these robes. That's why I'm more successful than Hatsumomo. I have a wealthy danna.” True success for a geisha requires more money, and the greatest source of money is a danna. Therefore, geisha are forced to submit to their danna because their danna ultimately decides whether or not they will have a truly successful career. Even a top geisha such as Mameha, is forced to turn over her body to her danna, sleeping with him and having abortions at his command. The danna has final say over what the geisha does.

However, the geisha do not have to have a danna. Although danna are the key to real success, geisha are not doomed to failure without one. According to Mameha, Hatsumomo has not had a danna for several years, but she still enjoys a relatively high level of success. Moreover, danna are not permanent, and geisha can be connected to several danna over their careers. The fact that a geisha is not required to stay with her danna gives her power over her danna, because she can break of their relationship. Furthermore, depending on the situation, geisha have an emotional advantage. While danna choose geisha based on who they like, geisha often choose their danna based on who is beneficial to them. The very mask that can show a danna’s control over a geisha’s behavior also separates the geisha’s true emotions from the display she puts on for her danna, giving her control over her own emotions. Because of this, geisha are not emotional slaves and have power over their danna emotionally. Even more importantly, the final choice in the pairing of danna and geisha is made by the geisha. While the danna are the first ones to propose the relationship, it is the geisha and her okiya that make the final decision.

This conflict of control cannot be solved so easily. It is neither the geisha nor the danna that has complete control over the other. Rather, depending on the aspect that you are looking at, the answer changes. Emotionally, financially, socially. Moreover, every relationship is different. While Mameha had no true emotional connection to her danna, in Sayuri’s relationship with the Chairman, the feelings were mutual. Just like any other human relationship, the relationship between a danna and geisha is far more complex than pure business.