Maiko Masquerade explores Japanese representations of the maiko, or apprentice geisha, in films, manga, and other popular media as an icon of exemplary girlhood. Jan Bardsley traces how the maiko, long stigmatized as a victim of sexual exploitation, emerges in the 2000s as the chaste keeper of Kyoto’s classical artistic traditions. Insider accounts by maiko and geisha, their leaders and fans, show pride in the training, challenges, and rewards maiko face. No longer viewed as a toy for men’s amusement, she serves as catalyst for women’s consumer fun. This change inspires stories of ordinary girls—and even one boy—striving to embody the maiko ideal, engaging in masquerades that highlight questions of personal choice, gender performance, and national identity.

About the Author

Jan Bardsley is Professor Emerita of Asian Studies at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. She is the author of Women and Democracy in Cold War Japan and the award-winning The Bluestockings of Japan: New Woman Essays and Fiction from Seito, 1911–1916.

List of Illustrations
Preface: Why Study Maiko Stories?
Notes on Japanese Terms and Currency

Introduction: The Maiko, Kyoto’s Apprentice Geisha
1. The Maiko's Hanamachi Home
2. The Well-Mannered Career Path
3. Life in the Hanamachi: Voices of Maiko and Geiko
4. From Victim to Artist: Maiko Stories in Movies and Manga
5. Adventures of a Boy Maiko: There Goes Chiyogiku!
6. Hit a Homer, Maiko! Maiko Visual Comedy
Conclusion: The Ordinary Girl in the Maiko Masquerade

Acknowledgments
Glossary
Notes
Bibliography
Index

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Reviews

"[An] informative and stimulating book. . . .Maiko Masquerade… highlights a complex and relatively unknown world."
— Monumenta Nipponica

"Bardsley presents a provocative, comprehensive look at the representation of maiko and girl culture in Maiko Masquerade. Not only is it a great contribution to scholarship on maiko, but it also demonstrates the politics and power of representation."
— Journal of Asian Studies

"Bardsley’s deep and thoughtful analysis also draws our attention to the elements of maiko life and work that are not publicly discussed. . . .an ideal resource for teachers of undergraduate and postgraduate Japanese Studies and Gender Studies…The provocative and perceptive questions that the volume raises will inform future scholarship on this fascinating topic."
— Journal of Gender Studies

"Deeply researched and carefully constructed. . . .Maiko Masquerade is full of many surprising discoveries. Bardsley writes with a light touch that successfully draws the reader in to her analytic project. Even to one who lives here, Kyoto and Japan appear different now."
— Journal of Gender Studies/Jenda Kenkyu

"Maiko Masquerade…should be read by anyone with an interest in millennial Japanese culture and society. . . .Bardsley provides a nuanced and detailed account of how the maiko came to be this beloved and iconic Kyoto cultural figure of the 2000s."
— Journal of Japanese Studies

"Bardsley moves past the reverent tone of the cultural gatekeeper to present maiko through television, art, cosplay, autobiographical texts, and more. This book will be appealing to college instructors for its discussions of race, gender, and nationality; yet a broad audience of readers will also relish its richness and humor."--Laura Miller, Ei'ichi Shibusawa-Seigo Arai Endowed Professor of Japanese Studies and Professor of History, University of Missouri-St. Louis

"This is the first book in English to focus on representations of the maiko, positioning these celebrated apprentice geisha at the fruitful intersection of gender studies, Japanese popular culture, research on childhood, and current debates over 'Japaneseness' and 'tradition' Maiko Masquerade is the rare scholarly study that is sophisticated, accessible, and a true delight to read."--William M. Tsutsui, author of Japanese Popular Culture and Globalization

About the Book

About the Author

Table of Contents

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Reviews