So I realized I haven't been doing much blogging lately...oops again, sorry Dr. Reed and whoever else reads this blog. Been busy, but I've found the time to squeeze in an entry about the two part story that we've had to read, called "Snow Country" by Kawabata Yasunari which, I have to admit is somewhat confusing. The story begins with a man, Shimamura, who goes into the country side out of pure boredom and meets a local geisha named Komako. They engage in a detached sort of relationship, which oftentimes frustrated me to no end. I think the whole class had trouble understanding the short story, particularly the ending when the author just left us hanging.
In the author's biography before the beginning of the story, there is a brief description between the country geisha and the city geisha, which helps to explain the difficult relationship between Shimamura and Komako. The geishas who work in the hot springs in the country are distantly related to the geishas who work in the cities, who often have a wider range of artistic capabilities and command more respect. The city geishas' reputation might amount to that of a fashion model's while the country geisha resigns themselves to entertain whoever traveled through the countryside.
I really do enjoy reading about turn of the century Japan and geisha culture, but I felt like I understood Higuchi Ichiyo's "Child's Pay" a lot better.
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