Memoirs of a Geisha

During their meeting, Mameha explained to Chiyo the system whereby a more experienced geisha can act as a sister or mentor to an apprentice geisha, a relationship sealed by a special ceremony. Girls typically have little say in who their older sister will be, while the more experienced geisha will not take on a bad investment—which is how Mother regards Chiyo. Mother probably envisioned Hatsumomo becoming Chiyo’s sister to begin with; especially since she had taken on this role before. However, Hatsumomo’s envy and taunting of Chiyo have rendered this impossible. Moreover, any geisha who took Chiyo on would have to cross paths with Hatsumomo, which is hardly an inviting prospect.

Mameha visits Chiyo’s okiya several weeks after their meeting, to inform Mother that she is interested in taking Chiyo on as a younger sister. Mother is shocked, given that Chiyo is out of practice and seen as a bad investment, but says that Mameha presumably has her reasons and that she will not second guess them. The two then start haggling over the financial terms of the agreement before finally reaching a suitable arrangement.

Chiyo believes that Mameha’s primary interest is in harming Hatsumomo, though she does not