Memoirs of a Geisha: Chapter 6 Summary & Analysis

One of Chiyo’s duties as the most junior geisha in the okiya is to stay up late into the night, waiting for Hatsumomo to come home from entertaining men, so that Chiyo can help her undress. While waiting for Hatsumomo one evening, Chiyo notices a bar of light coming from Granny’s room. The light reminds Chiyo of how the light would stream through her mother’s window. With a pang of sadness, Chiyo wonders if her mother is still alive.

On another night, a man whom Chiyo thinks looks like a workman comes into the okiya. A few minutes later, Hatsumomo arrives. Hatsumomo says that she has yet to make Chiyo’s life really miserable, but if Chiyo ever mentions to anyone that a man came to the okiya, then all that will change. Hatsumomo and the man go into a private room. Too young to understand what they’re doing, Chiyo is surprised to hear the occasional moan coming from the room.

Once a week, Hatsumomo and the man – who is a chef at a nearby noodle restaurant – come to the okiya and shut themselves in a room. All the maids know what they’re doing, but no one tells Mother or Granny, for fear that Hatsumomo will take revenge on all the maids. Though geisha are allowed boyfriends, Mother would be angry to learn that Hatsumomo was spending her time with him rather than entertaining paying customers. Moreover, if Hatsumomo’s male clients ever found out that Hatsumomo was seeing this man, then they might think less of her for carrying on with a noodle joint chef.

On another night, Hatsumomo comes home drunk with her geisha friend Korin. Hatsumomo shows Korin a beautiful kimono that belongs to a geisha she dislikes named Mameha. Hatsumomo explains that she blackmailed Mameha’s maid into stealing it for her. Hatsumomo brings out some ink and tells Chiyo to write on the kimono. Though she feels sorry to destroy such a beautiful piece of clothing, Chiyo does as she is told so as not to anger Hatsumomo. As Chiyo makes a mark, a maid comes out of a room and sees her do it. Hatsumomo makes a lunging motion at the maid with her arm, scaring the maid back into her room.

Hatsumomo and Korin walk Chiyo to Mameha’s home so that she can return the ruined kimono. Chiyo knocks on the door and gives the kimono to the maid. Just as the door closes, Chiyo glimpses Mameha. Chiyo notices that Mameha has a perfect, oval face with smooth and delicate features.

The next day, after Chiyo returns to the okiya from school, Mother and Granny tell Hatsumomo and Chiyo that they had a visit from Mameha. Before Mother can say anything else, Hatsumomo says in an exasperated tone that Chiyo was the one who ruined the kimono. Auntie walks over and says that Chiyo didn’t do it, and that everyone knows Hatsumomo hates Mameha because Mameha is more successful than Hatsumomo. Mother says no one believes Hatsumomo’s story, but that a maid did see Chiyo making the mark, so Chiyo will pay for the damages.

Granny says that they should beat Chiyo for breaking the rules, and Auntie offers to do it. Auntie takes Chiyo away and tells her that the kimono will be added to Chiyo’s debt. Auntie explains that when Chiyo begins working as a geisha, most of her earnings will go to the okiya to pay back any expenses she incurred while there: food, lodging, doctor visits. Auntie says if Chiyo doesn’t become a geisha, then she’ll never make enough money to pay back her debts. If this happens, then she’ll end up like Auntie – a maid who spent her entire life paying back the debts on a pitiful maid’s salary.

Auntie explains that Granny adopted Mother and Auntie with the hopes that they would become geisha. Mother was good-looking as a younger woman and became a relatively successful geisha, but Auntie was a failure because of her bad looks and lack of grace. One time, Granny beat Auntie so violently that she broke Auntie’s hip. After that, Auntie stopped being a geisha. Auntie says that’s why she’s the one who’s going to beat Chiyo – so Granny doesn’t hurt Chiyo and ruin her chances at becoming a geisha.

As Auntie beats her with a pole, Chiyo feels like her life can’t get any worse. Every time the pole hits her bottom, Chiyo sees Hatsumomo smiling down at her. In tears at the end of the beating, Chiyo lies on the ground while Hatsumomo walks over. Angry that she has to suffer for Hatsumomo’s actions, Chiyo demands to know where her sister is. Hatsumomo smiles softly, tells Chiyo that her sister is at a jorou-ya, and gives her the address. She then gives Chiyo a shove with her foot and walks off.