Mineko Iwasaki

Mineko Iwasaki (born 1949) is a Japanese former geiko (geisha) from Kyoto and a memoirist. Raised in the Gion Kobu district, she trained in traditional arts and became one of Kyoto’s leading geiko, performing dance and other classical disciplines for patrons and at public events. After retiring, she later wrote the memoir *Geisha, a Life* (published in 2002), describing her experiences and the culture of the geisha world. Iwasaki is also known for a legal dispute with novelist Arthur Golden, author of *Memoirs of a Geisha*, concerning her identification and the use of information she provided.