Sayuri geisha real face of jesus

First things first: last name first. In Japanese culture, the family name goes before the given name. Americans would know our protagonist as a young girl as Chiyo Sakamoto, and as a geisha as Sayuri Nitta. We know what Sayuri means, because it's a geisha name chosen for her by her "big sister," Mameha:. My new name came from "sa," meaning "together," "yu," from the zodiac sign for the Hen—in order to balance other elements in my personality—and "ri," meaning "understanding.

No Google required. There is a clue in the book as to what "Chiyo" means in Japanese. One of the dances Sayuri learns is called the Chi-yo no Tomo, which she translates as "Friends Everlasting" It doesn't matter, because both of these are ironic for poor Chiyo, a girl whose identity is temporary and who has no friends. Sayuri is a slightly more accurate name.

She achieves understanding as a geisha, even if that understanding is about how tragic the life of a geisha is.

The novel describes the process of Sayuri becoming a top geisha starting from her childhood, her training time to become the geisha, until she becomes the top.

But what does she bring "together"? She ends up together with the Chairman. And she joins East and West by moving to New York and revealing geisha culture to American audiences. Finally, she now has the zodiac animal of the Hen as part of her name, but she's no chicken.