Itezuru

Also known as: 凍鶴, The Apprentice Geisha, L'apprentie Geïsha, Una Gru Infreddolita - Storia Di Una Geisha

by Kazuo Kamimura, Éric Montésinos

O-Tsuru (the crane), named because she used to stand on one foot to warm the other, was sold by her parents to become a geisha. She will begin as a shikomikka (apprentice) in an okiya: the house where the geisha live. By doing the commissions of his elders, Tsuru will discover the life of these women. Finally, one day, her turn arrives. She goes to her benefactor's room. Who, by paying the ceremony fees, will bring it into the world of geisha. Tsuru will then take the name of Tsurugiku and become a famous geisha in the world of pleasures. Note: It was first collected in a volume in 1992.