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Geisha, Harlot, Strangler, Star: A Woman, Sex, and Morality in Modern Japan (Asia Perspectives: History, Society, and Culture)

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4.2 out of 5 stars 5 customer reviews
ISBN-13: 978-0231130523
ISBN-10: 023113052X
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Product Details

  • Series: Asia Perspectives: History, Society, and Culture
  • Hardcover: 272 pages
  • Publisher: Columbia University Press (November 10, 2004)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 023113052X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0231130523
  • Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 0.8 x 8.2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,652,257 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsAn Amazing Crime
By Kevin Killian HALL OF FAME on January 8, 2006
Format: Hardcover
Once you get over reading the name "Abe Sada" as though it were "Abe Lincoln," you'll have a whale of a time reading Dr. Johnston's account of a famous modern Japanese geisha and killer. He is a professor at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, but don't let his distinguished credentials put you off, he is also a tip top storyteller. Many of us in the West heard about this case first from the shocking "art film" directed by Oshima called, IN THE REALM OF THE SENSES, and many guys who saw this movie back in the day will still not uncross their legs.

Johnston has won access to the original testimony and court transcriptions of Sada's arrest and trial. He quotes from memoirs of Sada provided by the man who interrogated her directly after the crime. "What really left an impression," said Adachi Umezo, "was when I asked her, 'Why did you cut him?' Immediately she became excited and her eyes sparkled in a strange way. At the time people were saying thaat she had cut off Ishida's thing because it was larger than average. But in reality, Ishida's was just average." Johnston asks the question, how did Udezo know rhat Ishida's penis was just average. Who can say, but as Johnston proves, Udezo must have seen a lot of men's genitals to make such a judgement.

As an appendix, the historian wins out over the storyteller, and Johnston's narrative voice slips discreetly away and we hear Abe Sada's own account of what happened, the way she saw it.Read more ›
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4.0 out of 5 starsAbe Sada Review
By kmccall86 on January 14, 2011
Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase
The book starts off a bit slow, establishing the social attitudes and perceptions of normal sexual behavior in Japan, and in Abe Sada's own history. After the first 20 or 30 pages, though, the book gets into the actual story that continues to capture the attention of audiences worldwide. Overall, a very interesting, well-written account of the events that transpired. My favorite part is the actual police transcript of the Abe Sada interview and confession. If you make it through the book and do not read the story according to Abe Sada, then you're robbing yourself of the $30 you paid for this book. Perhaps that's my only knock on the book. It should be a $5-$10 book, but w/e.
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3.0 out of 5 starsAT THE MARGINS
By WSH on April 3, 2010
Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase
The story of Abe Sada has all the sensational ingredients to attract a further retelling. This is a serious treatment, certainly, but an unsatisfying one - at least for this reader - because the case testimony presented by the author does not fit well with his contention that she was a misunderstood woman, who murdered and mutilated her lover "for love." It takes a peculiar definition of love - certainly not selfless devotion - to arrive at this formula. As for being misunderstood, the fact that she received a sentence of six years jail (with time off) suggests - and the commentaries provided in the book confirm this - that the judicial system was quite capable of a subtle and reasoned response to the case (although the failure of the book to really account for the light sentence is a weakness). Johnston would have us regard Abe as the victim in this crime. While this may be a fashionable position to adopt, it seems bizarre to this reader, and hardly supported by the evidence, taken as a whole. There is some interesting discussion in the book about the status of women in the period - the 1930s - the writing is fluent, and Johnston has done a valuable job of translation, but his thesis wears thin.
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5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars
By Japninja on December 11, 2014
Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase
Delivered quick and as stated plus its a great book
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4.0 out of 5 starsSada keeps the meatiest part (of the book) for herself
By Nick2032 on September 15, 2015
Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase
The translation of Abe Sada's own story as presented in the police record is the highlight of the book, as another reviewer notes. She is quite able to tell her own story in full psychological detail. This is the essential part of the work, and is really fascinating. Kudos to Johnston for translating this and bringing more light to the story. However, the first part of the book is somewhat lackluster. Although Johnston brings in some useful historical context in retelling the Sada saga, this part is really just a paraphrase of what is already in the Sada testimony with a bit of "gendered body" academic seasoning lightly sprinkled on top. Not very original and in my opinion the raw materials recorded at the end are more appetizing.
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