Chishō Takaoka

(高岡 智照 April 22, 1896 – October 22, 1994) was a geisha in who became a Buddhist nun later in life. Her stage name was or , while her real name was . She became famous for her radiant beauty, and for chopping off one of her fingers for her lover. She was a popular model featured in postcards, and was known internationally as the "Nine-Fingered Geisha". She also inspired 's novel, .

Childhood in Osaka

was born in 1896 in Nara Prefecture, but her birth notification was registered at city hall by her parents. Her father was an alcoholic who worked as a blacksmith. When was two years old, her mother, , died; some theories speculate that ran away from home. was brought up lovingly by her grandmother, and when she was seven years old, she worked in her aunt's tea parlor as a waitress. At 12 years old, her father sold her into slavery, sending her to , concubine of kabuki actor .『 女、女、女』 小野賢一郎著 (興成館, 1915)
written in Japanese) At 14 years old, upon being given 250 yen employment preparation money, became the adopted daughter of , and debuted with the stage name . Her unusual beauty helped her gain popularity, and her was bought by a chairperson of an stock exchange transaction.

At 15 years old, she became emotionally involved with , a famous playboy and upscale clothes dealer, who lived in ward . eloped with him to . When discovered she had a picture of a kabuki actor in her hand mirror, he became jealous and broke up with her. To convey her fidelity to , she cut off her pinky with a razor and brought it to him. It was also said that, when he was trying to cure his arthritis at the spa, she came over and proposed love suicide to him, but he refused it. Then she gave her own finger for the purpose of appealing for his love.

Life in Tokyo

The scandal made it difficult for her to remain in , and she was taken under the care of , a geisha in Tokyo who was the mistress of Lord . She worked in , and assumed 3,000 yen debt repayments.
The day she debuted, she got word that her younger brother had been burned to death in a fire.『政界秘話』 長島隆二著 (平凡社, 1928)
written in Japanese)
Originally in nature she was a quiet geisha in the parlor, so when she was hit with the shock of the separation from and the news of her brother's death, she had cut off her finger. Many men came and saw her and she soon became a sought-after geisha.『横から見た華族物語』 山口愛川著 (一心社出版部, 1932)
written in Japanese) The many picture cards of her were a commercial commodity, and they sold quickly. Some men also illegally copied and sold them, and accused them of copyright infringement.

She had a modest talent as a geisha, having an academic goal. She learned the kanji by reading many books and later became a writer.

From geisha to Buddhist sister

In 1919, married , the market player of and a runner for a motion picture company. She visited the United States with her husband and traveled across the entire county. During this time she lived in a girls' school dormitory while studying English for eight months. After returning home, her behavior in the U.S. created tensions in her marriage. She attempted suicide two times, and they divorced.

After this, she traveled back to the U.S. She went to London, and on her friend 's advice, she moved to Paris where, it is said, she gave birth to a child.

After returning home, she worked as a geisha. In 1923, under the name of , she starred in the film (''The Gate of Love'') directed by . She then remarried to a medical doctor and ran a bar in .

In 1928, she wrote the first of five autobiographies, titled . In 1935, at 39 years old, she entered the Buddhist priesthood in Temple Kume, and referred to herself as . She went to in Kyoto, which had been ruined, and rebuilt it. attracted attention among wounded women as a refuge.

In 1963, wrote the novel , which was inspired by 's life.

She died in 1994 at the age of 98.

References

External links

A collection of postcards of Shoyo
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Takaoka, Chisho
1896 births
1994 deaths
20th-century executions by Japan
20th-century Japanese women writers
20th-century Buddhist nuns
Buddhist writers
Geishas
Japanese amputees
Japanese Buddhist nuns
Japanese idols
People of the Meiji era
People from Nara Prefecture
Writers from Osaka
Writers from Nara Prefecture