Mr. Itchoda

Mr. Itchoda, Mameha’s dresser, accompanies Sayuri during consequential transitions in her apprenticeship, including her journey to the Baron’s gathering, her return after the Baron’s assault, and the ceremony marking her mizuage. He is a practical attendant whose presence connects the elaborate public forms of geisha life with the vulnerable realities those forms cannot entirely contain.

Role and Duties

On the journey from Kyoto toward Hakone, Mr. Itchoda sits in the aisle seat beside Sayuri in a second-class compartment. His position is meant to discourage strangers from striking up a conversation with her, making his attendance a quiet form of protection as well as service. Sayuri enjoys being noticed by other passengers, but her unease grows when the train reaches Shizuoka and memories of the journey that took her away from her family return. Mr. Itchoda’s presence provides an outward guard while Sayuri privately confronts the distance between her life in Gion and the life she left behind.

After the Baron’s Assault

After the Baron has undressed and examined Sayuri, Mr. Itchoda helps her remove her kimono. Sayuri worries that her smeared makeup, poorly tied obi, and the expensive gift she has received will reveal what happened. She tries to wipe her face with the Chairman’s handkerchief before leaving the car, but Mr. Itchoda takes one look at her and appears to understand. As he unties her obi, he asks whether the Baron undressed her, looked at her in the mirror, and then refrained from touching or lying on top of her. Sayuri confirms that he did not touch her.

Mr. Itchoda answers that this is fine, staring straight ahead; neither of them says anything more. His questions establish the physical distinction he considers decisive, but the exchange does not undo Sayuri’s distress or invite her to describe it further. His matter-of-fact restraint makes him a witness to the aftermath while leaving the harm largely unspoken.

Ceremonial Function

Mr. Itchoda also represents the geisha’s interests in formal ritual. At Sayuri’s mizuage ceremony at the Ichiriki Teahouse, he is present alongside Mother, Auntie, Mameha, and the teahouse’s mistress. The account identifies the dresser’s attendance as customary for ceremonies of this kind: his role is not merely to prepare clothing, but to stand within the formal arrangement on the geisha’s behalf.

The ceremony binds Sayuri and Dr. Crab as mizuage patron and geisha, with the stated understanding that his patronage will continue for the rest of his life without giving him special privileges. In this setting, Mr. Itchoda’s practical service acquires institutional significance. He helps carry Sayuri through a rite governed by ceremony and convention, just as he attends to her clothing in the much less orderly aftermath of the Baron’s assault. Across both episodes, his presence marks the narrow but meaningful space between personal vulnerability and the structures that claim to protect a geisha.