"Mameroku, seen preparing the tea ceremony, became a Geisha despite her parents' opposition and enjoys her profession. She became a maiko (Geisha apprentice) at the age of fourteen and and a Geisha three years later. Mameroku studied the sambyoshiunder Shinjuro Katada and dancing under Koisaburo Nishikawa, receiving her diploma and the name of Otome Nishikawa. A skilled dancer who is able to take all types of roles, she is best in feminine parts. When she plays the Snake Woman in "Ugetsu Monogatari," her realistic snake-like movements send cold shivers down one's back even as one admires her beauty."

From: Perkins, P.D. Geisha of Pontocho. Photographs by Francis Haar. Tokyo: Tokyo News Service, 1954.