Historicaly, who was the real "Chairman" from Memoirs of A Geisha?

Question

A professor of mine has said that "The Chairman" with whom Sayuri is in love is actualy Chairman Mao of China...does anyone know if this is true?

Answer 1

I loved the book, and when I finished it I dod my own research on the characters, this is what I found on "Iwamura Ken":

(i) Konosuke Matsushita (松下 幸之助 Matsushita Kōnosuke, November 27, 1894 – April 27, 1989) was a Japanese industrialist, the founder of Matsushita Electric, a company based in the suburb of Kadoma (on the Keihan line), Osaka in Japan. For Japanese, he is known as "the god of management".

I guess the Chairman was a bit older then this guy in the book, but if you look at other things, they match, the company was in Osaka, also on Wiki it says that in 1910 he joined an electric company, but left in 1918 at 23, the same age as the chairman, to market a new light socket he had invented, just like the chairman! So I think that this is the guy who most resembles the chirman.

Answer 2

Hmm, let me think, the future Chairman Mao travels thousands of miles to a country with which his country is at war to spend time with a woman whose language he doesn't speak? Yeah, makes sense.

Answer 3

I thought that the book was loosely based on a reality of the time, but not real people. I read it some time ago, but I remember being very disappointed to learn that the story was essentially made up - and by a guy!

Answer 4

hmm..nt sure coz it didnt state in the book bt i enjoyed reading it..all emotional when the mum died, they got seperated, etc..bt dnt really enjoy the movie..it was so-so for me.

Answer 5

I think so..