Snow Country

Komako’s career as a geisha is simultaneously what brings her to Shimamura and what drives them apart. Her work, juxtaposed with the deeply intimate nature of the novel, is of primary concern to Kawabata and is in keeping with many of the author’s other works, which chronicle women making ends meet through artistry. In Snow Country, this commodification goes beyond artistic talent, extending to the very core of Komako’s being and her affectionate feelings toward Shimamura.

Her introduction explicitly markets her as a product from Shimamura’s point of view. In the absence of other geishas to keep him company, the maid at the inn conveys Komako’s virtues to Shimamura: “Since there were no young apprentice geisha in the town, and since most of the local geisha were at an age when they preferred not to have to dance, the services of the girl were much valued” (17). The language of “value” here immediately evokes the familiar economic terminology of supply and demand, indicating that Komako has stepped up to fill a gap in her community’s tourist economy, benefitting not only herself but the townspeople whose businesses rely on geisha entertainment.