 She was frequently mocked for her dark, sunburned skin, as a pale complexion was highly valued among geishas.However, Elder Sister Karuta, the second oldest geisha in the okiya, worked with Masuda to help her through her training, starting a lifelong friendship between the two.Soon after Masuda's arrival, one of the other geisha in the okiya, Takemi, died of peritonitis caused by gonorrhea, and her refusal to seek medical treatment in the hopes of hastening her death greatly influenced Masuda's perception of living as hell and dying as paradise.