Set in the late 1950s, when geisha culture was threatened by moral crusades, it tells the story of Omocha (Miyamoto Maki), a young girl who sees the geisha life as a way to lift her poverty-stricken family from their hand-to-mouth existence. Through her eyes, we see the protocols and complex financial relationships which dictate the running of the geisha house. Fukasaku's film is a work of great delicacy with moments of hypnotic beauty, and his tender direction, often touched with a sense of wonder, fills the screen with lovingly constructed scenes. At its heart is the poignant situation of the women who must sacrifice their normal relationships to live an ambiguous life in which they are a key part of society while being kept, for the most part, on its periphery, like perpetual mistresses.
宮本真希
as Tokiko aka Omocha
富司純子
as Satoe
喜多嶋舞
as Somemaru
津川雅彦
as Yoshikawa
南果歩
as Terucho
野川由美子
as Michiko
岡田茉莉子
as Hanaman's owner
加藤武
as Kitayama
三谷昇
as Mikami
六平直政
as Kayama
笹野高史
as Kosaka
福本清三
as Police detective
