The Geisha House (おもちゃ) 25 years old

The Geisha House

Set in the late 1950s, when geisha culture was threatened by moral crusades, it tells the story of Omacha (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.

Credits

The Geisha House Cast

Name Character
Mariko Okada She was 66, now 91 years old as Hanaman's owner
Kaho Minami She was 34, now 60 years old as Terucho
Takashi Sasano He was 50, now 76 years old as Kosaka
Mai Kitajima She was 26, now 52 years old as Somemaru
Yumiko Nogawa She was 54, now 80 years old as Michiko
Naomasa Musaka He was 44, now 70 years old as Kayama
Sumiko Fuji She was 53, now 79 years old as Satoe
Seizō Fukumoto He was 55, now 81 years old as Police detective
Masahiko Tsugawa He was 59, 78 years old when he died as Yoshikawa
Noboru Mitani He was 66, now 92 years old as Mikami
Takeshi Kato He was 56, 39 years old when he died as Kitayama

The Geisha House Crew

Name Department
Yoshinobu Nishioka as Art Direction. He was 76 (97) years old when He died Art
Kenta Fukasaku as Assistant Director. He was 26 (now 52) years old Directing
Kinji Fukasaku as Director. He was 68 (72) years old when He died Directing
Daisaku Kimura as Director of Photography. He was 59 (now 85) years old Camera
Kaneto Shindō as Screenplay. He was 86 (100) years old when He died Writing
The Geisha House poster
The Geisha House (25 years)

  • Release day: Friday, January 15, 1999
  • Runtime: 113 minutes