SETTING: Tokyo in the Meiji Period

SYNOPSIS:
In downtown Tokyo, narrow streets criss-cross each other in a crowded quarter. A geisha house, "INABAYA" relocated to one of these alleys where, rumor has it that a ghost haunts. The proprietress, OKO, manages nine geisha, and she herself still is engaged at geisha entertainer at Japanese restaurants in NIHONBASHI. She is not picturesquely beautiful, yet, with her artistic accomplishment and dependability, she is one of the most popular geishas in the quarter. She even competes with the most beautiful geisha in the quarter, KIYOHA, for a number of male admirers. A seafood wholesale dealer, IGARASHI DENKICHI, is one of these men. After patronizing OKO munificently, he dissipates his fortune, and is rejected by OKO, and eventually loses his wife. Now, he abandons his own child and wanders in search of OKO. KIYOHA finds the abandoned child near her house, and not knowing whose child he was, she decides to look after him.
KATSURAGI SHINZO, a doctor, is looking for his sister who had prostituted herself for his tuition for medical school. He learns that KIYOHA's appearance is identical to his sister, meets and falls in love with her. One night, he confesses how he feels about KIYOHA at the assignation house. KIYOHA is attracted to KATSURAGI, however, she is forced to leave him because she already has a husband and a child. They exchange parting cups of sake.
After being turned down by KIYOHA, KATSURAGI walks to a bridge and throws the few small items he has which belonged to his sister into the river. A policeman finds him and questions his purpose of being by the river. OKO, who happens to be passing by, saves him with her quick wit, and they fall in love.
The happiness of OKO and KATSURAGI is short lived, because a former patron, DENKICHI is still in love with OKO. He begs KATSURAGI to return her to him. KATSURAGI shocked, and fearful of reprisal from DENKICHI, leaves NIHONBASHI, and OKO, believing he has left her, is driven to madness.
In the following year. OKO is living with a girl geisha, OCHIYO, and her aunt, in the financially ruined "INABAYA." On a warm summer night, a fire breaks out in KIYOHA's neighborhood. DENKICHI rescues KIYOHA's mother and his own child, then rushes to "INABAYA" to take revenge on OKO for all his misfortune. DENKICHI stabs OCHIYO and her aunt with a dagger, but OKO takes her dagger and stabs him. At this moment, KATSURAGI returns from his pilgrimage, and OKO suddenly regains her sanity, but poisons herself out of a sense of guilt. KATSURAGI tells KIYOHA his decision to enter the Buddhist priesthood and to remain so for the rest of his life, and leaves NIHONBASHI area.

NOTES:
A distinguished writer of modern Japanese literature with a unique style, IZUMI KYOKA (1873-1939), has been gaining popularity within contemporary society. "NIHONBASHI" is one of his works which was published in 1914. It is a story of mystery and the complexity of women's attachment to love in the world of geisha girls. It is adorned with the downtown EDO (Tokyo) atmosphere. Many of the KYOKA's works have been cinematized, including "TAKI NO SHIRAITO" 1933 (directed by MIZOGUCHI KENJI) , "YUSHIMA NO SHIRAUME" 1955, "SHIRASAGI" 1958, "UTA ANDON" 1960 (those directed by KINUGASA TEINOSUKE). Recently, "YASHAGAIKE" 1979 (directed by SHINODA MASAHIRO) and "KAGEROZA" 1981 (directed by SUZUKI SEIJUN) have been cinematized. "NIHONBASHI" has also been cinematized in 1929 by MIZOGUCHI KENJI. This is the first color film by a gifted director in "Mr. Poo" (PU-SAN) and "Punishment Room" (SHOKEI NO HEYA) 1956, ICHIKAWA KON. It was a great challenge for him to shoot the setting and subject in the "Meiji Era" (1868-1912). He attempts to reproduce the beauty of KYOKA's world of emotions with the help of a screenplay written by his wife, WADA NATTO. In addition, the film crew utilized color and lighting to add to the atmosphere of NIHONBASHI world of yesterday.