Special Series

Nihonbashi

日本橋

Directed by: Kon Ichikawa
1956 / 112 minutes / Under 15s must be accompanied by an adult

Based on the novel "Nihonbashi" by Kyoka Izumi

Screened as part of JFF Classics 2018.

Kon Ichikawa’s first colour film is a story of two ladies in a cut-throat competition to reign over Nihonbashi, Tokyo’s premier geisha district. Their rivalry grows fiercer when a handsome young doctor becomes the object of their affections. Despite their messy love triangle, the end goal for these modern superwomen is not romance, but to be Queen among geisha.

Originally written by Kyoka Izumi, Nihonbashi was first adapted to screen by Kenji Mizoguchi in 1929. Ichikawa’s version transforms the melodramatic premise into a decadent and intriguing film.