Bridge of Japan

Ichikawas 1956 adaptation of Nihonbashi was the first to take the work of Kyoka Izumi until then regarded as a writer of common tragic melodramasand reevaluate it as a tanbiha work of decadence aestheticism and intrigue Ichikawas film presents the tragic plot of the young geisha who is unable to enact her love for a man publicly in any way other than a histrionic story of torment a heartrending tale of lovers being crushed by fate Instead Ichikawa shows the contest of wills that transpires as two geisha Oko and Kiyoha fight for the top spot in Nihonbashi the pinnacle of the Tokyo geisha world Nihonbashi is an elegant if steely exposition of manners The young doctor Shinzo Katsuragi is the object of affection for both women but appears to be more the choice reward for the plotting and thieving of these two early modern superwomen than a lover they swoon over