A Geisha

★★★★★

Original title: Gion bayashi

1953 · 1 h 25 min

Directed by Kenji Mizoguchi

Drama

Watch trailer

Cast

Michiyo Kogure Ayako Wakao

Credits

Written by: Matsutarō Kawaguchi

Plot

A geisha takes a young woman under her wing in Kyoto's Gion district. Known in Japanese as Gion bayashi.

Sinekatalog’s take

Kenji Mizoguchi's drama follows a veteran Gion geisha mentoring a young woman while shielding her from predatory men. Michiyo Kogure and Ayako Wakao are excellent in a graceful, humane and quietly angry portrait of women's work.Sinekatalog’s own editorial review – not a user or critic quote.

Ratings

IMDb: 7.6 / 10 (2,696 votes)
IMDb rating and vote count from the IMDb ratings dataset (October 2026). Scores change over time.

If you liked this

Picked by director, genre, era and shared cast. Titles only, no spoilers.

• Sisters of the Gion 1936 · Kenji Mizoguchi · IMDb 7.4 · Same director
• Street of Shame 1956 · Kenji Mizoguchi · IMDb 7.8 · Same director
• The Flavor of Green Tea over Rice 1952 · Yasujiro Ozu · IMDb 7.6 · Viewers also liked
• Tokyo Story 1953 · Yasujiro Ozu · IMDb 8.1 · Viewers also liked
• The Insect Woman 1963 · Shohei Imamura · IMDb 7.3 · Viewers also liked
• Late Chrysanthemums 1954 · Mikio Naruse · IMDb 7.4 · Same movement