The Life of Oharu

The Life of Oharu 西鶴一代女, Saikaku Ichidai Onna, "Saikaku's Amorous Woman" is a 1952 historical fiction black-and-white film directed by Kenji Mizoguchi starring Kinuyo Tanaka as Oharu, a one-time concubine of a daimyo (and mother of a later daimyo) who struggles to escape the stigma of having been sold into prostitution by her father. It is based on a novel by Ihara Saikaku.


The film tells a story that uses the experiences of a struggling courtesan to examine the issues of class and rigid hierarchy in Japanese society in the Edo period.

Read more about The Life Of Oharu:  Background, Awards, Plot, Gender Issues, Director, Cast and Main Characters

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