Geishas of the Yorikoh

The Geisha -
A Film by Hideo Gosha; a winner of  9 Japanese academy awards.  
Released: 1983 -  based on a novel by Tomiko Miyao - the script by Kôji Takada.
The story takes place at the beginning of the Showa era (1925) in Tosa, Koichi prefecture; where there is a palace of sensual and beautiful woman: the Yorikoh.  The story centers around Momokawa who was sold to the Yorikoh at the age of 12 by her father - there she starts her journey to a place in hell where hundreds just like her, struggle to bloom behind the glamorous veneer of their polished ways, but inevitable bend to wilt in the heat of their passionate lives...
Hideo Gosha portrays the Geishas of the Yorikoh very unlike many historians who depict them as living work of art: the image of the perfect woman, the embodiment of Japanese culture and refinement.  On Gosha's film they drink and dance burlesque western rhythms; and to the dismay of many purist have sex with their clients.
Geishas have generally not been prostitutes. Part of their allure has been the suggestion not the reality of sex. However, on occasion, if the mood, the man and the money were right, they sold their bodies or served as mistresses to wealthy men who took care of them, but they are not supposed to utter one word about it.  Follow this link if you wish to learn more about geishas.