, also known as ''A-Ge-Man'', is a 1990 Japanese

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending ( black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the o ...

directed and written by

Juzo Itami , born , was a Japanese actor, screenwriter and film director. He directed eleven films (one short and ten features), all of which he wrote himself. Early life Itami was born Yoshihiro Ikeuchi in Kyoto. The name Itami was passed on from his fath ...

. It stars

Nobuko Miyamoto is a Japanese actress. She was born in Otaru, Hokkaidō, and raised in Nagoya. She was married to director Juzo Itami from 1969 until his death in 1997, and regularly starred in his films. She has been nominated for eight Best Actress Japane ...

as a

geisha {{Culture of Japan, Traditions, Geisha {{nihongo, Geisha, 芸者 ({{IPAc-en, ˈ, ɡ, eɪ, ʃ, ə; {{IPA-ja, ɡeːɕa, lang), also known as {{nihongo, , 芸子, geiko (in Kyoto and Kanazawa) or {{nihongo, , 芸妓, geigi, are a class of female J ...

who brings good luck to her intimate companions (known as an "ageman", from 上げる ''ageru'' 'to raise up') and

Masahiko Tsugawa , born Masahiko Katō (加藤雅彦 ''Katō Masahiko''; January 2, 1940 – August 4, 2018) was a Japanese actor and director. Career Tsugawa was born January 2, 1940, in Kyoto, Japan. After acting as a child, he made his major debut at the age ...

as a man who crosses paths with her by chance.

Cast

as Nayoko *

as Mondo Suzuki *Ryunosuke Kaneda as Tamonin *Atsuko Ichinomiya as Rin, Tamonin's mother *

Kin Sugai (28 February 1926 – 10 August 2018) was a Japanese actress. She won the award for best supporting actress at the 9th Hochi Film Award for '' The Funeral''. Sugai is famous for her role as Sen Nakamura in the jidaigeki drama Hissatsu series. S ...

as Foster mother *Kazuyo Mita as Hiyoko *Mitsuko Ishii as Eiko *

Yoriko Douguchi Yoriko (written: 頼子, 順子, 依子 or より子) is a feminine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese singer-songwriter *, Japanese actress *, Japanese politician *, Japanese judoka *, Japanese politician *, Ja ...

as Junko *Maiko Minami as Sayori-chan *

Fukumi Kuroda is a Japanese actress. Career Fukumi Kuroda appeared in the films such as Shohei Imamura's ''History of Postwar Japan as Told by a Bar Hostess'', Juzo Itami's ''Tampopo'', and Kiyoshi Kurosawa's '' Sweet Home''. Filmography Film * ''Tampopo'' ...

as Kiyoka *

Isao Hashizume is a Japanese actor. He also worked as a narrator for documentaries, both on television and film. He trained as an actor at Bungakuza is a Japanese theatre company. Along with the Mingei Theatre Company and the Haiyuza Theatre Company it i ...

*Haruna Takase as Fur shop manager *Tokuko Sugiyama as Restaurant manager *Yakan Yanagi as Foster father *Michiyo Yokoyama as Tamonin's court lady *Hiroko Seki as Shinkame Chiyo restaurant manager *Noborou Yano as Hirutaji chief *Yan Yano as Hirutaji chief *Harukazu Kitami as Bo-san #1 *

Akira Kubo is a Japanese actor who has appeared in over 70 films since 1952. He starred in the film ''Arashi'', which was entered into the 7th Berlin International Film Festival. Selected filmography * ''Arashi'' (1956) as Saburo Mizusawa * ''Snow Coun ...

as Bo-san #2 *Yoshihiro Kato as Segawa Kikunojo *Akari Uchida as Houte couture woman *Mihoko Shibata as Woman carer in movie *Mansaku Fuwa as Executioner's assistant in the dream *Yôichi Ueda as Camera man *Shinobu Oshizaka as Doctor *

Eijirō Tōno was a Japanese actor who, in a career lasting more than 50 years, appeared in over 400 television shows, nearly 250 films and numerous stage productions. He is best known in the West for his roles in films by Akira Kurosawa, such as ''Seven Samu ...

as Prime Minister *Kiyokata Saruwaka as Traditional dance teacher *

Kazuo Kitamura was a Japanese actor. His son is actor Yukiya Kitamura. Kitamura met Shōhei Imamura when he was a student of Waseda University and became a close friend so often worked with Imamura. Kitamura joined Bungakuza theatre company and started his acti ...

as Tsurumaru *

Akira Takarada was a Japanese film actor best known for his roles in the ''Godzilla'' film series. Life and career Akira Takarada was born in Korea under Japanese rule, and lived for a time in Manchuria, China. His father worked as an engineer on the S ...

as Inukai * Shōgo Shimada as Zenbu Okura *

Hideji Ōtaki was a Japanese actor. He has served as President of the Mingei Theatre Company. Career After serving in World War II, he became interested in the theater and helped found the Gekidan Mingei troupe in 1950. He gained fame for his television work ...

as Chijiwa (uncredited) *Hiroshi Okouchi as Chichiiwa

Release

''A-Ge-Man: Tales of a Golden Geisha'' was distributed theatrically in Japan by

Toho is a Japanese film, theatre production and distribution company. It has its headquarters in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. Outside of Japan, it is best known as the producer ...

on 2 June 1990. The film was shown at the

Chicago International Film Festival The Chicago International Film Festival is an annual film festival held every fall. Founded in 1964 by Michael Kutza, it is the longest-running competitive film festival in North America. Its logo is a stark, black and white close up of the comp ...

on October 10, 1990 and at the

Japan Today Film Festival Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

in Los Angeles on November 1, 1991.

Reception

''A-Ge-Man: Tales of a Golden Geisha'' was nominated for four

Japanese Academy Awards The , often called the Japan Academy Prize, the Japan Academy Awards, and the Japanese Academy Awards, is a series of awards given annually since 1978 by the Japan Academy Film Prize Association (日本アカデミー賞協会, ''Nippon Akademii- ...

—Best Director (Juzo Itami), Best Actress (Nobuko Miyamoto), Best Screenplay (Juzo Itami) and Best Editing (Akira Suzuki).

References

Footnotes

Sources

External links

* 1990 films 1990s sex comedy films Films directed by Jūzō Itami Japanese sex comedy films 1990 comedy films 1990s Japanese films {{1990s-Japan-film-stub