Arrow Video, out now

Unable to repay a local lender, Yumi takes up an offer to serve as a geisha with a promise of freedom once her debt is repaid. She quickly realises that this is less a house of geishas than an extremely cruel brothel specialising in supplying western visitors with tattooed playthings.

With a title like this, you have a pretty good idea of what to expect from this 1969 Japanese exploitation flick, and I struggle to see how you’d enjoy it, unless watching topless, tattooed women getting beaten is your idea of entertainment. It’s an endless parade of boobs and skin art, and the shock value soon diminishes as the same old humiliations are heaped on the poor girls.

I’m not sure if there’s some social commentary here, and the fact that it’s a period piece might suggest it’s making a point about how awful things were in the past. But it’s all so misogynistic and lacking in a moral compass. Even the feted shocking opening and closing scenes feel bolted on so that your lasting impression is one of revolt.

Arrow’s release has a clean 1080 transfer, English subtitles and an audio commentary by Japanese cinema expert Tom Mes. There’s also a trailer and a condensed version of Jasper Sharp’s Miskatonic Institute lecture on Japan’s Cult Counterculture.

Verdict: Spearings, eye gougings, female subjugation, countless bosoms and a total absence of morality. I’m sure there’s a niche market for this material – but it’s not for me. 3/10

Nick Joy