Lonely Pearl Geisha House
Early in Toshi No Naishou's history, a fisherman fell overboard into the Itochu River and caught sight of a pearl on the muddy bottom. He sold the pearl for a tidy sum and gave up fishing for the life of pearl-diving. The man never found another pearl and died in poverty. The Lonely Pearl Geisha House is reputedly built on the shore of the river at the spot where he fell overboard. The current madam of the house, Kikuko, likes to tell the story as a parable about being happy with one's luck and not being greedy.
Although the house's exterior is plain and entirely unmarked, the better to keep a low profile among the more pious and prurient samurai, the interior is opulence defined. The visitor has the sense of entering another world as they step through the door, their senses bombarded with exotic sights, sounds, and smells.
The house has 7 private rooms plus a common room open to the public. The private rooms are themed for the four seasons, the Sun, the Moon, and the stars and the house always has precisely 7 active geisha. Kikuko also has several apprentices always in training.
Currently the most sought-after geisha in the house is Suzuko, but rumors suggest that she has a samurai lover who is considering buying her contract. This would be good news for the second most popular geisha, Hichihiko, who had been the house's number one until Suzuko arrived.
Architecture
The house is unassuming and plain, with white walls and a black tile roof. It lacks markings of any kind, not even the traditional red lanterns.
