This paper examines images of Japanese women in A merican films from the 1950s to the present: The Teahouse of the August Moon (1956), Sayonara (1957), Shogun (1980) and Memoirs of a Geisha (2005). The analysis indicates that images of Japanese women, especially stereotypes of the geisha, who once simply served and entertained Americans, have evolved to portray a much more complex image: a beautiful artist who is well-trained in musical instruments, dances, and elegant manners. It also shows that one of the geisha’s central symbolic functions in the 1950s – serving as a surrogate for the Japanese state in providing service to Americans – has largely disappeared. Their image as mysterious targets of desire for Americans, however, has remained largely unchanged.