The plot basis of the famous opera"Madame Butterfly",or"Chio-Chio-San"by J. Puccini was a novel by American writer John L. Longa, reworked by D. Belasco in the play. However, literary heroes-Japanese girl Chio-Chio-San and American naval lieutenant Pinkerton-also had real prototypes. The fact is that in the second half of the XIX century in Japan, temporary marriages of foreigners with local girls were quite common. For a certain amount, you could buy a wife for the duration of your stay inJapan