is a 1986 Japanese film directed by

Keisuke Kinoshita was a Japanese film director and screenwriter.Ronald Berganbr>"A satirical eye on Japan: Keisuke Kinoshita" ''The Guardian'', 5 January 1999. While lesser-known internationally than contemporaries such as Akira Kurosawa, Kenji Mizoguchi and Yasu ...

, revisiting his melancholic earlier work, ''

Times of Joy and Sorrow ''Times of Joy and Sorrow'' (USA title), ''The Lighthouse'' (UK title), or , is a 1957 color Japanese film directed by Keisuke Kinoshita, who shot on location at 10 different lighthouses throughout Japan, including opening scenes at Kannonzaki, t ...

'' (1957), of a

lighthouse keeper A lighthouse keeper or lightkeeper is a person responsible for tending and caring for a lighthouse, particularly the light and lens in the days when oil lamps and clockwork mechanisms were used. Lighthouse keepers were sometimes referred to as ...

and the transient lifestyle he and his family endure. Shot at 10 different lighthouses, four temples, and various scenic locations (including two of the famous Three Views of Japan (日本三景)), spanning the length of Japan from

Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan's five main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands ( i.e. excluding Okinawa). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regional name referred to Kyushu and its surroun ...

Hokkaido is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel. The la ...

, the film serves a secondary purpose as an insightful time capsule travelogue of early 1980s Japan.

Plot

Fujita, a lighthouse keeper of the Maritime Safety Agency, prepares to transfer to another lighthouse as his father and a young protege drop in to see him off, identifying what will be a story told over the course of a decade from the perspectives of 3 generations of a family, and their evolving relationships with each other. The film follows the family through their trials and tribulations as Fujita transfers to different lighthouses during the course of his career, the children grow up and leave the family to go to school and start their own families, the father rejoins the family as his health fails and is unable to care for himself, and they learn the value of family and each day spent together.

Production

Kinoshita based the script to his earlier film, ''Times of Joy and Sorrow'', on an article written by Tanaka Kiyo, the wife of a lighthouse keeper at the Shioyazaki lighthouse in Fukushima. The plot of ''Times of Joy and Sorrow'' encompasses the militarization of Japan during World War 2, and involves a sense of futility as the lighthouse is darkened during the war and bombs explode outside the family home. These themes are absent in ''Big Joys, Small Sorrow'', which speaks to the increased optimism and prosperity of Japan in the 1980s, as well as the frustration felt by Fujita's wife Asako, who is more able to express her thoughts regarding her life as the wife of a lighthouse keeper rather than dutifully accepting her fate in ''Times of Joy and Sorrow''. The film received support from the then Maritime Safety Agency, since renamed the

Japan Coast Guard The is the coast guard of Japan. The Japan Coast Guard consists of about 13,700 personnel and is responsible for the protection of the coastline of Japan under the oversight of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. Th ...

, and serves as a tribute to the agency with unprecedented access not only to the lighthouses, but a

Bell 212 The Bell 212 (also known as the ''Twin Two-Twelve'') is a two-blade, medium helicopter that first flew in 1968. Originally manufactured by Bell Helicopter in Fort Worth, Texas, United States, production was moved to Mirabel, Quebec, Canada in ...

helicopter, the Kure Maritime Safety University, aboard ships such as the Zao (PLH-05) and Teshio (PM-03 & PM-09) class patrol vessels, the

Kojima Kojima may refer to: Surname * Kojima (surname) Places * Kōjima, an island known for wild monkeys in Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan * Kojima, an uninhabited island belonging to the Tokara Islands, in the southern part of Kagoshima Prefecture, Japa ...

(PL-21) training vessel during a

fleet review A fleet review or naval review is an event where a gathering of ships from a particular navy is paraded and reviewed by an incumbent head of state and/or other official civilian and military dignitaries. A number of national navies continue to ...

, as well as a generous plug for

All Nippon Airways , also known as ANA (''Ē-enu-ē'') or is an airline in Japan. Its headquarters are located in Shiodome City Center in the Shiodome area of Minato ward of Tokyo. It operates services to both domestic and international destinations and had mo ...

, creating a ''"gorgeous travelogue,"'' said Los Angeles Times film critic Kevin Thomas, of the ''"unspoiled beauty spots on Japan’s coastlines"''.

Cast

Gō Katō was a Japanese entertainer and actor. Katō starred in the long-running TV series ''Ōoka Echizen'' (1970~2006). Overviews The son of an elementary school principal, Katō studied literature and theatre. As an actor, he made his film debut in ...

as Yoshiaki Fujita (Sugimoto) *

Reiko Ohara was a Japanese people, Japanese actress. Her life story was adapted into the TV Tokyo program '. Biography Ohara was born in Tokyo in 1946 to a family that sold Japanese confectionery in the Hongo area. Upon graduating from high school, she mad ...

as Asako Fujita (Sugimoto) *

Hitoshi Ueki was a Japanese actor, comedian, singer, and guitarist. He won six awards for acting.Hitoshi ...

as Kunio Sugimoto *

Kiichi Nakai is a Japanese actor. His name was given by Yasujirō Ozu. His father, Keiji Sada, also a movie actor, died when Nakai was only two years old. Nakai started his acting career while he was still in university and was awarded the Rookie of the Ye ...

as Keijiro Daimon *

Misako Konno Misako Konno (紺野美沙子 ''Konno Misako''), born Misako Shinoda (篠田美佐子 ''Shinoda Misako'', born September 8, 1960) is a Japanese actress and essayist An essay is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own ar ...

as Yukiko Nagao * Ken Tanaka as Takeshi Nagao * Yoko Shinoyama as Masako Fujita (Daimon) * Hayao Okamoto as Eisuke Fujita (Sugimoto)

Featured locations

Lighthouses

Kyogamisaki Lighthouse

Tango Tango is a partner dance and social dance that originated in the 1880s along the Río de la Plata, the natural border between Argentina and Uruguay. The tango was born in the impoverished port areas of these countries as the result of a combina ...

, Kyoto Prefecture *

Irōzaki Lighthouse is a lighthouse located on a hill at the outermost extremity of Cape Irōzaki south of the town of Minamiizu, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan on the southernmost extremity of Izu Peninsula. It is located within the borders of the Fuji-Hakone-Izu Nati ...

Izu Izu may refer to: Places *Izu Province, a part of modern-day Shizuoka prefecture in Japan **Izu, Shizuoka, a city in Shizuoka prefecture **Izu Peninsula, near Tokyo **Izu Islands, located off the Izu Peninsula People with the surname

*, Japane ...

Shizuoka Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Shizuoka Prefecture has a population of 3,637,998 and has a geographic area of . Shizuoka Prefecture borders Kanagawa Prefecture to the east, Yamanashi Prefecture to the northea ...

Hesaki Lighthouse is a lighthouse on the Kiku Peninsula in Moji-ku, Kitakyūshū in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, ...

Kitakyushu is a Cities of Japan, city located in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. As of June 1, 2019, Kitakyushu has an estimated population of 940,978, making it the second-largest city in both Fukuoka Prefecture and the island of Kyushu after the city of Fuku ...

Fukuoka Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Fukuoka Prefecture has a population of 5,109,323 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,986 Square kilometre, km2 (1,925 sq mi). Fukuoka Prefecture borders S ...

Himeshima Lighthouse
'(ja)'', Himeshima,

Ōita Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Ōita Prefecture has a population of 1,136,245 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 6,340 km2 (2,448 sq mi). Ōita Prefecture borders Fukuoka Prefecture to the northwest, Kumam ...

* Mizunokojima Lighthouse,

Bungo Channel The is a strait separating the Japanese islands of Kyushu and Shikoku. It connects the Pacific Ocean and the Seto Inland Sea on the western end of Shikoku. The narrowest part of this channel is the Hōyo Strait. In the English-speaking world, t ...

Hachijojima Lighthouse
'(ja)'',

Hachijō-jima is a volcanic Japanese island in the Philippine Sea. It is about south of the special wards of Tokyo. It is part of the Izu archipelago and within the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park. Its only municipality is Hachijō. On 1 March 2018, its po ...

Island,

Izu Islands The are a group of volcanic islands stretching south and east from the Izu Peninsula of Honshū, Japan. Administratively, they form two towns and six villages; all part of Tokyo Prefecture. The largest is Izu Ōshima, usually called simply Ō ...

Shiriyazaki Lighthouse is a lighthouse located on the outermost extremity of Cape Shiriyazaki, the northeasternmost point of Honshu, in Higashidōri, Aomori Prefecture, Japan. It received protection as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2017. History The Shi ...

, Shimokita,

Aomori Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan in the Tōhoku region. The prefecture's capital, largest city, and namesake is the city of Aomori. Aomori is the northernmost prefecture on Japan's main island, Honshu, and is bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the east, ...

Port of Hakodate
'(ja)'',

Hakodate is a city and port located in Oshima Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the capital city of Oshima Subprefecture. As of July 31, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 279,851 with 143,221 households, and a population density of 412.8 ...

Esan Misaki Lighthouse
'(ja)'',

Yagoshima Misaki Lighthouse
'(ja)'', Shiriuchi,

Other points of interest

Nishi-Maizuru Station is a union passenger railway station located in the city of Maizuru, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan, operated jointly by the West Japan Railway Company (JR West) and the private railway company Willer Trains (Kyoto Tango Railway). Lines Nishi-Maizuru ...

Maizuru is a city in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 78,644 in 34817 households and a population density of 230 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Maizuru is located in northern Kyoto Pref ...

, Kyoto Prefecture * Nariai-ji Buddhist Temple ''(ja)'',

Miyazu 270px, Miyazu City Hall is a city located in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 16,988 in 8348 households and a population density of 98 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Miyazu is loca ...

, Kyoto Prefecture *

Amanohashidate Amanohashidate (天橋立 ja, Heaven's bridge) is one of Japan's three scenic views. The sandbar is located in Miyazu Bay in northern Kyoto Prefecture. It forms part of the Tango-Amanohashidate-Ōeyama Quasi-National Park. Location A thin st ...

Tango-Amanohashidate-Ōeyama Quasi-National Park is a Quasi-National Park in northern Kyōto Prefecture, Japan. Established in 2007, the park comprises a number of non-contiguous areas of the former Tango Province, with a central focus on and Amanohashidate, one of the Three Views of Japan ...

, Kyoto Prefecture - one of the

Three Views of Japan The is the canonical list of Japan's three most celebrated scenic sights, attributed to 1643 and scholar Hayashi Gahō. In 1915, modeled on the old Three Views of Japan, Jitsugyo no Nihon Sha (株式会社実業之日本社) held a national elect ...

* Matsuno-dera Buddhist Temple ''(ja)'',

, Kyoto Prefecture * Myōtsū-ji Buddhist Temple,

Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

Fukui Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Fukui Prefecture has a population of 778,943 (1 June 2017) and has a geographic area of 4,190 km2 (1,617 sq mi). Fukui Prefecture borders Ishikawa Prefecture to the north, Gi ...

* St John's Anglican Church ''(ja)'',

Hiroshima Peace Memorial The , originally the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall, and now commonly called the Genbaku Dome, , is part of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima, Japan and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996. The ruin ...

Hiroshima is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 1,199,391. The gross domestic product (GDP) in Greater Hiroshima, Hiroshima Urban Employment Area, was US$61.3 billion as of 2010. Kazumi Matsui h ...

* Kure Maritime Safety University,

Kure is a port and major shipbuilding city situated on the Seto Inland Sea in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. With a strong industrial and naval heritage, Kure hosts the second-oldest naval dockyard in Japan and remains an important base for the Japan M ...

Hiroshima Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Hiroshima Prefecture has a population of 2,811,410 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 8,479 km² (3,274 sq mi). Hiroshima Prefecture borders Okayama ...

* Itsukushima Shinto Shrine,

Miyajima may refer to: Places * Miyajima, another name for the Japanese island Itsukushima * Miyajima, Hiroshima, a former town on this island, merged into Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima is a city located in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The name derives from a m ...

- one of the

* Fukue-jima Island,

Gotō Islands The are Japanese islands in the East China Sea, off the western coast of Kyūshū. They are part of Nagasaki Prefecture. Geography There are 140 islands, including five main ones: , , , , and . The group of islands runs approximately fr ...

Nagasaki Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Nagasaki Prefecture has a population of 1,314,078 (1 June 2020) and has a geographic area of 4,130 Square kilometre, km2 (1,594 sq mi). Nagasaki Prefecture borders ...

Reception

Release

Screened in competition at the

Locarno Film Festival The Locarno Film Festival is an annual film festival, held every August in Locarno, Switzerland. Founded in 1946, the festival screens films in various competitive and non-competitive sections, including feature-length narrative, documentary, s ...

, ''Big Joys, Small Sorrows'' was theatrically released internationally in 1986 by

Shochiku () is a Japanese film and kabuki production and distribution company. It also produces and distributes anime films, in particular those produced by Bandai Namco Filmworks (which has a long-time partnership—the company released most, if not all ...

, earning a modest ¥395 million. VHS and Laserdisc editions are now scarce, however region 2 DVDs are still available in Japan from Shochiku Home Entertainment. The

Criterion Channel The Criterion Collection, Inc. (or simply Criterion) is an American home-video distribution company that focuses on licensing, restoring and distributing "important classic and contemporary films." Criterion serves film and media scholars, cinep ...

included ''Big Joys, Small Sorrows'' among the inaugural films available for streaming upon its launch in Spring 2019.

References

External links

* {{Keisuke Kinoshita 1986 films 1980s road movies Shochiku films Films directed by Keisuke Kinoshita Films with screenplays by Keisuke Kinoshita Films shot in Japan Films set in Hiroshima Films set in Hokkaido Films set in Nagasaki Films set in the 1980s Films shot in Kure Films about families Films about military personnel Films about travel Japanese road movies Seafaring films Works set in lighthouses Maritime culture 1980s Japanese films