is a 1977 Japanese biographical film directed by

Kaneto Shindo was a Japanese film director, screenwriter, film producer, and writer, who directed 48 films and wrote scripts for 238. His best known films as a director include ''Children of Hiroshima'', ''The Naked Island'', '' Onibaba'', ''Kuroneko'' and ' ...

based on the life of shamisen player

Takahashi Chikuzan (; 1910–1998) was a renowned Japanese Tsugaru-jamisen performer and composer. He was born in Nakahiranai, a village that is now part of the Hiranai township in Aomori Prefecture. He lost his sight at around age two from measles before ...

. It is a coproduction of

Kindai Eiga Kyokai Kindai may refer to: * Kindai, Tanzania, an administrative ward * Kindai High School, Higashiosaka, Osaka, Japan * Kindai University, Osaka, Japan * Kanazawa University Kanazawa University ( ja, 金沢大学, Kanazawa Daigaku, abbreviated to ...

and Chikuzan's company "Jean-Jean".

Plot

The real Chikuzan appears on a stage in a small theatre,

Shibuya Jean-Jean was a small theatre in Shibuya in Tokyo which was open from 1969 to 2000. It was the site of regular performances by Takahashi Chikuzan until his death, regular performances by Nobuo Nakamura of '' The Lesson'', and live appearances by Noriko Awaya ...

, and begins telling the story of his life. The scene changes to his childhood. Sadazo (Chikuzan's real name) becomes partially blind due to illness at the age of three. Growing up he is bullied. His mother Toyo (

Nobuko Otowa was a Japanese actress who appeared in more than 100 films between 1950 and 1994. A graduate of Takarazuka Girl's Opera School, Otowa was first signed to Daiei studios, before becoming a freelance actress by the early 1950s. After starring in ...

) buys him a shamisen and apprentices him to a blind bosama, a begging shamisen player. He finds that although his teacher begs, cajoles and wheedles, pleading poverty, the teacher is actually rich. After training he sets off and works as a begging shamisen player. He meets various people on his travels around Tohoku and Hokkaido, living hand to mouth. One man is a thief who becomes a tinker (

Takuzo Kawatani was a Japanese film actor. He appeared in 56 films between 1967 and 1995. He was most famous for playing villains. Selected filmography Film * ''Zoku ô-oku maruhi monogatari'' (1967) * '' Eleven Samurai'' (1967) * ''Bakuchi-uchi: Nagurikomi' ...

). Another man (

Taiji Tonoyama was a Japanese character actor who made many appearances in films and on television from 1939 to 1989. He was a close friend of Kaneto Shindo and one of his regular cast members. He was also an essayist. In 1950 he helped form the film company Ki ...

) is a dancer who travels with him, busking and sleeping on beaches. His mother Toyo arranges a marriage to a blind woman who travels with him. After she is raped she leaves him. He falls in with two confidence tricksters, first selling candy which they say will prevent bedwetting, then fake eyedrops. They are put in prison. He has a relationship with one of the tricksters, Tomiko (Hiroko Isayama), who leaves him. He is married again to his second wife, who already has a child, and leaves on his travels. An elderly woman takes him with her group of performers to teach him the shamisen. During the trip she becomes ill and Sadazo takes her place. At this time, his wife's child sickens and eventually dies, but the urgent telegrams to Sadazo are discarded by the other performers because they do not want him to leave. Sadazo returns during the child's funeral and is set upon by his mother. At the advice of his wife, Sadazo attends a braille school. A teacher gets a student pregnant, and lies to Sadazo to make him and his wife take care of the girl. Sadazo runs away in shame at being tricked. After searching for many days, Sadazo is found by his wife and mother. At the end of the film, he meets his future teacher, Narita Unchiku (

Kei Satō was a Japanese character actor and narrator. He is known for his work with Japanese New Wave director Nagisa Oshima, and for several films with Kaneto Shindo, such as '' Onibaba'' and ''Kuroneko''. He won the best actor award from ''Kinema Junpo ...

Cast

as himself *Ryuzo Hayashi as Sadazo (Chikuzan) *

as Toyo, Sadazo's mother *

Mitsuko Baisho , is a Japanese actress, whose most internationally known work has been for director Shohei Imamura, from 1979 up to the director's final film in 2010. Baisho has also appeared in films of Akira Kurosawa. She won awards for best actress at the 10 ...

as the second wife *

Junkichi Orimoto was a Japanese actor. Orimoto often worked with Kinji Fukasaku and Sadao Nakajima. He started his acting career at the Shinkyō theatre company in 1949. His first film appearance was in the 1952 film ''Yamabiko Gakkō'' directed by Tadashi Imai. ...

* Rokko Toura as Hikoichi *Hiroko Isayama as Tomiko *

as Narita Unchiku *

Production

The film is based on an autobiography ''Tsugaru jamisen hitori tabi'' by Takahashi Chikuzan.

Release

The film was Japan's entry at the

10th Moscow International Film Festival The 10th Moscow International Film Festival was held 7-21 July 1977. The Golden Prizes were awarded to the Hungarian film ''The Fifth Seal'' directed by Zoltán Fábri, the Spanish film '' El puente'' directed by Juan Antonio Bardem and the Sovi ...

in 1977. Takahashi Chikuzan made his first trip outside Japan to attend the film festival with director Shindo, and also did his first performance outside Japan.

References

External links