, aka ''Tora-san's Homeward Journey'', ''Am I Trying? Part II'', and ''Torasan Pt. 2'', is a 1969 Japanese comedy film directed by

Yoji Yamada is a Japanese film director best known for his ''Otoko wa Tsurai yo'' series of films and his Samurai Trilogy (''The Twilight Samurai'', ''The Hidden Blade'' and '' Love and Honor''). Biography He was born in Osaka, but due to his father's job ...

. It stars

Kiyoshi Atsumi Kiyoshi Atsumi (渥美清 ''Atsumi Kiyoshi''), born Yasuo Tadokoro (田所康雄 ''Tadokoro Yasuo'', 10 March 1928 – 4 August 1996), was a Japanese actor. He was born in Tokyo, and started his career in 1951 as a comedian at a strip-show the ...

as Kuruma Torajirō (Tora-san), and Orie Satō as his love interest or "Madonna". ''Tora-san's Cherished Mother'' is the second entry in the popular, long-running ''

Otoko wa Tsurai yo is a Japanese film series starring Kiyoshi Atsumi as , a kind-hearted vagabond who is always unlucky in love. The series itself is often referred to as "Tora-san" by its fans. Spanning 48 installments released between 1969 and 1995, all of the ' ...

'' series.

Synopsis

Tora-san hears that his mother is still alive and returns to Tokyo to track her down. He discovers that she is a geisha who had had only a brief affair with his father. While visiting the family, he falls in love with Natsuko, the daughter of an old teacher.

Cast

as Torajiro *

Chieko Baisho is a Japanese actress and singer. In Japan, she is well known for her performance as Sakura in the '' Otoko wa Tsurai yo'' series from 1969 until 1995. In addition, she has acted in many films directed by Yōji Yamada since the 1960s. She won ...

as Sakura * Chōchō Miyako as Okiku * Orie Satō as Natsuko Tsubouchi *

Tsutomu Yamazaki is a Japanese actor. He won the Blue Ribbon Award for Best Actor in 1984 for '' The Funeral'' and '' Farewell to the Ark''. Yamazaki is well known for his role "Nenbutsu no Tetsu" on the television jidaigeki '' Hissatsu Shiokinin'' and ''Shin Hi ...

as Kaoru Fujimura * Chieko Misaki as Torajiro's aunt *

Gin Maeda (born February 21, 1944) is a Japanese actor. He had a regular role in the ''Otoko wa Tsurai yo'' films, beginning with the first in the series (1969), as Sakura's husband. Filmography Film *''Otoko wa Tsurai yo'' series (1969–2019), Hiroshi S ...

as Hiroshi Suwa * Masaaki Tsusaka as Noboru Kawamata * Akiko Kazami as Osumi * Hisao Dazai as Umetarō Katsura (Print Shop)

Critical appraisal

was given the Best Actor award at the

Mainichi Film Award The are a series of annual film awards, sponsored by Mainichi Shinbun (毎日新聞), one of the largest newspaper companies in Japan, since 1946. It is the first film festival in Japan. History The origins of the contest date back to 1935, ...

s for his performance in this film and the previous entry in the series, ''

It's Tough Being a Man (Am I Trying) (Tora-san Our Lovable Tramp) is a 1969 Japanese comedy film directed by Yoji Yamada and starring Kiyoshi Atsumi. It is the first entry in the popular, long-running ''Otoko wa Tsurai yo'' series. Plot Torajiro Kuruma returns for th ...

'' (also 1969).

was also awarded Best Director at the ceremony for the same two films. The German-language site molodezhnaja gives ''Tora-san's Cherished Mother'' three and a half out of five stars.

Releases

''Tora-san's Cherished Mother'' was released theatrically on November 15, 1969.

Home media

In Japan, the film was released on videotape in 1983 and 1995, and in DVD format in 2005 and 2008.

AnimEigo AnimEigo is an American entertainment company that licenses and distributes anime, samurai films and Japanese cinema. Founded in 1988 by Robert Woodhead and Roe R. Adams III, the company was one of the first in North America dedicated to lic ...

released the film on DVD in the US along with the other first four films in the ''Otoko wa Tsurai yo'' series on November 24, 2009.

References

Bibliography

English

* * * *

German

Japanese

* * * *

External links

''Tora-san's Cherished Mother''
at www.tora-san.jp (official site) {{Yoji Yamada 1969 films Films directed by Yoji Yamada Films set in Kyoto Films set in Mie Prefecture 1969 comedy films 1960s Japanese-language films Otoko wa Tsurai yo films Shochiku films Films with screenplays by Yôji Yamada Japanese sequel films 1960s Japanese films