a.k.a. ''Torasan Meets his School-Mates'' ''and'' ''Tora-san's Heart of Gold'' is a 1976 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 j ...

. 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 Torajirō Kuruma (Tora-san), and

Machiko Kyō was a Japanese actress who was active primarily in the 1950s. Early life and education Kyō, an only child, was born in Osaka in 1924. Her father left when she was five years old, and she was raised by her mother and grandmother. She adopted ...

as his

love interest ''Gli Innamorati'' (, meaning "The Lovers") were stock characters within the theatre style known as commedia dell'arte, who appeared in 16th century Italy. In the plays, everything revolved around the Lovers in some regard. These dramatic and pos ...

or "Madonna". ''Tora's Pure Love'' is the eighteenth 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, and was Machiko Kyō's penultimate film appearance.

Plot

When Tora-san's infatuation with his nephew's school teacher causes family turmoil, he leaves on his travels again. When he returns, he falls in love with the teacher's mother, who has a terminal illness.

Cast

as Torajirō *

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 th ...

as Sakura *

as Aya Yagyū * Fumi Dan as Masako Yagyū *

Masami Shimojō was a Japanese film and stage actor. He appeared in more than 100 films. Career Hoping to become a film director, Shimojō traveled to Tokyo in 1935 but ended up joining a theater troupe, debuting on stage in 1936. He made his film debut in 194 ...

as Kuruma Tatsuzō *

Chieko Misaki Chieko (written: , , , , or ) is a feminine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese sprint canoeist *, blind Japanese computer scientist *, Japanese actress and singer *, Japanese voice actress and singer *, Japanes ...

as Tsune Kuruma (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 ...

as Hiroshi Suwa * Hayato Nakamura as Mitsuo Suwa *

Hisao Dazai Hisao (written: 央生, 久生, 久雄, 寿雄, 寿夫, 尚雄, 尚久 or 尚勇) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese voice actor *, Japanese government official *, Japanese baseball player *, Japa ...

as Boss (Umetarō Katsura) * Gajirō Satō as Genkō *

Chishū Ryū was a Japanese actor who, in a career lasting 65 years, appeared in over 160 films and about 70 television productions. Early life Ryū was born in Tamamizu Village, Tamana County, a rural area of Kumamoto Prefecture in Kyushu, the most southe ...

as Gozen-sama * Yoshio Yoshida as Chairman *

Mari Okamoto is a Japanese actress and voice actress. Biography Despite being born in Tokyo, Okamoto was actually raised in Hirakata, Osaka, where she also spent her elementary-school years. In 1961, she made her debut for performing arts activities in ...

as Sayuri Ōzora

Critical appraisal

''Tora's Pure Love'' was the sixth top-grossing Japanese film of 1976. However,

Stuart Galbraith IV Stuart Eugene Galbraith IV (born December 29, 1965) is an American film historian, film critic, essayist, and audio commentator. Early life and education Raised in Livonia, Michigan, Galbraith first worked professionally as a film reviewer and ...

writes that the film is disappointing in comparison with the previous ''

Tora-san's Sunrise and Sunset a.k.a. ''Torasan and the Painter'' and ''Tora-san's Sunset Glow'' is a 1976 Japanese comedy film directed by Yoji Yamada. It stars Kiyoshi Atsumi as Torajirō Kuruma (Tora-san), and Kiwako Taichi as his love interest or "Madonna". ''Tora-san's Su ...

'' (also 1976), more sentimental and less well-plotted than the earlier film. Galbraith judges ''Tora's Pure Love'' nevertheless to be funny, and enjoyable for the scenes between series star

and actress

in one of her last appearances. The German-language site molodezhnaja gives ''Tora's Pure Love'' three and a half out of five stars.

Availability

''Tora's Pure Love'' was released theatrically on December 25, 1976. In Japan, the film was released on videotape in 1996, and in DVD format in 1999 and 2008.

References

Bibliography

English

* * * *

German

Japanese

* * * *

External links

''Tora's Pure Love''
at www.tora-san.jp (official site) {{Yoji Yamada 1976 films Films directed by Yoji Yamada 1976 comedy films 1970s Japanese-language films Otoko wa Tsurai yo films Japanese sequel films Shochiku films Films with screenplays by Yôji Yamada 1970s Japanese films