Release Date

January, 18th, 2003

Running Time

137 min

Genre

Feature

Color

Color

Screening Format

35mm

Screen Size

-

Sound Processing

-

[ Directed by ]

• TAKITA Yojiro

[ Produced by ]

• MIYAJIMA Hideshi
• ENOKI Nozomu

[ Cast ]

• NAKAI Kiichi ── Yoshimura Kanichiro
• SATO Koichi ── Saito Hajime
• NAKATANI Miki ── Nui

[ Staff ]

• NAKAJIMA Takehiro ── Screenplay
• ASADA Jiro ── Original Story
• HAMADA Takeshi ── Cinematography
• HISAISHI Joe ── Music

[ Production Company ]

SHOCHIKU, TV TOKYO, DENTSU, Eisei Gekijo, CULTURE PUBLISHERS, IWATE BROADCASTING

[ Story ]

Saito (Sato Koichi) brings his grandchild to the doctor and notices a picture of a man named Yoshimura Kanichiro (Nakai Kiichi), with whom he fought together many years before in the government's Shinsengumi militia. The doctor's father was Yoshimura's childhood friend who looked up to Yoshimura as his teacher. While Saito felt some of Yoshimura's behaviour was inappropriate for a samurai, he's never left his mind. While Saito listens to the doctor's talk about Yoshimura, his thoughts drift back to the past. Yoshimura leaves his samurai clan and becomes a ronin for the Shinsengumi militia to provide for his wife and child. While loving his hometown of Morioka and his wife, he is also very kind to Nui (Nakatani Miki), with whom Saito is in love. After the battle of Toba-Fushimi, where the Shinsengumi finally collapsed, people believed that Yoshimura had been killed in a hail of gunfire. In fact, he survived, only to commit harakiri at the home of his best friend. By chance, Saito later meets the person who witnessed Yoshimura's death.
Adapted by veteran director Takita Yojiro from Asada Jiro's novel of the same name, with music by master composer Hisaishi Joe.

[ Contact (International) ]

SHOCHIKU CO., LTD.
International Sales & Licensing
Togeki Bldg., 4-1-1 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-8422
tel: +81-3-5550-1623
fax: +81-3-5550-1654
E-mail: ibd@shochiku.co.jp
http://www.shochikufilms.com