Release Date

April, 20th, 1968

Running Time

79 min

Genre

Feature

Color

Color

Screening Format

-,HDCAM SR

Screen Size

Cinema Scope (1:2.35)

Sound Processing

-

[ Directed by ]

• TANAKA Tokuzo

[ Cast ]

• FUJIMURA Shiho
• ISHIHAMA Akira
• HASEGAWA Machiko

[ Staff ]

• YAHIRO Fuji ── Screenplay
• IFUKUBE Akira ── Music
• MAKIURA Chikashi ── Cinematography

[ Production Company ]

DAIEI

[ Distributor (Japan) ]

DAIEI

[ Story ]

One of Japan's most beautiful and mysterious legends is that about the Yukionna or snow spirit, a lovely woman, dressed in white, who appears before snowbound travellers and leads them to destruction. This new version of the old story takes place in medieval Japan and is about a master sculptor and his young pupil, Yosaku.
The two are looking for a tree large enough to carve as a giant statue of the Buddha. Finally, in the depths of the mountains during a week of unusually heavy snow they find just the tree they want. That night they decide to stay at an abandoned ferryman's hut.
That evening, however, the Yukionna appears in the midst of a blizzard, and stands before them, beautiful and lethal. The terrified Yosaku watches his master freeze to death and realizes that his turn is next.
The spirit takes pity on him, however. Seeing that he is young and handsome she says she will spare him but he must never tell anyone what he has seen that evening.
The next spring he is working on the statue when he meets a lovely young girl named Yuki. They fall in love, marry, and before long have a baby boy. Their life is very happy until he forgets his promise and speaks of the Yukionna. Then he discovers that it is she he has married. Cursed by her nature, she must kill him, but because of love for her son is unable to do so. So she vanishes and they never see her again.

【Quoted from Unijapan Film Quarterly 1968.11.3】

[ Contact (International) ]

KADOKAWA CORPORATION
International Sales, Motion Picture Business
2-13-3 Fujimi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-8177
Rep: NATSUNO Takeshi (President)
Attn: MORI Chiyo
tel: +81 50 1746 1220
E-mail: mori-c@kadokawa.jp
http://www.kadokawa.co.jp