A woman’s struggle for equality in Japan in the 1880s. Eiko Hirayama leaves Okayama for Tokyo, where she helps the fledgling Liberal Party and falls in love with its leader Kentaro Omoi Read More »
Tag Archives: Kinuyo Tanaka
Shunkinsho: Okoto to Sasuke / Okoto and Sasuke (1935) Yasujirô Shimazu, Kinuyo Tanaka, Kôkichi Takada, Hideo Fujino, Drama
The Okoto blind is a talented music teacher, but his pride keeps others – especially men – at a distance. Read More »
Aizen katsura / The Love-Troth Tree (1938) Hiromasa Nomura, Kinuyo Tanaka, Ken Uehara, Hideo Fujino, Drama, Romance
A young doctor, Kozo Tsumura (Uehara), falls for young nurse Katsue Takaishi (Tanaka). But she’s got a secret: she’s a widow with a son. Read More »
Sanjûsangen-dô, tôshiya monogatari / A Tale of Archery at the Sanjusangendo (1945) Mikio Naruse, Kazuo Hasegawa, Kinuyo Tanaka, Sensho Ichikawa, War, Drama
After a renowned archer commits harakiri because he’s lost the big tournament, innkeeper Kinuyo Tanaka takes in his boy and sees to his training so he can compete in the next big contest.
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Otôto / Her Brother (1960) Kon Ichikawa, Keiko Kishi, Hiroshi Kawaguchi, Kinuyo Tanaka, Drama
Set in 1926 when Japanese tradition was much stronger, this standard drama looks at the inner workings of a small family, especially the relationship between a sister and brother.
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Ugetsu monogatari / Ugetsu (1953) Kenji Mizoguchi, Masayuki Mori, Machiko Kyô, Kinuyo Tanaka, Drama, Fantasy, War
In the beginning of the springtime in the period of the Japanese Civil Wars of the Sixteenth Century in Lake Biwa in the Province of Omi, the family man farmer and craftsman Genjurô travels to Nagahama to sell his wares and makes a small fortune.
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Munekata kyôdai / The Munekata Sisters (1950) Yasujirô Ozu, Kinuyo Tanaka, Hideko Takamine, Ken Uehara, Drama
Setsuko is unhappily to Mimura, an engineer with no job and a bad drinking habit. She had always been in love with Hiroshi but both of them failed to propose when Hiroshi left for France a few years ago. Now he is back and Mariko (Setsuko’s sister) tries to reunite them. She too is secretly in love with Hiroshi.
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Seishun no yume ima izuko / Where Are the Dreams of Youth (1932) Yasujirô Ozu, Ureo Egawa, Kinuyo Tanaka, Tatsuo Saitô, Comedy, Romance
When a young man inherits his father’s lucrative business, he cheats the system to set up three of his college friends with jobs.
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Sanshô dayû / Sansho the Bailiff (1954) Kenji Mizoguchi, Kinuyo Tanaka, Yoshiaki Hanayagi, Kyôko Kagawa, Drama
In mediaeval Japan a compassionate governor is sent into exile. His wife and children try to join him, but are separated, and the children grow up amid suffering and oppression.
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Musashino fujin / The Lady of Musashino (1951) Kenji Mizoguchi, Kinuyo Tanaka, Yukiko Todoroki, Masayuki Mori, Drama
Set in post-war Japan, The Lady of Musashino tells the story of Michiko, a disillusioned young woman trapped in a loveless marriage. She confides in her younger cousin, Tsutomo, and the two become close, but decide not to consummate their affair. He instead becomes involved with the flirtatious Tomiko, who is also conducting an affair with Michiko’s husband. When Michiko finds that her husband has abandoned her, she decides to take her fate into her own hands.
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