A Story from Echigo (Tadashi Imai, Japan, 1964)

In 1937 the success of sake brewery employee Ryukichi (Shoichi Ozawa) leads to jealousy and resentment from workmate and fellow Echigo villager Gonsuke (Rentaro Mikuni). When Gonsuke encounters Ryukichi’s wife Oshin (Yoshiko Sakuma) on the path home he rapes her and then torments the good-natured Ryukichi with rumours of Oshin having an affair. As these rumours gnaw at Ryukichi a … Read the rest

Kiku and Isamu (Tadashi Imai, Japan, 1959)

11 year old Kiku (Emiko Takahashi) and her younger brother Isamu (George Okunoyama) find themselves the object of curiosity and casual cruelty as their classmates taunt them with jibes of ‘Blackie’, ‘Gorilla’ and comments about bananas being their favourite food. Unknown to both their father was a black GI, now gone back to the US. With their Japanese mother dead … Read the rest