A lie your father demanded, a love you can't claim—how long before the mask suffocates you?
At the strong insistence of his father, Ushimatsu Segawa conceals his origins from a “buraku” area of low-class “untouchables,” leaving his hometown to serve as an elementary school teacher where he excels and is loved by his students. But he constantly struggles with the secret of his low-birth status and is disturbed by all of the discrimination levelled upon his class. It prevents him from pursuing a romance with Shiho, whom he meets at the temple where he resides, but who descends from a samurai family.
Acting
Shotaro Mamiya's face does what dialogue cannot.
Cinematography
Temple shadows that swallow secrets whole.
Writing
Every 'I'm fine' lands like a scream.
Director
Kazuo Maeda
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The 'buraku' discrimination depicted persists in Japan today; the film's 2022 release deliberately echoes ongoing activism.
Toson Shimazaki's 1906 novel was so controversial his own family shunned him; this adaptation waited 116 years for permission from his estate.
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