A love story doomed by history itself — and it's only 72 minutes long.
Shortly after the Meiji Restoration, young people devoted to the teachings of Saigo Takamori trained day and night at Seiyun Juku in Kagoshima, Kyushu. Shuntaro Amano (Yukio Hashi) entered the school after going through numerous trials and tribulations, and quickly became known for his outstanding talent. Some time after Shuntaro's admission to school, the daughter of director Shiho (Eriko Sanjo) returns from a trip to Tokyo. Shiho is attracted to the intelligent and caring Shuntaro, and soon they fall in love with each other. However, their feelings for each other are futile, and soon Shiho and Shuntaro find themselves in the vortex of time...
Cinematography
Stark black-and-white captures a vanishing world with poetic precision.
Acting
Hashi's stoic longing sells the tragedy without a single melodramatic tear.
Director
Masateru Nishiyama
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Saigo Takamori's failed Satsuma Rebellion (1877) looms over this story like a ghost — the school trains children for a war that hasn't happened yet but already lost.
Yukio Hashi was primarily a teen pop idol when cast; this rare dramatic role exploited his 'innocent youth' image to devastating effect.
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