The Men of Tohoku (1957)
"Tôhoku no zunmu-tachi" (original title)

The isolated village of Tohoku is surrounded by high mountains, and has a tradition that only the eldest sons may marry and inherit. The filthy, unshaven younger sons, called yakkos, work ... See full summary »

Director:

Kon Ichikawa

Writers:

Shichirô Fukazawa (story), Kon Ichikawa

Stars:

Hiroshi Akutagawa, Minoru Chiaki, Kamatari Fujiwara

Cast

Credited cast:
Hiroshi Akutagawa	...	Risuke
Minoru Chiaki	...	Tasuke
Kamatari Fujiwara	...	Hisakichi
Jun Hamamura
Bokuzen Hidari
Shôichi Hirose
Hajime Izu
Takuzô Kumagai	...	Father of Twins (as Jirô Kumagai)
Eiko Miyoshi	...	Old woman
Chieko Naniwa	...	Oei
Tadashi Okabe
Sachio Sakai
Makoto Satô
Ikio Sawamura
Shirô Tsuchiya

Storyline

The isolated village of Tohoku is surrounded by high mountains, and has a tradition that only the eldest sons may marry and inherit. The filthy, unshaven younger sons, called yakkos, work the land and never have sex. To redress an ancestor's crime, the widow Oei has to take each yakko for a night. However she refuses to take Risuke, who has particularly vile breath. So Risuke's eldest brother Tasuke tells his wife Asa to take Risuke for a night, while an old blabbermouth suggests another alternative to Risuke.

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

27 August 1957 (Japan)

Also Known As:

The Men of Tohoku

Company Credits

Production Co:

Toho Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

59 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

User Reviews

A Japanese Fable

This is a short film presented recently at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. as part of a retrospective of this master filmmaker. It is a fable set in an isolated village where all but the first born are not allowed any prosperity in life. They can not inherit land and they can not marry and have children. They must only toil in the potato fields. This is a beautifully realized story of fickle gods and even an ornery old woman who will not tell anyone where the "Clever" mushrooms are. The acting is superb, the cinematography outstanding and the script fascinating.