The Makioka Sisters (1983)
"Sasame-yuki" (original title)

This sensuously beautiful film chronicles the activities of four sisters who gather in Kyoto every year to view the cherry blossoms. It paints a vivid portrait of the pre-war lifestyle of ... See full summary »

Director:

Kon Ichikawa

Writers:

Shin'ya Hidaka, Kon Ichikawa,

Stars:

Keiko Kishi, Yoshiko Sakuma, Sayuri Yoshinaga

6 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Keiko Kishi	...	Tsuruko Makioka
Yoshiko Sakuma	...	Sachiko Makioka
Sayuri Yoshinaga	...	Yukiko Makioka
Yûko Kotegawa	...	Taeko Makioka
Jûzô Itami	...	Tatsuo, Tsuruko's husband
Kôji Ishizaka	...	Teinosuke, Sachiko's husband
Toshiyuki Hosokawa	...	Hashidera
Ittoku Kishibe	...	Itakura
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Takenori Emoto	...	Higashiya
Jun Hamamura	...	Otokichi
Jun Hashizume	...	Soldier
Akiji Kobayashi	...	Seitaro Jinba
Kazuya Kosaka	...	Nomura
Kuniko Miyake	...	Tominaga's aunt
Akemi Negishi	...	Mrs. Shimozuma

Storyline

This sensuously beautiful film chronicles the activities of four sisters who gather in Kyoto every year to view the cherry blossoms. It paints a vivid portrait of the pre-war lifestyle of the wealthy Makioka family from Osaka, and draws a parallel between their activities and the seasonal variations in Japan.

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Plot Keywords:

cherry blossom | japan | sister | electronic music score | arranged marriage | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

30 December 1983 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Makioka Sisters

Filming Locations:

Kyoto, Japan

Company Credits

Production Co:

Toho Eizo Co.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

140 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Version of Sasameyuki (1959)

User Reviews

A Wonderful Film for Japanophiles

I give this film 10 out of 10 as even after seeing it more than 10 times it still moves me deeply. I was 15 years old when I first saw this movie in the theater in Seattle. I went back to see it again a couple of weeks later. The first 13 minutes during the credits is my favorite scene, filmed in Kyoto in Springtime. Read the book for more background. The Kimono worn by the female actresses are amazing. The late Juzo Itami plays the father. All the dialog is spoken in "Osaka-ben" or Osaka dialect, which has a softer sound than Tokyo dialect. You can also hear some Kyoto-ben too ("gomen-yasu" said by a servant upon entering in the first scene before entering the room). This film brings me to tears it is so beautiful. At the end of the first scene, when the camera pans out to the cherry blossoms outside and the music starts...it is cinematic heaven! I am waiting for this film to come out on DVD.