The 8-Tomb Village (1996)
"Yatsuhaka-mura" (original title)

Director:

Kon Ichikawa

Writers:

Kon Ichikawa (screenplay), Ikuko Oyabu (screenplay),

Stars:

Etsushi Toyokawa, Yûko Asano, Yu Ji Chin Ye

1 win & 7 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Etsushi Toyokawa	...	Koichi Kindaichi
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Yûko Asano	...	Miyako Mori
Yu Ji Chin Ye
Hisashi Igawa	...	Lawyer Suwa
Renji Ishibashi	...	Priest
Saburô Ishikura	...	Tokunosuke
Takeshi Katô	...	Detective Todoroki
Ittoku Kishibe	...	Yozo, Hisaya and Shozaemon Tajimi (plays 3 parts)
Kyôko Kishida	...	Kotake and Koume Tajimi (plays 2 parts)
Mai Kitajima	...	Noriko Satomura
Akiji Kobayashi	...	Head of a factory
Shigeru Kôyama	...	Doctor
Hisako Manda	...	Haruyo Tajimi
Kayoko Shiraishi	...	Nun
Kazuya Takahashi	...	Tatsuya Terada

Storyline

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Plot Keywords:

remake | based on novel

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Genres:

Mystery

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Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

26 October 1996 (Japan)

Also Known As:

The 8-Tomb Village

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fuji Television Network, Kadokawa Shoten Publishing Co., Toho Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

126 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

User Reviews

Mostly Entertaining but not up to Ichikawa's Standards

It's so hard to find any of Kon Ichikawa's later films in this country that I wouldn't want to discourage anyone from watching The 8 Tomb Village, should the opportunity arise. Nevertheless I felt that it was sub-par for a director like Ichikawa whose mastery of the medium deserves a great deal more notice than it has received.

The Walt Disney influence definitely comes through in The 8 Tomb Village (as it does in Dora-Heita) and dominates the picture's aesthetic, particularly the mood. It also did not seem to be as sophisticated or complex as some of his other films like Enjo, Kagi, or even Watashi wa Ni-sei. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but since there is a twenty-five year gap in my familiarity with Ichikawa (from Tokyo Olympiad 'til now) perhaps there is something I'm missing. Also, I'm not sure that the transfer I saw (a dub of a Japanese DVD) was the greatest possible quality.

Nevertheless, Ichikawa's characters are typically quirky and a pleasure to watch as they inhabit their peculiar little world. A must for Ichikawa fans, but definitely not a place to start for those that are unfamiliar with this unknown (in the West) master.