Onmyoji: The Yin Yang Master (2001)

When samurai Hiromasa comes to Seimei, Kyoto's court Onmyoji (a fortune teller in commune with the spirits), to warn of a plot against the government, the two discover that the court's formidable magician, Doson, is indeed planning a coup.

Director:

Yôjirô Takita

Writer:

Baku Yumemakura

Stars:

Mansai Nomura, Hideaki Itô, Hiroyuki Sanada

6 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Mansai Nomura	...	Abe no Seimei
Hideaki Itô	...	Minamoto no Hiromasa
Eriko Imai	...	Mitsumushi
Yui Natsukawa	...	Fujiwara no Sukehime
Mai Hosho	...	Uri no onna
Ken'ichi Yajima	...	Fujiwara no Morosuke
Kenjirô Ishimaru	...	Onmyo-gashira
Ken'ichi Ishii	...	Fujiwara no Kaneie
Hôka Kinoshita	...	Kanmu-Ten'nou
Sachiko Kokubu	...	Fujiwara no Tadako
Kenji Yamaki	...	Tachibana no Ukon
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Richard Cansino	...	Fujiwara no Morosuke (voice) (as Edward Zilla)
Peter Doyle	...	Nagamasa (voice) (as Jim Taggert)
Akira Emoto	...	Fujiwara no Motokata
Masato Hagiwara	...	Sawara-Shin'nou

Storyline

Set in the capital city of Kyoto during the Heian period, a magician and fortune teller Onmyoji Seimei is called in to assist Hiromasa to thwart court wizard and minister Doson who is suspected of being at the cusp of orchestrating a coup. With the physical and metaphysical worlds allied the combined force may have a chance to beat back Doson. Magic, surrealism and beauty fill the screen, and air,

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Plot Keywords:

supernatural power | psychotronic film | spell | magician | severed head | 

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Taglines:

In a heart of darkness lies a battle for this world and the next

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Fantasy | Horror

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence

Did You Know?

Trivia

From the Making-Of Documentary on the Special Edition DVD: - Total number of cuts: 1026 - Concept planning: 5 years - Number of days filming: 93 days - Number of days in post-production: 128 days - Location crew: 86 people - SFX crew: 31 people - CG integration staff: 37 people - Total number of crew: 154 people - Those who camped out for the first show: 400 people (at Nihon Gekijo Theater) - Number of theaters: 225 theaters - Number of viewers: 2.2 million people (as of Summer 2001) - Gross at box office: Approx. 3 billion yen (roughly $30 million USD)

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Connections

Followed by Onmyoji 2 (2003)

User Reviews

Holmes and Watson, Kyoto style...

This film could have been fabulous, but rather weak direction and a mediocre budget drops it to the "Good" category in my book.

Its chief attraction is the wonderful world of Buddhist sorcery that it conjures up, sorcerers chanting macabre spells in contest with each other in chants of increasing tension and beauty. Central to the plot is the relationship of the enigmatic magician Abe no Seimei (Holmes) and his young "ii otoko" apprentice Minamoto no Hiromaki, strolling around Heian Kyoto solving mysterious magical crimes.

Abe no Seimei and all his graceful rituals is a joy to watch and hear. Mansai Nomura really get top acting chops here for creating a wonderfully wierd and brilliant magician with an unforgettable grin like a sly fox. His contests with the equally well acted Doson (Hiroyuki Sanada) are the heights of the film in my opinion.

There is so much wonderful magic in this film, it is hard to say why it is not totally satisfying. The costumes are brilliant, but many of the sets look a bit shoddy. The story starts out complex and mysterious but then sort of falls into one dimensional "end of the world" boredom. Nomura and Sanada are brilliant, but many of the other actors can be amateurish. Overall it was hard to put my finger on, but I blamed the direction and cinematography most. There just was so much here that could have made a masterpiece, but one left with mixed feelings.

Highly recommended though despite its flaws. If the idea of seeing 11th century Kyoto YinYang master magicians duel it out in all their occult glory fascinates you, don't miss this.

Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

6 October 2001 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Onmyoji: The Yin Yang Master

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$6,258, 27 April 2003

Gross USA:

$16,234

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$16,234

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dentsu, Kadokawa Shoten Publishing Co., Toho Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1