Kwaidan

Overview

Taking its title from an archaic Japanese word meaning "ghost story," this anthology adapts four folk tales. A penniless samurai marries for money with tragic results. A man stranded in a blizzard is saved by Yuki the Snow Maiden, but his rescue comes at a cost. Blind musician Hoichi is forced to perform for an audience of ghosts. An author relates the story of a samurai who sees another warrior's reflection in his teacup.

Trailer

Play trailer: Official 4K Restoration Trailer [Subtitled]

Official video hosted on YouTube. The player loads only when you press play.

Cast and crew

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  Michiyo AratamaFirst Wife (segment "The Black Hair")

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  Rentaro MikuniHusband (segment "The Black Hair")

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  Misako WatanabeSecond Wife (segment "The Black Hair")

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  Kenjirō IshiyamaFather (segment "The Black Hair")

• R

  Ranko AkagiMother (segment "The Black Hair")

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  Fumie Kitahara(segment "The Black Hair")

• K

  Kappei Matsumoto(segment "The Black Hair") (uncredited)

• Y

  Yoshiko Ieda(segment "The Black Hair") (uncredited)

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  Otome Tsukimiya(segment "The Black Hair") (uncredited)

• K

  Kenzō Tanaka(segment "The Black Hair") (uncredited)

• K

  Kiyoshi Nakano(segment "The Black Hair") (uncredited)

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  Tatsuya NakadaiMinokichi (segment "The Woman of the Snow")

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  Keiko KishiYuki the Snow Maiden (segment "The Woman of the Snow")

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  Yūko MochizukiMinokichi's Mother (segment "The Woman of the Snow")

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  Kin SugaiVillage Woman (segment "The Woman of the Snow")

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  Noriko SengokuVillage Woman (segment "The Woman of the Snow")

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  Akiko Nomura(segment "The Woman of the Snow") (uncredited)

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  Torahiko Hamada(segment "The Woman of the Snow") (uncredited)

Director

Masaki Kobayashi

Writer

Yōko Mizuki and Lafcadio Hearn

Music

Tōru Takemitsu

Cinematography

Yoshio Miyajima