Onmyoji (film)
Onmyoji | |
---|---|
Directed by | Yōjirō Takita |
Produced by |
Kazuya Hamana Tetsuji Hayashi Nobuyuki Tohya |
Written by | Baku Yumemakura |
Starring |
Mansai Nomura Hideaki Ito Hiroyuki Sanada |
Music by | Shigeru Umebayashi |
Cinematography | Naoki Kayano |
Running time | 112 min. |
Language | Japanese |
Onmyoji (陰陽師) is a Japanese movie that was released in 2001 and sent to the US in 2004. Directed by Yōjirō Takita, it tells of the exploits of Abe no Seimei, in middle ages, the Onmyoji (also known as: The Yin Yang Master) from the court of the Emperor. He befriended bungling court noble, Minamoto no Hiromasa, who enlists his aid to defend the Heian emperor. Meanwhile, an opposing onmyoji Doson is plotting the downfall of the emperor, while attempting to frame Seimei by unleashing a horde of yōkai to do his bidding.
There are some modern depictions of Onmyoji magic involving divination, transforming paper cutouts into beautiful maidens, and the like. Mansai Nomura is a famous kyogen actor, a type of traditional theater related to noh but of a more comic nature, and this role is considered something of a big transition for him. His portrayal of Abe no Seimei has been described as including a number of 'foxy' looks, perhaps in acknowledging the folklore describing Abe no Seimei's mother as a kitsune. The lead actress, Eriko Imai, a pop singer, has very few lines and little involvement with the plot. The film was a commercial success grossing ¥3,010,000,000 ($36,567,313) becoming the 4th highest earning Japanese production of 2001.[1] The film was also giving a limited theater release in North America where it grossed $16,234 in 3 theaters.[2]
A sequel, Onmyoji 2, appeared in 2003. Both movies are based on the Onmyoji novels by Baku Yumemakura, which also inspired a manga series by Reiko Okano.
Cast
- Mansai Nomura: Abe no Seimei
- Hideaki Ito: Minamoto no Hiromasa
- Eriko Imai: Mitsumushi
- Yui Natsukawa: Fujiwara no Sukehime
- Mai Hosho: Uri no onna
- Kenichi Yajima : Fujiwara no Morosuke
- Kenjiro Ishimaru: Onmyo-gashira
- Kenichi Ishii: Fujiwara no Kaneie
- Houka Kinoshita : Kanmu-Ten'nou
- Sachiko Kokubu: Fujiwara no Tadako
- Kenji Yamaki: Tachibana no Udon
- Akira Emoto: Fujiwara no Motokata
- Masato Hagiwara: Sawara-Shin'nou
- Ittoku Kishibe: The Emperor
- Kyōko Koizumi: Aone
- Hiroyuki Sanada: Douson
Dub cast
- Terrence Stone: Abe no Seimei
- Mona Marshall: Fujiwara no Sukehime
- Richard Cansino: Fujiwara no Morosuke
- Tom Wyner: Fujiwara no Motokata
- Bob Papenbrook: Tachibana no Ukon
- Tony Oliver: Prince Sawara
- Kari Wahlgren: Aone
- Steve Kramer: Doson
- Brandon Jones: Minahoto no Hirosoma
- Simon Prescott: Empero
- Helen Storm: Toko
- Jim Taggert: Nagamasa
See also
- Tokyo: The Last Megalopolis: A blockbuster fantasy film which, along with its source novel Teito Monogatari, are widely credited with starting the "boom of interest" in onmyoji in Japanese popular culture.[3]
References
- ↑ http://www.eiren.org/toukei/2001.html
- ↑ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=onmyoji.htm
- ↑ Kazuhiko, Komatsu. "Seimei jinja" 28-61
External links
- Onmyoji at the Internet Movie Database
- Onmyoji) at allmovie
- "陰陽師" (in Japanese). Japanese Movie Database. Retrieved 2007-07-21.
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