Kwaidan (1965) | Movie Rankings

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Kwaidan

1965·183 min

Kwaidan

Directed by Masaki Kobayashi

HorrorFantasyDrama

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.

Cast

Michiyo Aratama

First Wife (segment "The Black Hair")

Husband (segment "The Black Hair")

Misako Watanabe

Second Wife (segment "The Black Hair")

Kenjirō Ishiyama

Father (segment "The Black Hair")

Crew

Screenplay

Shigeru Wakatsuki

Producer

Original Music Composer

Yoshio Miyajima

Director of Photography

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Ranko Akagi

Mother (segment "The Black Hair")

(segment "The Black Hair")

Kappei Matsumoto

(segment "The Black Hair") (uncredited)

(segment "The Black Hair") (uncredited)

Otome Tsukimiya

(segment "The Black Hair") (uncredited)

(segment "The Black Hair") (uncredited)

(segment "The Black Hair") (uncredited)

Tatsuya Nakadai

Minokichi (segment "The Woman of the Snow")

Yuki the Snow Maiden (segment "The Woman of the Snow")

Yūko Mochizuki

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

Village Woman (segment "The Woman of the Snow")

Village Woman (segment "The Woman of the Snow")

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

Torahiko Hamada

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

(segment "The Woman of the Snow")

Katsuo Nakamura

Hoichi (segment "Hoichi the Earless")

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Quick Answers

What is Kwaidan about?

Kwaidan (1965) is about 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.

Who directed Kwaidan?

Masaki Kobayashi directed Kwaidan (1965).

How highly ranked is Kwaidan?

Movie Rankings is still collecting enough aggregate data to place Kwaidan (1965) confidently in the all-time rankings.

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Poster, synopsis, cast, crew, and release metadata sourced from TMDB.

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