Kawamoto completed a total of 10 short works and the features rennyo and his mother 1981 and a book of a dead person 2005, as well as overseeing the 2003 omnibus winter. The learned and beautiful lady iratsume of the aristocratic fujiwara clan receives a vision of a deity when she contemplates mt. A crucial figure in the field of independent art animation in japan and the president of the japan animation association jaa since 1988, kawamoto began his film career after entering the toho companys art department as an assistant in 1946, following an introduction from a school friend, muraki yoshiro, who went on to become kurosawa akiras longterm production designer. The book of the dead is a film directed by kihachiro kawamoto with animation. Shisha no sho the book of the dead 2005 rotten tomatoes. Bored and unfamiliar with the world outside her estate, she passes the time copying a special buddhist sutra sent by her father who has been absent on official business for years. Iratsume, a woman of noble descent, one night sees a luminous vision that she believes to be the buddha, compelling her to leave home and journey to a sacred temple. But the genre has never been as disturbing as it is in the atmospheric films of japanese stopmotion and puppet legend kihachiro kawamoto. Trailer for kihachiro kawamotos stopmotion masterpiece, shisha no sho book of the dead. Filmmaker kihachiro kawamoto makes puppetry even more. The book of the dead shisha no sho is kawamotos second feature length stop motion puppet animation, after rennyo and his mother rennyo to sono haha in 1981. Arriving simultaneously from kimstim is kawamotos extraordinary the book of the dead 2005, a featurelength extravagance one hour plus ten minutes of credits.
Embellished with supernatural elements, it is the story of. Puppet animation by legendary master kihachiro kawamoto. It will have its world premiere as a part of a special retrospective tribute at the 40th karlovy vary international film festival july 19, 2005, karlovy vary, czech republic. One such character is kihachiro kawamoto, a pioneer in the neglected field of stop motion puppet animation. In a crowded city, a young japanese woman dreams of taking a holiday to europe.
Many old people feel shameful for needing so much care, they have become a burden to their children. Kihachiro kawamoto effectively uses an old fairytale to communicated issues about elderly care in modern society. They include the demon 1973, dojoji temple 1976, house of flame 1979, rennyo and his mother 1981, the sleeping beauty 1990 and a book of a dead person 2005. Based on a story by early 20th century writer shinobu origuchi, the book of the dead 2005 suggests summary of puppet animator kihachiro kawamoto s previous work. A short animation by japanese stop motion artist, kihachiro kawamoto. With kyoko kishida, tetsuko kuroyanagi, rie miyazawa.
The exquisite short films of kihachiro kawamoto represents a decade of work from a stylish and distinctive japanese stopmotion animator. Set in the nara period ad 710784, just after the introductio. I returned to his unforgettable images, along with masayuki miyatas as references for a current project. He is bestremembered in japan as designer of the puppets for the longrunning nhk live. The renowned kihachiro kawamoto is regarded as the master of japanese puppet animation. Kihachiro kawamoto director shinobu origuchi screenwriter previous cast members more cast members. Master animator kihachiro kawamoto weaves this intoxicatingly visual adventure concerning an 8th century japanese noblewoman who leaves her family behind in order to follow the drifting spirit of. Find release information for the book of the dead 2005 kihachiro kawamoto on allmovie. The story takes place as buddhism is being introduced to japan from china. Overview of book of the dead, the, 2005, directed by kihachiro kawamoto, with kyoko kishida, tetsuko kuroyanagi, rie miyazawa, at turner classic movies. Buddhism has recently been imported from china and is all the rage amongst the nobility.
Wfac 2006 trailer shisha no sho book of the dead youtube. Iratsume, a young woman from a noble house, becomes obsessed with the new religion. It had its world premiere as a part of a special retrospective tribute at the 40th karlovy vary international film festival july 19, 2005, karlovy vary, czech republic. Kihachiro kawamoto, japanese puppet designer and animator. The fact that kawamoto has finally realised it is a testament to his tenacity and creative longevity. The origami cutouts, drab in charcoal yet appropriate for the magical realism abe conveys in his original short story, move around all janky and stiff, as if the weariness of the factory workers. Kihachiro kawamoto at the 2006 ottawa international animation festival, sitting next to the puppet of the main character from the film. The demon, dojoji temple, and the book of the dead by kihachiro kawamoto introduction and discussion by animation critic charles solomon. It was a time when buddhism was just making inroads into japan from neighboring. A collection of his shorts has also been released for englishspeaking audiences on dvd, and after watching dead im making it a priority to track. Master animator kihachiro kawamoto weaves this intoxicatingly visual adventure concerning an 8th century japanese noblewoman who leaves her family behind in order to follow the drifting spirit of an executed prince.
A lot can be said for artistic design, which is the primary strength within kihachiro kawamotos historical puppetry drama, the book of the dead. A poets life, beautifully brought to life by esteemed puppet animator kihachiro kawamoto, feels more like a living book than a full, animated work. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Trailer for kihachiro kawamoto s stopmotion masterpiece, shisha no sho book of the dead. The book of the dead by kihachiro kawamoto kihachiro.
The plot concerns a sheltered aristocratic woman in feudal japan. This film is a japanese stop motion animation feature directed by kihachiro kawamoto, based on the novel of the same title by shinobu orikuchio. Animator puppets make their own story, while with cut out animation the story is created by the animator. From an early age, he was captivated by the art of doll and puppet making. Japan japanese with english subtitles 2005 animation. I knew nothing about kihachiro kawamoto, but my love of japanese puppet theater, aesthetics, and animation drew me to watch the book of the dead, and his shorts at the pacific film archive in berkeley, ca. The tales here range from traditional folklore to more surreal ruminations on the modern condition, and the animation has a variety of looks that incorporates puppet theatre and cutout drawings. Kihachiro kawamoto 2 was a japanese designer and maker of puppets, an animator, writer and director of independentlymade stop mo. A filmmaker who animated puppets using the stopmotion animation technique, kawamotos stories drew upon european influences while also reflecting japanese traditions. Nara in the nara period mid the book of the dead shisha no sho kawamoto kihachiro 2005 70 min october 3rd 20, 19. The book of the dead takes place as buddhism is being introduced to japan from china. Below is a synopsis, from the website of international sales agent 100 meter films y.
Kawamoto has a grandmasters reputation in japan, even if he has relatively little recorded output to go with it. The book of the dead 2005 a noblewoman has a vision that leads her to take a journey. Born in 1925, kawamoto has been working in the medium since the 1950s, but it was not until a fortuitous meeting with the czech maestro jiri. Theres magic within kawamotos craft and pondering ideals, yet it seems like this piece leaves a bit to be desired. The book of the dead, originally known in japanese as shisha no sho it was also translated as the book of a dead person. However, her journey in this foreign land turns out to be not so much a respite as a surreal nightmare, in which the repeated thwarting of her efforts to reunite. The book of the dead, only his second fulllength feature film, has been something of a longterm ambition, constantly deferred through lack of funds. The book of the dead the 2005 movie, trailers, videos and more at yidio.