Kwaidan (怪談) 59 years old

Bizarre, unearthly, terrifying - a nation's legend, an author's imagination, a director's creation manifest in the superlative - Kwaidan

Kwaidan

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.

Credits

Kwaidan Cast

Name Character
Shigeru Kôyama He was 35, 87 years old when he died as (segment "Chawan no naka")
Aiko Nagayama She was 23, now 83 years old as (segment "Miminashi Hôichi no hanashi")
Eiko Muramatsu She was 26, now 86 years old as Kenreiinmon (segment "Miminashi Hôichi no hanashi")
Tatsuya Nakadai He was 32, now 91 years old as Mi nokichi (segment "Yuki-Onna")
Hideyo Amamoto He was 38, 77 years old when he died as (segment "Chawan no naka")
Seiji Miyaguchi He was 51, 71 years old when he died as Old man (segment "Chawan no naka")
Takashi Shimura He was 59, 76 years old when he died as Head priest (segment "Miminashi Hôichi no hanashi")
Kei Sato He was 36, 81 years old when he died as Ghost samurai (segment "Chawan no naka")
Rentarō Mikuni He was 41, 90 years old when he died as Husband (segment "Kurokami")
Kazuo Kitamura He was 37, 80 years old when he died as Taira no Tomomori (segment "Miminashi Hôichi no hanashi")
Jun Hamamura He was 58, 89 years old when he died as (segment "Yuki-Onna")
Katsuo Nakamura He was 26, now 86 years old as Hoichi (segment "Miminashi Hôichi no hanashi")
Masakazu Kuwayama He was 42, 61 years old when he died as (segment "Miminashi Hôichi no hanashi")
Kunie Tanaka He was 32, now 91 years old as Yasaku (segment "Miminashi Hôichi no hanashi")
Michiyo Aratama She was 34, 71 years old when she died as First wife (segment "Kurokami")
Torahiko Hamada He was 45, 90 years old when he died as (segment "Yuki-Onna")
Keiko Kishi She was 32, now 92 years old as Yuki the Snow Maiden (segment "Yuki-Onna")
Noriko Sengoku She was 42, 90 years old when she died as Village woman (segment "Yuki-Onna")
Kenjiro Ishiyama He was 61, 72 years old when he died as Father (segment "Kurokami")
Ganjirō Nakamura He was 62, 81 years old when he died as Publisher (segment "Chawan no naka") (as Ganjirô Nakamura)
Isao Tamagawa He was 42, 82 years old when he died as (segment "Chawan no naka")
Ichirô Nakatani He was 34, 73 years old when he died as (segment "Miminashi Hôichi no hanashi")
Akira Tani He was 0, now 59 years old as Huntsman #2 (segment "Miminashi Hôichi no hanashi")
Jun Tazaki He was 51, 72 years old when he died as Kannai's Colleague #1 (segment "Chawan no naka")
Kan'emon Nakamura as Kannai - a Guard (segment "Chawan no naka")
Atsuo Nakamura He was 24, now 84 years old as (segment "Miminashi Hôichi no hanashi")
Haruo Kaji as (segment "Miminashi Hôichi no hanashi")
Akiji Kobayashi He was 34, 65 years old when he died as (segment "Chawan no naka")
Ginzô Sekiguchi as (segment "Miminashi Hôichi no hanashi") (as Kinzô Sekiguchi)
Misako Watanabe She was 32, now 92 years old as Second Wife (segment "Kurokami")
Kyôichi Satô He was 28, now 87 years old as (segment "Miminashi Hôichi no hanashi")
Kin Sugai She was 38, 92 years old when she died as Village woman (segment "Yuki-Onna")
Tetsurō Tamba He was 42, 84 years old when he died as Warrior (segment "Miminashi Hôichi no hanashi")
Haruko Sugimura She was 55, 88 years old when she died as Madame (segment "Chawan no naka")
Junkichi Orimoto He was 37, 92 years old when he died as (segment "Chawan no naka")
Noboru Nakaya He was 35, 77 years old when he died as Shikibu Heinai (segment "Chawan no naka")
Akiko Nomura She was 37, now 97 years old as (segment "Yuki-Onna")
Yōsuke Kondō He was 0, now 59 years old as (segment "Miminashi Hôichi no hanashi")
Teruhiko Shibata as (segment "Miminashi Hôichi no hanashi")
Yûko Mochizuki She was 47, 60 years old when she died as Minokichi's mother (segment "Yuki-Onna")
Tokue Hanazawa as (segment "Miminashi Hôichi no hanashi")
Yuriko Abe as (segment "Miminashi Hôichi no hanashi")
Toshio Fukuhara as (segment "Miminashi Hôichi no hanashi")
Michiko Nakahata She was 43, 51 years old when she died as (segment "Miminashi Hôichi no hanashi")
Kiyoshi Yamamoto He was 81, 76 years old when he died as (segment "Miminashi Hôichi no hanashi")
Kappei Matsumoto He was 59, 90 years old when he died as (segment "Kurokami")
Michio Gina as (segment "Miminashi Hôichi no hanashi")
Yoshirô Aoki He was 35, 70 years old when he died as (segment "Chawan no naka")
Shin Tatsuoka He was 60, 78 years old when he died as (segment "Miminashi Hôichi no hanashi")
Nobuo Aikawa as (segment "Miminashi Hôichi no hanashi")
Otome Tsukimiya as (segment "Kurokami")
Gen'ya Nagai as (segment "Miminashi Hôichi no hanashi")
Mitsuko Narita as (segment "Miminashi Hôichi no hanashi")
Mutsuhiko Tsurumaru as (segment "Miminashi Hôichi no hanashi")
Nobuaki Maeda He was 57, 67 years old when he died as (segment "Miminashi Hôichi no hanashi")
Toshiro Yagi as (segment "Miminashi Hôichi no hanashi") (as Toshirô Yagi)
Masanori Tomotake He was 33, 61 years old when he died as (segment "Miminashi Hôichi no hanashi")
Osamu Takizawa He was 58, 93 years old when he died as Author / Narrator (segment "Chawan no naka")
Kiyoshi Nakano He was 28, now 88 years old as (segment "Kurokami")
Hikaru Jinno as (segment "Miminashi Hôichi no hanashi")
Ranko Akagi She was 50, 59 years old when she died as Mother (segment "Kurokami")
Fumie Kitahara She was 44, 60 years old when she died as (segment "Kurokami")
Kinji Omino He was 28, now 88 years old as (segment "Miminashi Hôichi no hanashi")
Yoichi Hayashi He was 22, now 82 years old as Attendant (segment "Miminashi Hôichi no hanashi")
Shizue Natsukawa She was 55, 89 years old when she died as Taira no Tokiko (segment "Miminashi Hôichi no hanashi")
Yuri Satô as (segment "Miminashi Hôichi no hanashi")
Yoshiko Ieda She was 23, now 83 years old as (segment "Kurokami")
Akio Miyabe He was 33, 75 years old when he died as (segment "Miminashi Hôichi no hanashi")
Seiji Tabe as (segment "Miminashi Hôichi no hanashi")
Makiko Kitashiro She was 46, 76 years old when she died as (segment "Miminashi Hôichi no hanashi")
Taiji Kodama as (segment "Miminashi Hôichi no hanashi")
Kirô Abe as (segment "Miminashi Hôichi no hanashi")
Akiko Naraoka as Suzue, Kannai's Sister (In a Cup of Tea)
Kenzô Tanaka as (segment "Kurokami")
Toru Uchida as (segment "Miminashi Hôichi no hanashi") (as Tôru Uchida)
Noriko Mikura as (segment "Miminashi Hôichi no hanashi")

Kwaidan Crew

Name Department
Toru Takemitsu as Original Music Composer. He was 34 (65) years old when He died Sound
Yoko Mizuki as Screenplay. She was 54 (91) years old when She died Writing
Shigeru Wakatsuki as Producer. Production
Yoshio Miyajima as Cinematography. He was 55 (89) years old when He died Crew
Lafcadio Hearn as Novel. He was 114 (54) years old when He died Writing
Hisashi Sagara as Editor. Editing
Shigemasa Toda as Art Direction. Art
Kwaidan poster
Kwaidan (59 years)

Bizarre, unearthly, terrifying - a nation's legend, an author's imagination, a director's creation manifest in the superlative - Kwaidan

  • Release day: Tuesday, December 29, 1964
  • Runtime: 183 minutes