Yamazakura, The Cherry Tree in the Hills (山桜) 16 years old

Based on a short story written by Shuhei Fujisawa (who also wrote Twilight Samurai, The Hidden Blade, Love and Honor), the film depicts the uneasy life of Noe Isomura (Rena Tanaka) with the difficult family she has married into after her former husband passed away. One day as she tries to brake off a branch of a cherry tree, she is aided by a samurai who she does not recognize but who recognizes her. He turns out to be a former suitor that she never met named Yaichiro Tezuka (Noriyuki Higashiyama) and who teaches swordsmanship to the local samurai. Meanwhile, the powerful new chief retainer of the village enacts land policies that threaten the survival of the local farmers.

Credits

Yamazakura, The Cherry Tree in the Hills Cast

Name	Character
Rena Tanaka She was 28, now 44 years old	as Noe Isomura
Fumi Dan She was 53, now 70 years old
Sumiko Fuji She was 62, now 79 years old	as Shizu Tezuka (as Sumiko Fuji)

Yamazakura, The Cherry Tree in the Hills Crew

Name	Department
Yoshiyuki Okuhara as Editor. He was 54 (now 70) years old	Editing
Tokushô Kikumura as Director of Photography.	Camera
Shuhei Fujisawa as Novel. Shuhei Fujisawa was 81 (70) years old when Shuhei Fujisawa died	Writing
Satoshi Kôno as Co-Producer.	Production
Yasuo Hasegawa as Screenplay. He was 54 (now 71) years old	Writing
Kenzaburô Iida as Screenplay.	Writing
Tetsuo Shinohara as Director. He was 46 (now 62) years old	Directing