Noboru Nakamura

Shinya Ban returns from the south and is deeply disappointed when he learns,
that his mutual friend Yuriko is marrying Toshio, the son of Zenpei Hamaguchi,
for her obligation. He encouraged the unhappy Yuriko,
and taught her how to make her marriage with Toshio a happy one.
He makes a fresh start as an architect under the care of Ryosuke Shibata,
who had taken care of his father, but Ryosuke’s daughter Sumiko has feelings for him.
Fujie Kakimoto’s son Koichi came to know about Sumiko,
and asked her to marry him after coming to Shinya to ask for her design.Read More »

A woman is pushed into prostitution by her violent yakuza boyfriend.Read More »

Quote:
After World War II, Fuji Photo Film Co. Ltd. developed and launched colour film stocks, with which the first Japanese natural colour features Carmen Comes Home (1951) and Natsuko’s Adventure in Hokkaido were produced by Shochiku; the latter has seldom been presented as its existing print is an incomplete one. Adapted from an early serial fiction by Yukio Mishima, it is a melodrama with women as subjects—a genre Nakamura was best at, with excellent representation of Mishima’s persevering characters. Born to a prestigious family, Natsuko is not impressed by any one of her suitors. Determined to spend her life serving god, she sets off to a convent in Hakodate, Hokkaido and meets along the way a young bear-hunter with whom she begins an adventure. A few scenes are missing in this print, one of which near the end is without a soundtrack; lines in the original script are inserted in these scenes to make up for these defects, which do not discount the film’s status as a valuable film capturing Hakodate in its glorious and vibrant colours.Read More »

There’s no place like home:even with four children,the Uemura family is able to live
a modest but happy life in their cramped, rented flat. The parents support the two elder daughters’ artistic ambitions to the best of their ability, using all the means at their disposal to make it possible for Tomoko to paint and Nobuko to sing in a choir.
There is much rejoicing when the father is honoured for 25 years of service at his
company and awarded a cash prize to boot. Yet the family must make the painful discovery that joy and sorrow are often not far apart: not only does recognition as a painter continue to elude Tomoko, the Uemuras also learn that they will have to leave their home.
One of Tomoko’s paintings finally restores their lost happiness.Read More »

Tetsuro Tamba portrays Kotaro Takamura, one of Japan’s most celebrated artists. A poet and sculptor, Takamura is married to Chieko (Shima Iwashita), who has artistic aspirations of her own. She gradually comes to realize that her husband has all the talent in the family; as she sinks deeper into depression, Takamura tries to comfort her by writing several poems in her honor. She descends into insanity, while Takamura manifests his despair into some of his greatest artistic achievements. Originally titled Chieko-sho, this Japanese film earned a 1968 Oscar nomination for “Best Foreign Film.”Read More »

A young woman working in a bar is pushed into prostitution by her violent yakuza boyfriendRead More »