The Life of Chikuzan

After over 50 years of wandering up and down Japan, finally in the 1970s, the rough-hewn blind shamisen player and folk-song collector named Takahashi Chikuzan became a musical sensation. This biographical drama chronicles his wanderings and his life, with a particular focus on his humble beginnings as a peasant on a remote and arid island.

Cast

Ryūzō Hayashi

Chikuzan Takahashi

Nobuko Otowa

Toyo, Mother

Mitsuko Baisho

Chikuzan's 2nd wife

Dai Kanai

Sadakichi, Father

Hiroko Isayama

Tomiko

Hideo Kanze

Tokura

Atsuko Kawaguchi

Otoki

Takuzō Kawatani

Senta

Hōsei Komatsu

Goto

Akemi Negishi

Tami

Sumie Sasaki

Maid

Yoshie Shimamura