Kwaidan

Overview

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.

Directed by Masaki Kobayashi

Top cast

Michiyo Aratama

First Wife (segment "The Black Hair")

Rentaro Mikuni

Husband (segment "The Black Hair")

Misako Watanabe

Second Wife (segment "The Black Hair")

Kenjirō Ishiyama

Father (segment "The Black Hair")

R

Ranko Akagi

Mother (segment "The Black Hair")

Fumie Kitahara

(segment "The Black Hair")

K

Kappei Matsumoto

(segment "The Black Hair") (uncredited)

Y

Yoshiko Ieda

(segment "The Black Hair") (uncredited)

Otome Tsukimiya

(segment "The Black Hair") (uncredited)

K

Kenzō Tanaka

(segment "The Black Hair") (uncredited)

K

Kiyoshi Nakano

(segment "The Black Hair") (uncredited)

Tatsuya Nakadai

Minokichi (segment "The Woman of the Snow")

Keiko Kishi

Yuki the Snow Maiden (segment "The Woman of the Snow")

Yūko Mochizuki

Minokichi's Mother (segment "The Woman of the Snow")

Kin Sugai

Village Woman (segment "The Woman of the Snow")

Noriko Sengoku

Village Woman (segment "The Woman of the Snow")

Akiko Nomura

(segment "The Woman of the Snow") (uncredited)

Torahiko Hamada

(segment "The Woman of the Snow") (uncredited)

Jun Hamamura

(segment "The Woman of the Snow")

K

Katsuo Nakamura

Hoichi (segment "Hoichi the Earless")

Details