searching for a movie title

[Roland Domenig]

> Hi. A friend of mine is wondering if anyone knows the name of the
> following movie: it's about a woman koto or shamisen player who goes
> through various travails and a journey of self-discovery, and the tale
> ultimately ends unhappily. My friend remembers that the cinematography was
> beautiful. she saw it many years ago.>

Your friend is most likely looking for Shinoda Masahiro's HANAREGOZE ORIN
(Banished Orin, 1978), a film about a blind Shamisen-player who is banished
from her troupe because of her sexual relations with men.
The film was shot by Miyagawa Kazuo and is indeed very beautiful.


Roland Domenig
Institute for Japanese Studies
University of Vienna