Spring on Leper's Island (Japanese: 小島の春, romanized: Kojima no haru, lit. 'Spring on a Small Island') is a 1940 Japanese drama film directed by Shirō Toyoda. It is based on the memoir of Masako Ogawa, a Japanese doctor who specialised in leprosy treatment, and is noted by film historians for its humanist and compassionate theme in contrast to the militarist national film policy at the time.[3][4]
| Spring on Leper’s Island | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Japanese name | |
| Kanji | 小島の春 |
| Directed by | Shirō Toyoda |
| Written by |
|
| Produced by | Shigemune Kazunobu |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Kinya Ogura |
| Music by | Shūichi Tsugawa |
Production company | Tokyo Hassei Eiga |
| Distributed by | Toho |
Release date | |
Running time | 88 minutes |
| Country | Japan |
| Language | Japanese |
Plot
editMrs. Koyama, a young female doctor working at the Nagashima Aiseien Sanatorium, travels the islands of the Seto Inland Sea to talk leprosy patients into moving to the sanatorium where they can be treated and live together with other people affected by the disease. Many patients and their relatives are reluctant to the move; while family father Yokogawa is still trying to work to support his wife and children, others are hiding in their family's homes or in deserted shacks. In the end, Yokogawa gives in to the doctor's advice and follows her to the sanatorium. His saddened and angered son Kenzo watches his departure by boat from the island's harbour.
Cast
edit- Shizue Natsukawa as Mrs. Koyama
- Ichirō Sugai as Yokogawa
- Haruko Sugimura as Yokogawa's wife
- Yōtarō Katsumi as mayor
- Kan Hayashi as Horiguchi
- Yuriko Hanabusa as Horiguchi's wife
- Fudeko Tanaka as landlady
- Meiko Nakamura as Kiyoko
- Ken Mitsuda as Miyata
- Misako Shimizu as Toshi
- Shiro Mizutani as Kenzo
Historical background
editSpring on Leper’s Island was compliant with Japan's public health policy and its Leprosy Prevention Laws (last widened in 1931), which saw the increasing segregation of leprosy patients from their communities, a growing number of sanatoria where they were hospitalised,[5] and the launching of the No Leprosy Patients in Our Prefecture (muraiken undō) campaign[6] which Ogawa advocated. The film received a recommendation by Japan's Ministry Of Education.[2]
Awards
edit- 1941 Kinema Junpo Award for Best Film of the Year
References
edit- ^ "小島の春". Japanese Movie Database (in Japanese). Retrieved 2 August 2023.
- ^ a b Galbraith IV, Stuart (2008). The Toho Studios Story: A History and Complete Filmography. Lanham, Toronto, Plymouth: Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-6004-9.
- ^ Anderson, Joseph L.; Richie, Donald (1959). The Japanese Film – Art & Industry. Rutland, Vermont and Tokyo: Charles E. Tuttle Company.
- ^ "The best Japanese film of every year – from 1925 to now". British Film Institute. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
- ^ Ferber, Sarah; Wilde, Sally, eds. (2011). The Body Divided: Human Beings and Human 'Material' in Modern Medical History. Burlington, Farnham: Ashgate Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-0-7546-6834-3.
- ^ Miyasaka, Michio (2014). "Leprosy Control Policy in Japan". Niigata University. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
External links
edit- Spring on Leper's Island at IMDb
- Spring on Leper's Island at the Japanese Movie Database (in Japanese)