Details
HISTORICA SPECIAL
How did an obscure doctor save Japan from an unprecedented plague?
Kasahara Ryosaku, a doctor and Chinese herbalist of the Fukui domain, was feeling helpless as he had been unable to help his patients suffering with smallpox. While traveling, Ryosaku meets Otake Ryogen, a doctor of Ranpo Igaku (Dutch medicine) who tells him that Ranpo Igaku might be able to cure smallpox while Chinese medicine is powerless against it. Deciding to study Western medicine, Ryosaku becomes a deciple of Hino Teisai, a Rampo Igaku practitioner from Kyoto. Through Teisai’s lessons, Ryosaku learns about inoculation. However, since smallpox vaccine had to be imported from overseas under governmental approval, implementing this practice seemed like a distant dream. Nevertheless, Ryosaku’s friends come to his aid; his buddy Nakai secures permission from the Shogunate while Teisai gives him the vaccines. Now, will Ryosaku be able to bring the vaccine back home, perform a successful inoculation, and save the people?
Director Takashi Koizumi
Actor Tori Matsuzaka, Kyoko Yoshine, Koji Yakusho
Japan｜ 2024｜ 117min｜ 日本語｜ ENGLISH｜ Shochiku｜
- Human Drama
director
Takashi Koizumi [Film Director]
Koizumi was born in Mito, Ibaraki, in 1944. He started his apprenticeship under director Akira Kurosawa in 1970 and worked as his assistant for 28 years. He made his debut as a director with “After the Rain” (2000) based on the last screenplay by Kurosawa which won him the CinemAwenire Award at the Venice Film Festival and eight Japanese Academy Awards including Best Film. Later, he directed “Letters from the Mountains” (2002), “The Professor and His Beloved Equation” (2006), “Best Wishes for Tomorrow” (2008), and “A Samurai Chronicle” (2014), winning various awards including the Japanese Academy Awards. He has also worked as a screenwriter for “Samurai’s Promise” (2018).
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