Set in the late 13th century Kyoto, an era of the Kamakura Shogunate this was a period of transition, known for the emergence of the samurai warrior caste, and for the establishment of feudalism in Japan.
Shijo (Janet Hatta) is an attractive & perceptive peasant girl who is sold & given over to the Imperial Court,to live her life as a concubine. She is soon bored by her confined superficial life, one of seclusion, one of an exploited object, a plaything of the court. Shijo is however emboldened in the progressive era, in a new social environment of a declining aristocracy. With an ascending military and peasant class, of great attraction to Shijo is the expansion of Buddhist Teachings. Shijo .decides to join a Buddhist sect, becoming a nun she chooses to pursue a life without desire, and now spends her days on a permanent pilgrimage wandering the countryside.....
The wonderful film from Akio Jissôji is an incredibly stylish and creative Art Theatre Guild Production. A sensory delight, sumptuous, poetic, dreamlike, an outstanding beautifully filmed & acted historical drama, mystic tale... Surprisingly little known, a master work from Jissôji . Highly Recommended.
