"Sakuran" and Mika Ninagawa's colorful world

Nihon Keizai Shinbun puts up a special report about Mika Ninagawa's first film "Sakuran", a manga-based pop story of Edo Period oiran, starring Anna Tsuchiya　("Kamikaze Girls").  Mika Ninagawa is a daughter of the famous stage play director Yukio Ninagawa, and has been working as a photographer.

Ninagawa selected gold fish as the motif of Yoshiwara, an official red-light district in Edo.  The oirans are the high class prostitutes, and they are often compared to gold fish, who are in gorgeous costumes but are confined in a small world with no way out.  Ninagawa once took photos of gold fish for her photo book and did a lot of research about them, and started to think, "it may be human's complacency to think that gold fish are poor creatures.  They have no predator and get to eat everyday - they may be happy there."

Yoshiwara and its oirans are often pictured in tragedy contexts in films and literatures, but for this one, the heroin Kiyoha is not a pitiful woman at all - she is the top star, but strong-willed and loves to fight.  She often tries to escape from Yoshiwara, but gets caught and comes back with an attitude.  Ninagawa thinks, "not all the oirans were pitiful people.  Women are often much stronger and audacious.  So I decided to make it the story of a super-cool woman.  And that is the significance that I, as a woman, direct this film."

Ninagawa's photographic works are known for the vivid psychedelic colors, and she takes this sense of color to her first film.  Oirans' super-colorful kimonos are designed with modern color combinations, while using classical patterns such as birds and flowers.  Kiyoha's costume in an oiran parade scene comsists with a red kimono with black dragon embroiderｙ, a black coat with bright pink bamboo design, and animal-print obi (belt) in front.  To understand the visuals of Yoshiwara, Ninagawa went through a huge volume of Ukiyoes (wooden block prints in Edo period), and reconstructed her own colorful world utilizing the spirit of the classic art.

Her father, Yukio, is an expert of blending the classic's spirit with his own edgy sense of beauty, such as his interpretation of Shakespeare in Kabuki.  Mika says "I have seen his works since I was very young, so I may have learned something without noticing."

"Sakuran" is scheduled to be released in the spring of 2007.  See this and this past entries for more about "Sakuran".

Source:  Nihon Keizai Shinbun

Comments

[Michi]

Thanks for your comment, Jason. I am looking forward to this film - it sounds my kind of movie. It also has many interesting aspects - manga meets period drama/geisha world, woman director, costumes and settings.

[jasong]

A piece in Sanspo last month covered a press conf. for the film, where Tsuchiya confidently stated "This is a film that can show other countries what 'Japanese Cinema' is."

Someone I know who has a bit part in the film said the set constructed at the Nikkatsu studios was quite amazing.

I like the fish fotos.