settima

tokusatsu

大佛廻國 [Daibutsu kaikoku / The Great Buddha Arrival] (Yoshirō Edamasa, 1934)

Dec

22

Daibutsu kaikoku (1934)

Buddha takes a holiday. A gigantic Buddha statue rests his hand on a multi-story building in possibly Kyoto. In front and sprawling out are multiple small wooden establishments with people in kimono and several bicycles in front of them. A tram, the only thing that suggests the 20^th century, can be seen almost off-screen. (via). DPs: Haruzo Ando & Harumi Machii.

Something tall*

In this very early kaiju moving picture, Buddha returns and goes on a sightseeing trip through Japan.

* the Bales 2025 Film Challenge for December has a few dateless themes. This is one of them.

#Bales2025FilmChallenge #YoshirōEdamasa #HidemichiIshikawa #KazuyoKojima #TankaiSoganoya #HaruzoAndo #HarumiMachii #kaiju #tokusatsu #religion #Buddhism #Buddha #travelogue #Japan #1930s

妖怪百物語 [Yōkai hyakumonogatari / Yokai Monsters: 100 Monsters] (Kimiyoshi Yasuda, 1968)

Oct

4

妖怪百物語 (1968)

One-hundred monsters! (via). DPs: Yasukazu Takemura & Shōzō Tanaka.

[A favourite] horror movie with more than one bad guy*

A shrine must give way to a brothel, and a game of supernatural storytelling follows. At the end of the spooky tales, the landowner neglects to complete the all-important purification ceremony resulting in one-hundred yōkai – one for each story – coming out to haunt the rich man and his cronies.

* the Bales 2025 Film Challenge for October is horror-themed as opposed to date-based, and is all about favourites. Expect non-horror and films I believe to be relevant instead.