Yamazakura, The Cherry Tree in the Hills

Based on a short story written by Shuhei Fujisawa (who also wrote Twilight Samurai, The Hidden Blade, Love and Honor), the film depicts the uneasy life of Noe Isomura (Rena Tanaka) with the difficult family she has married into after her former husband passed away. One day as she tries to brake off a branch of a cherry tree, she is aided by a samurai who she does not recognize but who recognizes her. He turns out to be a former suitor that she never met named Yaichiro Tezuka (Noriyuki Higashiyama) and who teaches swordsmanship to the local samurai. Meanwhile, the powerful new chief retainer of the village enacts land policies that threaten the survival of the local farmers.

Cast

Rena Tanaka

Noriyuki Higashiyama

Tetsuya Chiba

Fumi Dan

Sumiko Fuji

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Reika Fujisawa

Ben Hiura

Takahiro Hōjō

Kojun Ito

Nao Minamisawa

Kunio Murai

Eiko Nagashima