Mitsue Wakabayashi

Reconstruction, in the form of episodes, of the most bizarre crimes that occurred in Japan after World War II.

First film of the The Black Hooded Man series.

The second film in the 1953 trilogy based on the long novel series The Great Bodhisattva Pass.

This story is based on the novel "Jo no mai" by Tomiko Miyao which is based on the life of painter Shōen Uemura (1875–1949), the first woman to be awarded the Order of Culture. The title refers to the masterpiece bijinga ("picture of a beautiful woman") that Uemura painted at the age of 61. The main character, Tsuya Shimamura, is born in Kyoto as the second daughter of a tea trader who dies before her birth. Tsuya, who loves painting more than anything and is hopeless at housework, attends art school and at age 15 receives the name Shōsui (from the characters for "pine" and "green") from her teacher. The crown prince of England purchases one of her works, propelling her to fame overnight. The novel portrays the remainder of her stormy life, during which she is impregnated by her teacher and raises a fatherless child; through it all she devotes herself to her painting, undaunted.

Deux histoires se déroulant à Edo à l'époque du Shogun. 1 - A une époque où les chrétiens sont persécutés avec véhémence, Iori tombe amoureux d'une jeune chrétienne. Lorsqu'elle et sa famille sont capturées lors d'un raid, son maître sadique la prend comme esclave personnelle pour tourmenter Iori et tente de briser son esprit par le viol, la torture et le sadisme pur. Après qu'Iori ait refusé de participer plus longtemps, il est exilé, mais jure de la récupérer quoi qu'il en coûte. 2 - Lorsque Sutezo est contraint de servir le maître violent d'un bordel afin de rembourser ses dettes, sur place, il se lie d'amitié avec une jeune fille nommée Sato. Ensemble, ils s'échappent et tentent de se débrouiller en vivant d'escroqueries et de petits larcins.