Source: Shochiku Co., Ltd. Official Site: iwane-movie.jp (Japan)

A SCIFI JAPAN EXCLUSIVE

Shochiku has provided information and large, high-res photos from IWANE: SWORD OF SERENITY (?????, Inemuri Iwane). This is the first movie based on the Inemuri Iwane Edo Zoshi novels by Yasuhide Saeki, which have sold more than 65 million copies.

STORY This samurai has virtues that many of us have forgotten. Iwane Sakazaki returns to his homeland and gets caught in the middle of an incident that results in the tragic death of two of his best friends from childhood. He decides to leave his domain, parting with his fiancée Nao, and becomes a vagrant masterless samurai with nothing more to lose. Iwane begins living in a row house in Edo, filleting eels during the day and working as a bodyguard at night for Imazuya, a reputable money exchanger. He gradually wins the trust of the people around him -- including his landlord Kinbe, who helped Iwane find work, and his daughter Okon, who starts to have feeling for him -- because of his mellow nature, the chivalrous way he treats everyone with courtesy, and his skills of swords. One day, he learns that Imazuya is being targeted in a conspiracy to sabotage a new monetary system implemented by the government. Though still trying to recover from the anguish he suffered back home, Iwane decides to protect the people who have given him support.

CREDITS Japanese Theatrical Release: May 17, 2019 (Nationwide Roadshow) Running Time: 120 Minutes Cast Iwane Sakazaki: Tori Matsuzaka Okon: Fumino Kimura Nao Kobayashi: Kyoko Yoshine Kinpei Kobayashi: Tasuku Emoto Shinnosuke Kawade: Yosuke Sugino Reien Sasaki: Kuranosuke Sasaki Bunroku Shishido: Pierre Taki Shoemon: Takanori Jinnai Kichiemon: Shosuke Tanihara Kinbee: Baijaku Nakamura Urakusai: Akira Emoto Staff Director: Katsuhide Motoki Screenplay: Yuki Fujimoto Original Story: Inemuri Iwane Ketteiban written by Yasuhide Saeki (Bungeishunju Ltd.) Planning & Production: Naoto Fujimura Music: Yu Takami Theme Song: “Loved” by Misia Production Company: “Iwane: Sword of Serenity” Film Partners, led by Nippon TV Production Studio: Shochiku Kyoto Studio in association with Shochiku MediaWorX Distributor (Japan): Shochiku International Sales: Nippon Television Network Corporation ©2019 “Iwane: Sword of Serenity” Film Partners

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About Shochiku Co., Ltd.

Shochiku traces its origins to 1895 when Takejiro Otani presented his first stage play. They also produced the first color motion picture in Japan, and have expanded into TV dramas, video contents, Kabuki presentation, theater operations, and real estate. The company has become a symbol of enduring tradition as the exclusive promoter of the Kabuki theater in Japan as well as widely known as the creator of the world’s longest-running feature film series, TORA-SAN. The company is making all possible efforts to develop business in various fields, including multimedia and co-productions, across generation, national, and cultural borders.