SNOWFLOWERS: SEEDS OF HOPE Press Notes and Photo Gallery From Shochiku

Official Site: https://movies.shochiku.co.jp/yukinohana (Japan)

Shochiku has provided information and photos for their new historical drama, SNOWFLOWERS: SEEDS OF HOPE (雪の花　―ともに在りて―, Yuki no Hana ―Tomoni Arite―), opening in Japanese cinemas on January 24th. This impactful film is a "new period drama masterpiece" that transcends generations with its star-studded cast featuring Tori Matsuzaka, Koji Yakusho and Kyoko Yoshine.

Introduction

"A true story of love and inspiration" unfolds as an unknown small-town doctor, fought to develop a cure for an epidemic in the late Edo period. With the support of his wife and a Western medicine doctor in Kyoto, this untold story comes to life.

SNOWFLOWERS: SEEDS OF HOPE is directed by Takashi Koizumi, former assistant director to the legendary Akira Kurosawa. In 1970, Koizumi joined Kurosawa Production and worked on KAGEMUSHA (影武者, 1980), RAN (乱, 1985), AKIRA KUROSAWA'S DREAMS (夢, Yume, 1990), RHAPSODY IN AUGUST (八月の狂詩曲, Hachigatsu no Kyōshikyoku, 1991), and MADADAYO (まあだだよ, Mādadayo, 1993). He made his directorial debut with AFTER THE RAIN (雨あがる, Ame Agaru, 1999) based on the last screenplay written by Kurosawa. He has directed many quality Japanese films such as THE PASS: LAST DAYS OF THE SAMURAI (峠最後のサムライ, Tōge Saigo no Samurai, 2022).

Synopsis

At the end of the Edo period, smallpox, a disease feared as fatal, was rampant, claiming many lives. Ryosaku Kasahara (Tori Matsuzaka), a local doctor of traditional Chinese medicine in the Fukui domain, felt helpless because he wanted to save patients but could not do anything. Ryosaku blamed himself and was depressed, but his wife Chiho (Kyoko Yoshine) continued to cheer him up.

Ryosaku, who wanted to find a way to save people, decided to seek the instruction of Teika Hino (Koji Yakusho), a doctor of Western medicine in Kyoto. One day, while searching for a treatment for smallpox at Teika's school, he learned that there was a method called vaccination in foreign countries, but in order to do so, it was necessary to import "vaccination seedlings" from overseas, and permission from the shogunate was also required. It was extremely difficult to achieve, but Ryosaku's determination, which he never gave up, eventually involved the domain and the shogunate.

Details

Release Date: Friday, January 4, 2025 (Japan)
Release Information: Nationwide Roadshow
Running Time: 117 Minutes

CAST
Ryosaku Kasahara: Tori Matsuzaka
Chiho Kasahara: Kyoko Yoshine
Takahiro Miura
Shohei Uno
Issei Okihara
Ryota Bando
Risako Miki
Miu Arai
Kazuyoshi Kushida
Kenichi Yajima
Tetsu Watanabe
Toru Masuoka
Gaku Yamamoto
Hidetaka Yoshioka
Teisai Hino: Koji Yakusho

STAFF
Director: Takashi Koizumi
Original Story: Snow Flower by Akira Yoshimura (published by Shincho Bunkon)
Screenplay: Yujin Saito, Takashi Koizumi
Chief Executive Producer: Naoya Kinoshita
Producers: Shingo Sekine, Tomoo Ito
Music: Takashi Kako

Production: "SNOWFLOWERS" Film Partners
Distributor: Shochiku

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.