Kwaidan
1965
In the tradition of "RASHOMON" and "GATE OF HELL."
Directed by Masaki Kobayashi
User Rating
Intensity
Taking its title from an archaic Japanese word meaning "ghost story," this anthology adapts four folk tales. A penniless samurai marries for money with tragic results. A man stranded in a blizzard is saved by Yuki the Snow Maiden, but his rescue comes at a cost. Blind musician Hoichi is forced to perform for an audience of ghosts. An author relates the story of a samurai who sees another warrior's reflection in his teacup.
Where to Watch
Details
- Director
- Masaki Kobayashi
- Written by
- Lafcadio Hearn, Yōko Mizuki
- Produced by
- Shigeru Wakatsuki
- Composer
- Toru Takemitsu
- Cinematographer
- Yoshio Miyajima
- Editor
- Hisashi Sagara
- Sound Designers
- Akira Suzuki, Kuniharu Akiyama, Shigenosuke Okuyama
- Studios
- TOHO, Ninjin Club
- Origin country
- Japan
- Runtime
- 3h 3m
- Language
- Japanese
- Rating
- PG-13
- Also known as
- Ghost Stories, Kaidan, Weird Tales
- TMDB
- 7.7/10 (471 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes
- 91% Fresh
- IMDb
- 7.9/10 (21,660 votes)
Cast
Michiyo Aratama
First Wife (segment "The Black Hair")
Rentaro Mikuni
Husband (segment "The Black Hair")
Misako Watanabe
Second Wife (segment "The Black Hair")
Kenjirō Ishiyama
Father (segment "The Black Hair")
Ranko Akagi
Mother (segment "The Black Hair")
Fumie Kitahara
(segment "The Black Hair")
Kappei Matsumoto
(segment "The Black Hair") (uncredited)
Yoshiko Ieda
(segment "The Black Hair") (uncredited)
Otome Tsukimiya
(segment "The Black Hair") (uncredited)
Kenzō Tanaka
(segment "The Black Hair") (uncredited)
Kiyoshi Nakano
(segment "The Black Hair") (uncredited)
Tatsuya Nakadai
Minokichi (segment "The Woman of the Snow")
Keiko Kishi
Yuki the Snow Maiden (segment "The Woman of the Snow")
Yūko Mochizuki
Minokichi's Mother (segment "The Woman of the Snow")
Kin Sugai
Village Woman (segment "The Woman of the Snow")
Noriko Sengoku
Village Woman (segment "The Woman of the Snow")
Akiko Nomura
(segment "The Woman of the Snow") (uncredited)
Torahiko Hamada
(segment "The Woman of the Snow") (uncredited)
Crew
Keywords
Links
Trailer
Appears in
BFI: The Ultimate Horror Watchlist
Kim Newman — Nightmare Movies
Rolling Stone: 101 Best Horror Movies of All Time
The Witching Season 2026
Time Out: 100 Best Horror Films
Variety: 100 Best Horror Movies of All Time
What Is Death
Related Films
Notes
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