AllMovie

The setting for this love story is a decade or so before Commodore Perry "opened-up" Japan in 1868, so the conservative nature of a society that had been almost completely closed off from outside contact for 250 years is self-evident. The ancient Japanese imperial court still ostensibly ruled in Kyoto, but the real power in the country had resided in the hands of shoguns for as long as the "closed-door" policy had been in effect. Therefore, when a young princess of the imperial court is about to wed her true love, a samurai warrior (Raizo Ichikawa), there is no hesitation in calling off the wedding once the Shogun decides to marry her instead. Broken-hearted, she has to obey, never relinquishing her feelings for the samurai. But the Shogun does not survive the troubles of the times, and so the princess has some hope of a reunion with the samurai - will fate intervene when least expected? This is another 1957 release featuring the cinematography of Kazuo Miyagawa and shown at Japan House as part of a series celebrating Miyagawa.