Shikoku (film)
Encyclopedia
is a supernatural thriller film written and produced in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

 in 1999. It was directed by Shunichi Nagasaki
Shunichi Nagasaki
is a Japanese film director and screenwriter.-Director: is a Japanese film director and screenwriter.-Director: is a Japanese film director and screenwriter.-Director::2007 Black Belt Known in Japan as Kuro-Obi【黒帯】....

 and written by Kunimi Manda and Takenori Sento.

Title Significance

The title is a play on words. In Japanese, depending on which kanji is used, "shikoku" can mean "four countries" (which is the name of the island where the movie is set) or it can mean "land of the dead". The tagline used for the film was "Some things are better left dead...", with the genre of the film fitting into Horror
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...

/Thriller.

Plot summary

Years after moving to Tokyo with her parents, Hinako returns to her hometown in rural Shikoku. She soon learns that her childhood friend, Sayori, died several years ago and that Sayori's mother, who used to perform seances and exorcisms, has gone almost insane with grief. After seeing Sayori's yūrei
Yurei
are figures in Japanese folklore, analogous to Western legends of ghosts. The name consists of two kanji, 幽 , meaning "faint" or "dim" and 霊 , meaning "soul" or "spirit." Alternative names include 亡霊 meaning ruined or departed spirit, 死霊 meaning dead spirit, or the more encompassing 妖怪 or お化け...

 several times during the night, Hinako consults with some local experts on the paranormal and discovers that Sayori's mother has something planned for her daughter.

Cast

  • Yui Natsukawa
    Yui Natsukawa
    is a Japanese entertainer. She was born on June 1, 1968 in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto, Japan. She is a left-hander . She was given a Best New Talent award at the 1995 Yokohama Film Festival for her role in Yoru ga mata kuru.-Drama:...

     as Hinako Myoujin
  • Michitaka Tsutsui as Fumiya Akizawa
  • Chiaki Kuriyama
    Chiaki Kuriyama
    is a Japanese actress, singer and model. She is best known in the West for her roles in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill, Volume 1 and the Japanese film Battle Royale .- Biography :...

     as Sayori Hiura
  • Toshie Negishi
    Toshie Negishi
    -External links:...

     as Teruko Hiura (Sayori's mother)
  • Ren Osugi
    Ren Osugi
    , born , is a Japanese actor. For his work in Cure, Hana-bi and other films, Osugi was given the Best Supporting Actor award at the 1999 Yokohama Film Festival...

     as Yasutaka Hiura (Sayori's father)
  • Makoto Satô
    Makoto Satō
    Makoto Satō was a Japanese documentary film director. Among his best-known films were Living On the River Agano and Self and Others....

     as Sendo
  • Taro Suwa as Oda
  • Tomoko Otakara as Yukari Asakawa
  • Haduki Kôzu as Chizuko Oono
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