Shunkinsho, or A portrait of Shunkin (Japanese title: 春琴抄) is a film based on a short story by Jun'ichirō Tanizaki (谷崎潤一郎). It stars Momoe Yamaguchi

Momoe Yamaguchi

is a former Japanese singer, actress, and idol whose career lasted from 1972 to 1980. In that time, she became one of the most notable singers in Japanese music, and an acclaimed actress. She withdrew from the entertainment business at the peak of her career to marry her frequent costar, fellow...

 and Tomokazu Miura

Tomokazu Miura

is a Japanese actor. Born January 28, 1952 in Enzan, Yamanashi, his real name is Miura Minoru . He attended Hino high school in Tokyo, and married actress and singer Momoe Yamaguchi in 1980...

. It was made in 1976. The director was Katsumi Nishikawa

Katsumi Nishikawa

was a Japanese film director most famous for his youth films . Graduating from Nihon University, he started out at the Shochiku studio in 1939 and directed his first film in 1952...

. It is one of a series of filmed love stories made starring Miura and Yamaguchi, who eventually married in real life.

Plot summary

Set in 19th-century Osaka

Osaka

is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...

, the film tells the story of a love affair between Sasuke (Miura) and blind koto

Koto (musical instrument)

The koto is a traditional Japanese stringed musical instrument, similar to the Chinese guzheng, the Mongolian yatga, the Korean gayageum and the Vietnamese đàn tranh. The koto is the national instrument of Japan. Koto are about length, and made from kiri wood...

teacher Shunkin (Yamaguchi), who lost her sight at the age of nine.