Sakuran
Encyclopedia
is a manga series created by Moyoco Anno
. The manga is about a girl, Kiyoha (though she goes through different names while growing up the hierarchy) who becomes a tayu or oiran
courtesan.
and is put under the care of the oiran of the Tamakiku house, Shouhi, who names her Tomeki. The girl is very rebellious. It is because of this that the leaders of the household begin to think that she will be one day a great oiran, since they need not only beauty and talent, but also the tenacity to maintain their position.
Tomeki becomes O-Rin, a hikkomi (or courtesan-in-training), and later Kiyoha, the most beautiful girl in the Tamakiku household. Her popularity threatens the position of Tamakiku's oiran
Mikumo, which creates great tension between the two.
But rivalry is not the main problem for young Kiyoha, but rather the appearance of young Soujiro and the impossibility of love.
and marks the directorial debut of photographer Mika Ninagawa
. Ringo Sheena is the music director, her album Heisei Fūzoku acting as the soundtrack
.
Moyoco Anno
is a Japanese manga artist and a fashion writer, with numerous books published in both categories. Her manga and books have attained considerable popularity among young women in Japan. Though she primarily writes manga of the josei demographic, her most popular series, Sugar Sugar Rune, is...
. The manga is about a girl, Kiyoha (though she goes through different names while growing up the hierarchy) who becomes a tayu or oiran
Oiran
were courtesans in Japan. The oiran were considered a type of "woman of pleasure" or prostitute. However, they are distinguished from the yūjo in that they were entertainers, and many became celebrities of their times outside the pleasure districts...
courtesan.
Plot
A young kamuro (maid in a brothel) is sold into the red-light district YoshiwaraYoshiwara
Yoshiwara was a famous Akasen district in Edo, present-day Tōkyō, Japan.In the early 17th century, there was widespread male and female prostitution throughout the cities of Kyoto, Edo, and Osaka. To counter this, an order of Tokugawa Hidetada of the Tokugawa shogunate restricted prostitution to...
and is put under the care of the oiran of the Tamakiku house, Shouhi, who names her Tomeki. The girl is very rebellious. It is because of this that the leaders of the household begin to think that she will be one day a great oiran, since they need not only beauty and talent, but also the tenacity to maintain their position.
Tomeki becomes O-Rin, a hikkomi (or courtesan-in-training), and later Kiyoha, the most beautiful girl in the Tamakiku household. Her popularity threatens the position of Tamakiku's oiran
Oiran
were courtesans in Japan. The oiran were considered a type of "woman of pleasure" or prostitute. However, they are distinguished from the yūjo in that they were entertainers, and many became celebrities of their times outside the pleasure districts...
Mikumo, which creates great tension between the two.
But rivalry is not the main problem for young Kiyoha, but rather the appearance of young Soujiro and the impossibility of love.
Film
A live-action film adaptation was released in Japan on February 24, 2007. The film stars Anna TsuchiyaAnna Tsuchiya
is a Japanese singer, lyricist, actress and semi-retired model.Tsuchiya was born to a Japanese mother and an American father of Polish-Irish descent from Buffalo, New York. In her earliest years, she spoke English and Japanese...
and marks the directorial debut of photographer Mika Ninagawa
Mika Ninagawa
is a Japanese photographer known for her vibrant and brightly colored photographs of flowers, goldfish, and landscapes. She has enjoyed significant commercial success in fashion and advertising. She made her debut as a full length film director in 2007 with Sakuran...
. Ringo Sheena is the music director, her album Heisei Fūzoku acting as the soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
.
Cast
- Anna TsuchiyaAnna Tsuchiyais a Japanese singer, lyricist, actress and semi-retired model.Tsuchiya was born to a Japanese mother and an American father of Polish-Irish descent from Buffalo, New York. In her earliest years, she spoke English and Japanese...
... Kiyoha - Kippei Shiina ... Kuranosuke
- Yoshino Kimura ... Takao
- Hiroki NarimiyaHiroki Narimiya, better known as , is a Japanese actor.-Early life:He was born and raised in Tokyo, Japan. His parents are Okinawan, so he is of Okinawan descent. His parents divorced when he was young, and in his third year of junior high school, his mother died and he and his brother were raised by his...
... Sojiro - Miho KannoMiho Kannois a Japanese actress and J-Pop singer. Her nickname is Kanchan . She was born in Sakado, Saitama, Japan.- Biography :In 1992, Kanno made her debut as a member of a group called Sakurakko Kurabu Sakura Gumi after passing the orientation for the TV variety show Sakurakko Kurabu...
... Shohi - Masatoshi NagaseMasatoshi NagaseMasatoshi Nagase is a Japanese actor. He is best known in the West for his roles in Friðrik Þór Friðriksson's Cold Fever and Jim Jarmusch's Mystery Train, in Japan for his role as TV's Mike Hama .He has won two Japanese Academy Awards, for Best Supporting Actor and Best Newcomer in 1992...
... Mitsunobu