Spirits of Defiance

Masks of Arcadia

In the rice village of Kurokawa, the contradictions of rural life in Japan are particularly evident. Tradition appears strong, but this close-knit community is living through a time of enormous change. Today, Gonjiro, the grandson of a prosperous farmer and master of the Noh theatre, keeps his house and land by dividing his time between farming, construction work and the Tokyo railway. His predicament is to find a balance between the practical and the ideal.