Nippon tanjō | |
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1959 Japanese movie poster
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Directed by | Hiroshi Inagaki |
Produced by |
Sanezumi Fujimoto Tomoyuki Tanaka |
Written by |
Ryuzo Kikushima Toshio Yasumi |
Starring |
Toshiro Mifune Yoko Tsukasa Akihiko Hirata |
Music by | Akira Ifukube |
Cinematography | Kazuo Yamada |
Edited by | Kazuji Taira |
Release date
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Running time
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182 minutes |
Country | Japan |
Language | Japanese |
The Birth of Japan (日本誕生 Nippon Tanjō?), also called The Three Treasures, is a 1959 Japanese tokusatsu fantasy epic film. Telling the story of the creation of Japan according to Japanese mythology, specifically the Shinto religion, it is considered Japan's answer to The Ten Commandments. Produced by legendary studio Toho, the film was directed by Hiroshi Inagaki, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya and the musical score by Akira Ifukube. Heading the huge all-star cast is Toshirō Mifune as the god Susanoo and Koji Tsuruta as younger brother of Kumaso Takeru. One of the film's highlights is Mifune's Susanoo fighting the ominous eight-headed dragon, Orochi, one of the most ferocious monsters in Japanese myth. The "Three Treasures" referred to are the Imperial Regalia of Japan.
The film was remade in 1994 as Yamato Takeru, which was released in the English-speaking countries as Orochi the Eight-Headed Dragon.