Hana no Ato~ After The Flowers

Keiko Kitagawa in Hana no Ato~ After The Flowers

A very early Keiko Kitagawa film from 2010, starring n Keiko as Ito, the only daughter of a Clan official set to be married in a political matrimony in the near future. However, before that can happen, she happens to meet a young at a cherry blossom viewing, who seems to know her and calls her by name.

His name is Eguchi (Shuntaro Miyao), and he tells her he’s heard of her skill at a recent sword-fighting tournament, and wishes he had been there to try his hand against her. This intrigues the young woman, and she finds she cannot get him off her mind! 

With the help of her father (Jun Kunimura), she sets up an invitation for Eguchi-a home visit where he can view the garden, share tea, and have that battle of swords with each other!

They have a feisty duel overseen by her Father, and though Ito is ultimately bested by Eguchi, she admires the way he takes her head-on, never pandering, and the single touch of her arm by him when she stumbles affects her more than she’d like to admit!

However, time goes on, and both Eguchi and Ito have their own pre-arranged marriages to commit to, so they go their own way. Her fiance (Masahiro Komoto) has arrived back in town from his travels and begins stopping by to visit her. Or is it to mooch of the fine food and drink?

And so it goes, with Ito and Eguchi only occasionally crossing paths from afar. A relationship between them is not meant to be, but that single day duelling with swords nonetheless binds them, at least in mind.

As for Eguchi, his new life entails becoming the clan political envoy and he is sadly among  those jealous and who would seek to do him harm, such as the man named Fujii (Ennosuke Ichikawa) . And when Ito hears word that somehow Eguchi has committed suicide by seppuku due to an error in protocol, she cannot believe such a stalwart man could be so irresponsible. She suspects foul play, and though she has her own upcoming marriage to consider, uncovering the truth of Eguchi’s situation becomes her top priority.

And what she uncovers grates her soul and calls within her the shared code of the samurai that she and Eguchi once shred, knowing that to restore his honor calls for an act of revenge!

Bit by bit she tracks down the evil ones responsible and, with her own life at stake, means for them to woe the day they decided to cross those she cares about!

Holy HANNAH was this a good movie!!! Such great acting with a GREAT cast, great pacing, and I love how the way it builds up to its inevitable conclusion just like a Clint Eastwood Spaghetti Western...and the scenery! Someone on a forum once recommended that you see Hana No Ato at the  best quality possible because of the film’s cinematic beauty, and WOW, were they right! Every scene was so colorful, moody and picturesque!!

An all-around AMAZING movie!!!