Zegen

Zegen
Poster for Zegen (1987)
Directed by	Shohei Imamura
Written by	Shohei Imamura Kota Okabe
Starring	Mitsuko Baisho Bang-ho Cho Yuki Furutachi Shino Ikenami Kozo Ishii Kurenai Kanda Choichiro Kawarazaki Chun Hsiang Ko Hiroyuki Konishi Mami Kumagaya Leonard Kuma Norihei Miki Ken Ogata
Music by	Shinichirô Ikebe
Cinematography	Masao Tochizawa
Editing by	Hajime Okayasu
Distributed by	Imamura Productions, Toei Co. Ltd. Toei Co. Ltd.
Release date(s)	September 5, 1987
Running time	124 minutes
Country	Japan
Language	Japanese

Zegen (女衒 ZEGEN) is a 1987 Japanese film by director Shohei Imamura. It was entered into the 1987 Cannes Film Festival.

Plot

This black comedy is a satire of Japan's 20th century imperialism. By taking the story of Iheiji Muraoka, who built brothels for the Japanese military, Imamura is able to make comments on Japan and its recent past from an unusual perspective. At the time it was thought that the story was a true one but Tomoko Yamazaki's Sandakan brothel No. 8 shows it to be a work of fiction.

Cast

• Mitsuko Baisho - Shiho
• Bang-ho Cho - Komashitai
• Yuki Furutachi
• Shino Ikenami - Tome
• Kozo Ishii - Kumai
• Satoko Iwasaki
• Kurenai Kanda - Otsuno
• Choichiro Kawarazaki - Kunikura
• Chun Hsiung Ko - Wang (as Chun-Hsiung Ko)
• Hiroyuki Konishi - Uehara
• Mami Kumagaya - Kino
• Leonard Kuma - Shop owner
• Norihei Miki - Asanaga
• Ken Ogata - Iheiji Muraoka
• Sanshô Shinsui - Chota
• Tetta Sugimoto - Genkichi
• Minori Terada - Hisamitsu
• Taiji Tonoyama - Shimada
• Fujio Tsuneta - Nishiyama
• Kimiko Yoshimiya - Takeyo

See also

• 1987 in film

External links

• Zegen at the Internet Movie Database
• Sharp, Jasper. Zegen (film review) at midnighteye.com