Kihachiro Kawamoto
Kihachirō Kawamoto (川本 喜八郎) was a Japanese puppet designer and maker, independent film director, screenwriter and animator and president of the Japan Animation Association from 1989, succeeding founder Osamu Tezuka, until his own death. He is best-remembered in Japan as designer of the puppets for the long-running NHK live action television series of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms in the early 1980s and The Tale of the Heike in the 1990s but better-known internationally for his own animated short films, the majority of which are model animation but which also include the cutout animation Tabi and Shijin no Shōgai and mixed media, French-language Farce anthropo-cynique. (Wikipedia)
Winter Days (2003)
Winter Days is a 2003 animated film, directed by Kihachirō Kawamoto. It is based on one of the renku (collaborative linked poems) in the 1684 collection of the same name by the 17th-century Japanese poet Bashō. The creation of the film followed the traditional ... (more)
Winter Days is a 2003 animated film, directed by Kihachirō Kawamoto. It is based on one of the renku (collaborative linked poems) in the 1684 collection of the same name by the 17th-century Japanese poet Bashō. The creation of the film followed the traditional ... (more)
Animated Self-Portraits (1989)
An animated film compiled by David Ehrlich consisting of 27 animators from different countries all explaining themselves through their animation. (more)
An animated film compiled by David Ehrlich consisting of 27 animators from different countries all explaining themselves through their animation. (more)
Briar-Rose or the Sleeping Beauty (1990)
On her fifteenth birthday the princess finds a diary written by her mother when she was young. The diary tells of the Queen's secret, early love. The Princess goes into the forest to meet her mother's former lover. When she looks into his eyes, she realizes why her ... (more)
On her fifteenth birthday the princess finds a diary written by her mother when she was young. The diary tells of the Queen's secret, early love. The Princess goes into the forest to meet her mother's former lover. When she looks into his eyes, she realizes why her ... (more)
To Shoot Without Shooting (1988)
Ji Chang wants to be the best archer in the world. He seeks out a master who is able, at a distance, to shoot a single leaf off a tree. Over several years, the apprentice studies with the master. Finally, after mastering the techniques, as well as his own ambition, ... (more)
Ji Chang wants to be the best archer in the world. He seeks out a master who is able, at a distance, to shoot a single leaf off a tree. Over several years, the apprentice studies with the master. Finally, after mastering the techniques, as well as his own ambition, ... (more)
House of Flames (1979)
Through puppets and animation, a traveler tells his story of walking through Settsu, coming to the town of Ikuta. He asks if someone can show him the Seeker's Mound. Late that day, a solitary maiden says she will lead him there. (more)
Through puppets and animation, a traveler tells his story of walking through Settsu, coming to the town of Ikuta. He asks if someone can show him the Seeker's Mound. Late that day, a solitary maiden says she will lead him there. (more)
Dojoji Temple (1976)
A man who is on a pilgrimage spends the night with a woman. After they share a moment of passion, he runs away and she chases him. (more)
A man who is on a pilgrimage spends the night with a woman. After they share a moment of passion, he runs away and she chases him. (more)
The Trip (1973)
A woman taking a trip encounters a nightmarish landscape juxtaposed against scenes of classical beauty. (more)
A woman taking a trip encounters a nightmarish landscape juxtaposed against scenes of classical beauty. (more)
The Demon (1972)
Two brothers, who are both hunters and live with their mother, go to the mountains to set traps for deer. Suddenly, a demon grabs the younger brother. The older brother shoots an arrow, severing the demon's arm, which they plan to take home. But they make a grisly ... (more)
Two brothers, who are both hunters and live with their mother, go to the mountains to set traps for deer. Suddenly, a demon grabs the younger brother. The older brother shoots an arrow, severing the demon's arm, which they plan to take home. But they make a grisly ... (more)
Breaking of Branches is Forbidden (1968)
The head monk orders a young acolyte to guard a beautiful cherry tree in the monastery garden while he goes out. But the older man underestimates his colleague’s fondness for sake. (more)
The head monk orders a young acolyte to guard a beautiful cherry tree in the monastery garden while he goes out. But the older man underestimates his colleague’s fondness for sake. (more)
The Restaurant of Many Orders (1993)
A short film based on a story by Japanese writer Kenji Miyazawa in which two young British hunters get lost in the woods and discover a strange restaurant. Are the hunters about to discover how it feels to be hunted? (more)
A short film based on a story by Japanese writer Kenji Miyazawa in which two young British hunters get lost in the woods and discover a strange restaurant. Are the hunters about to discover how it feels to be hunted? (more)
The Book of the Dead (2005)
A sheltered aristocratic woman in feudal Japan, bored and unfamiliar with the world outside her estate, passes the time copying a special Buddhist sutra sent by her father who has been absent on official business for years. While gazing out her window one late ... (more)
A sheltered aristocratic woman in feudal Japan, bored and unfamiliar with the world outside her estate, passes the time copying a special Buddhist sutra sent by her father who has been absent on official business for years. While gazing out her window one late ... (more)
The Exquisite Short Films of Kihachiro Kawamoto
(2014)
This collection of short films from stop-motion animator Kihachiro Kawamoto traces the arc of his career and the evolution of his craft across countries and decades. (more)
This collection of short films from stop-motion animator Kihachiro Kawamoto traces the arc of his career and the evolution of his craft across countries and decades. (more)
Rennyo and His Mother (1981)
Rennyo was the key figure responsible for the restoration of Shin Buddhism in Japan, in particular the Honganji lineage that had a slump in its fortunes during the Middle Ages. According to the legend, his motivation was a pivotal childhood incident at the age of ... (more)
Rennyo was the key figure responsible for the restoration of Shin Buddhism in Japan, in particular the Honganji lineage that had a slump in its fortunes during the Middle Ages. According to the legend, his motivation was a pivotal childhood incident at the age of ... (more)
Anthropo-Cynical Farce (1970)
Dog racing is used as a metaphor for the futility of human existence. (more)
Dog racing is used as a metaphor for the futility of human existence. (more)
A Poet's Life (1975)
A cautionary tale about workers who are neglected, lose hope, and fade away while businessmen prosper by selling out to foreign countries. As the greed of the businessmen escalates, the economy collapses, and a young man becomes a poet and gives the people hope. (more)
A cautionary tale about workers who are neglected, lose hope, and fade away while businessmen prosper by selling out to foreign countries. As the greed of the businessmen escalates, the economy collapses, and a young man becomes a poet and gives the people hope. (more)