Unveiling of a pilot film of the stop-motion samurai film “HIDARI”
We're thrilled to announce the release of a pilot film of “HIDARI” the stop-motion samurai film, which our animation studio TECARAT participates in the production. “HIDARI” is an action-packed stop-motion samurai film about the legendary sculptor “Jingoro Hidari,” portrayed by wooden puppets.
We also have started the crowdfunding project on "Kickstarter" (http://bit.ly/hidari-kickstarter) to make "HIDARI" into a feature length film. We're really excited about how this pilot film is looking, and would love to find a way to receive enough funding and support for this project.
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Stop-motion Samurai Film "HIDARI"（Pilot Film）
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Jingoro Hidari is a legendary sculptor who is said to have lived in the Edo period of Japan. Hidari has left behind a legacy of anecdotes and remarkable wooden sculptures, but his very existence is yet to be confirmed.
Combining fantasy with historical facts, stories of this craftsman will be boldly reconstructed and told in the form of a stop-motion samurai action film. Intricate wooden puppets, reminiscent of Hidari’s own sculptures, will bring this action-packed film to life.
Currently we’ve created a 5-minute pilot film, with the goal of turning it into a feature length film.
The originator, writer and lead director of this stop-motion samurai film is Masashi Kawamura, who has won more than 100 awards across the globe and was also chosen as one of the Creativity magazine’s “Creative 50,” Fast Company’s “ 100 most creative people in business”. With him, this pilot film was created by a creative studio “Whatever Co.”, “dwarf”, one of the largest stop-motion animation studios in Japan, and our animation studio “TECARAT”. In addition, SPIN MASTER A-1 and Shing02, who lead the hip-hop scene, took the part of the music. We hope you watch and enjoy this traditional and new Japanimation film using wood artfully.
"HIDARI" PILOT FILM
＜ HIGHLIGHTS ＞
・JAPANIMATION meets STOP-MOTION
“Japanimation”‒ is an animation style born in Japan, that's still highly recognized across the world. Its unique visual language, narrative, and dynamic expressions have evolved very differently compared to other types of animations, which gives it the distinct flare. We wanted to create an entertainment piece that no one has seen before, by merging this world of Japanimation and the technique of stop-motion animation, in a way that hasn't been challenged before.
We took this visual concept to tell the story set as a “Jidaigeki (= samurai film)," to create a visual experience full of Japanese aesthetics.
・VISUAL EFFECTS that FULLY UTILIZE “WOOD”
Jingoro Hidari is known for his many anecdotes, as a sculptor who can ”breathe life” into animals that he carved. So we wanted to create all the puppets out of wood, and “breathe life” into them as Jingoro have done, but through the magic of stop-motion animation.
From there, we tried inventing new visual effects that make use of the wooden materials. The characters were designed to show the wooden texture and joints, which became a unique part of the overall aesthetic. We took hints from "Nou" masks, and carved the faces in a way so that the shadows will cast rich expressions. The most intriguing was the sawdust gushing out instead of blood
when the characters are being slashed.
"HIDARI" PROJECT
＜ Plot of the Feature Film ＞
Jingoro Hidari is a legendary sculptor who is said to have existed in the Edo period (17th century) of Japan. This action-packed film creatively combines fantasy with historical facts.
A skilled carpenter/sculptor Jingoro, gets set up by his colleagues and loses his right arm and his father in an "accident" triggered by a political conspiracy during the renovation of the Edo Castle.
A few decades later … Jingoro is on the journey of revenge with his partner “Sleeping Cat” and his weaponized prosthetic arm. People have come to call him Jingoro "Hidari," which means "lefty" in Japanese.
Jingoro eventually defeats all the foes that has betrayed him, but he learns that Tokugawa Shogunate was behind the incident, and starts investigating. He searches for clues and fights with an army of mechanical soldiers along the way.
Eventually he meets the mastermind behind all the crimes, but first, he must save the city of Edo by stopping the Edo Castle, now turned into a weapon of mass destruction!
＜ Who is Jingoro Hidari? ＞
Jingoro Hidari is a legendary sculptor who is said to have existed in the Edo period (17th century) of Japan. The animals that Jingoro carved were so lively and real, stories say these animals came to life at night. His name “Hidari” means “left” in Japanese, and there are various hypotheses about where it came from; some say it's because he was left handed, others say that he only had a left arm because his right arm was chopped off by his jealous rival. We used these episodes as a source of inspiration to craft an original story for this film.
Today, there are nearly 100 locations around Japan where you can find sculptures which are said to be Jingoro’s work, such as The Sleeping Cat in Nikko Toshogu Shrine. However, some say he wasn't just one person, but rather a pseudonym used by skilled craftsmen, because these sculptures' age ranges over 300 years from the Azuchi-Momoyama period (late 16th century) to the late Edo period (late 19th period,).
CHARACTERS
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Jingoro Hidari A one-armed sculptor. His eyelid is branded with a tattoo of the Japanese character “五 (Five)”. He was a skilled carpenter/sculptor, but he loses his right arm and his father in an "accident" during the renovation of the Edo Castle, which was caused by the betrayal of his senior disciples. Decades later, Jingoro continues his journey of revenge, armed with his carpentry tools and specially crafted prosthetic arm designed to kill.
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The Sleeping Cat Jingoro’s side-kick. Modeled after Jingoro’s work The Sleeping Cat at the Nikko Toshogu Shrine. He is always napping on the tool box, but when he senses Jingoro’s in danger, he wakes up and helps him out.
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Inumaru One of Jingoro’s sworn enemies. He has a prison tattoo on his face of the Japanese character “犬 (Dog)”. He was originally a senior disciple of Jingoro under the master Munehiro Koura, but he disappeared after trying to kill them both. Now he’s the boss of a criminal gang “Inumaru-gumi.”
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CROWDFUNDING on “KICKSTARTER”
We would like to find a way to receive enough funding and support to make this stop-motion samurai film into a feature length film. Through this crowdfunding project, we hope to create a community of fans to join us on this long journey, to turn the world of HIDARI into a feature length film.
◆ Period：March 8th 〜 April 25th, 2023
◆ Project Page：http://bit.ly/hidari-kickstarter
MAKING and PRODUCTION CREW
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Masashi Kawamura［Concept / Screenplay / Director］
He was born in Japan, but raised in the US watching films like Evil Dead, RoboCop, Jason and the Argonauts, Lady Snowblood, which quite certainly had an influence on this film.
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＜ Masashi’s Comment ＞
It has been over a decade since I was interested in Jingoro Hidari and about two years ago I started to think that it would be exciting if I could shoot a film about him in stop-motion format. Now I truly feel that I’m working with the best crew possible for HIDARI’s production. This team has helped me visualize the world of Jingoro Hidari that I'd dreamed of for so long, in a way that was beyond my imagination! We wanted to create an entertainment piece that no one has seen before, by merging the world of Japanimation and the technique of stop-motion animation so I hope you will enjoy the world.
In order to make HIDARI into a feature film, we need to find more funding and a bigger production partner. We will keep exploring all possibilities to make this happen, so we appreciate your kind support on this long journey.
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Behind-the-scenes Video of "HIDARI"
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＜ STAFF LIST（ATL）＞
＜ Project Information ＞
《 CONTACT 》
TAIYO KIKAKU PR / Mie Machii｜ PR@taiyokikaku.com