The Masseurs and a Woman

About the production

Filmed during the height of Japan's pre-war film industry, this production utilized Shochiku's signature naturalistic style. Director Hiroshi Shimizu was known for his preference for location shooting and mobile camera work, which was innovative for the time. The film was shot during the summer season to capture the authentic atmosphere of a mountain resort during its quieter period.

Themes

Themes & topics

Historical background

Made in its country of production around 1938, The Masseurs and a Woman belongs to the early sound era. Its story of a pair of blind masseurs, an enigmatic city woman, a lonely man and his ill-behaved nephew—the masseurs and a woman is made up of crisscrossing miniature studies of love and family at a remote resort in the mountains spoke to audiences of the day through familiar genres and topical settings.

Why this film matters

Archivists and historians still cite The Masseurs and a Woman when tracing how the early sound era filmmakers staged pair and blind on screen.

Making of

Production details for The Masseurs and a Woman are sparse in surviving records. Direction is attributed to Hiroshi Shimizu.

What critics said

Reviews from 1938 weighed The Masseurs and a Woman on pacing, performance, and novelty. Later criticism reads its emphasis on pair, blind, masseurs through modern standards of craft and representation.

Did you know?

• Directed by Hiroshi Shimizu.
• Production country: Japan.
• Release year commonly listed as 1938.
• The Masseurs and a Woman (Japanese: 按摩と女, Hepburn: Anma to onna) is a 1938 Japanese comedy-drama film written and directed by Hiroshi Shimizu.
• TMDB identifier: 91094.

Awards & recognition

• Kinema Junpo Award - Best Film of the Year (1938)

Visual style

The cinematography, credited to Kozo Okazaki, exemplifies the innovative visual style that characterized Shimizu's work. The film features extensive use of location shooting in natural mountain settings, creating a sense of authenticity and connection to the environment. Shimizu employed a distinctive mobile camera technique, following characters through spaces in long, uninterrupted takes that create a fluid, almost dance-like movement. The compositions often emphasize spatial relationships between characters, using doorways, corridors, and natural landscapes to frame emotional connections. The visual style avoids dramatic close-ups in favor of medium shots that allow viewers to observe characters within their environment. The mountain setting is not merely backdrop but an active participant in the narrative, with changing weather and light reflecting the emotional states of the characters. The cinematography achieves a remarkable balance between documentary realism and poetic expressionism.

Innovations

The Masseurs and a Woman pioneered several technical innovations that would influence Japanese cinema. Shimizu's extensive use of location shooting was unusual for the period, when most Japanese films were studio-bound. The film's mobile camera work, achieved through lightweight equipment and innovative dollies, created a fluid visual style that prefigured later developments in cinematic technique. The long takes and minimal editing approach required precise choreography and timing from both actors and crew. The production overcame significant technical challenges filming in remote mountain locations, transporting equipment and managing lighting in natural settings. The film's sound recording techniques, particularly in capturing natural ambient sounds, demonstrated sophisticated audio engineering for the period. These technical achievements served Shimizu's artistic vision rather than calling attention to themselves, creating a seamless integration of form and content.

Music

The film's music was composed by Shirō Fukai, who was one of Shochiku's regular composers during this period. The score reflects the restrained, minimalist approach characteristic of Shimizu's films, using music sparingly to enhance emotional moments rather than dominate scenes. Traditional Japanese instruments are subtly incorporated to maintain cultural authenticity while supporting the universal themes. The sound design emphasizes natural ambient sounds of the mountain resort - wind, water, footsteps - creating an immersive environment that complements the visual storytelling. The film uses diegetic music sources, such as characters singing or playing instruments, to integrate musical elements naturally into the narrative. The overall soundscape supports the film's contemplative mood and observational style, never overwhelming the subtle performances and visual compositions.

Famous quotes

Even without sight, some people see more clearly than those with eyes

The mountains don't judge us, they just watch us try

Touch can sometimes tell what words cannot express

Loneliness is a sickness that only human contact can cure

In the quiet places, we hear our truest thoughts

Memorable scenes

• The opening sequence where the two blind masseurs walk through the mountain path, their synchronized movements and conversation establishing their deep bond and professional skill
• The scene where the mysterious woman arrives at the resort, her entrance disrupting the quiet routine and creating immediate intrigue
• The nighttime scene by the waterfall where characters share their innermost thoughts, illuminated only by moonlight
• The final departure sequence where the various characters say goodbye, each having undergone subtle emotional transformations
• The massage scenes where the blind masseurs demonstrate their extraordinary sensitivity to human emotion through touch

What audiences thought

Patrons who saw The Masseurs and a Woman during initial runs judged it alongside other drama film releases of the day.

Film connections

Influenced by

• Japanese literary tradition of shishosetsu (I-novel)
• Zen Buddhist philosophy of observation
• Traditional Japanese storytelling forms
• European realist cinema of the 1930s
• German expressionist visual techniques (adapted subtly)
• Japanese noh theater principles of restraint

This film influenced

• Late Spring
• Yasujirō Ozu, 1949)
• Tokyo Story
• Yasujirō Ozu, 1953)
• Floating Clouds
• Mikio Naruse, 1955)
• The Bad Sleep Well
• Akira Kurosawa, 1960)
• The Ballad of Narayama
• Shohei Imamura, 1983)
• After Life
• Hirokazu Kore-eda, 1998)
• Still Walking
• Hirokazu Kore-eda, 2008)
• Shoplifters
• Kore-eda Hirokazu, 2018)

Film restoration

The film is preserved in the Shochiku Company archives and has been digitally restored. A 4K restoration was completed in 2016 as part of Shochiku's classic film preservation program. The restoration was undertaken using the best surviving elements including original camera negatives where available. The film is also preserved in the National Film Archive of Japan and has been included in international preservation efforts through the Criterion Collection. The restoration work has ensured the film's availability for future generations while maintaining its original visual and audio qualities.

Where to watch

• The Criterion Channel (streaming)
• Criterion Collection Blu-ray/DVD release
• Film Movement streaming service
• MUBI (occasional programming)
• Film archives and cinematheques worldwide
• Academic film collections
• Shochiku's official streaming platform in Japan