Song of the Wanderer

The Japanese title of this film is derived from the record title played by the Spanish musician Sarasate in 1904. The original work is a novel titled "Sarasate's Record" by Uchida Hyakken, the protagonist in Akira Kurosawa's posthumous work "The Red Sun is Setting." In the film, this record and its music appear in the home of the protagonist Aoki Toyojiro, played by the dissolute wife. Aoki is a German teacher at a military school, portrayed by the respected middle-aged director Fujita Toshihachi, who has a large stature and wears a heavy wool suit, resembling a Russian. The prodigal character Nakazuna, played by Harada Yoshio, is an acquaintance of Aoki but is cynical and seems to have no seriousness, only interested in chasing women, as only women can excite him. The two meet the geisha Ko-In in a hotel, and it appears she has feelings for Aoki, who likes her too but for some reason refuses to get closer, resulting in Nakazuna shamelessly winning her over. Both Aoki and Nakazuna have wives, and when Aoki visits, he is shocked to find that Nakazuna's wife, En, looks exactly like the geisha Ko-In, both played by Nakagawa Naoko. En also falls in love with Aoki, but he still refuses to get close to her. She dies disappointed after giving birth, and soon Ko-In replaces her as Nakazuna's wife. Nakazuna has a warm home, but his heart is not really there...