View source for Kwaidan (film)


{{Distinguish|Kaidan (2007 film)}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Kwaidan
| image          = Kwaidan-poster.jpg
| alt            = 
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| native_name    = 
| director       = [[Masaki Kobayashi]]
| screenplay     = [[Yoko Mizuki]]
| story          = 
| based_on       = {{based on|''[[Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things]]'' and other stories|[[Lafcadio Hearn|Yakumo Koizumi]]}}<!--Per the film's credits-->
| producer       = [[Shigeru Wakatsuki]]
| starring       = {{plainlist|<!--Per the Japanese poster-->
* [[Tatsuya Nakadai]]
* [[Tetsurō Tamba]]
* [[Yoichi Hayashi]]
* [[Katsuo Nakamura]]
* [[Rentarō Mikuni]]
* [[Keiko Kishi]]
* [[Misako Watanabe]]
* [[Michiyo Aratama]]
* [[Osamu Takizawa]]
* [[Noboru Nakaya]]
* [[Seiji Miyaguchi]]
* [[Takashi Shimura]]
* [[Yūko Mochizuki]]
* [[Haruko Sugimura]]
* [[Kan'emon Nakamura]]
* [[Nakamura Ganjirō II]]
}}
| music          = [[Tōru Takemitsu]]
| cinematography = [[Yoshio Miyajima]]
| editing        = [[Hisashi Sagara]]
| production_companies = [[Ninjin Club]]{{sfn|Galbraith IV|2008|p=217}}
| distributor    = [[Toho]]
| released       = {{film date|1964|12|29|{{Ill|Yurakuza|ja|有楽座 (昭和)}}|1965|02|27|Japan}}
| runtime        = 183 minutes
| country        = Japan
| language       = Japanese
| budget         = {{JPY|318.7 million}}{{sfn|''Kinema Junpo''|1965|p=19}}
| gross          = {{JPY|225 million}}
}}
{{nihongo|'''''Kwaidan'''''|怪談|[[Kaidan]]|{{literal translation|Ghost Stories}}|lead=yes}} is a 1964 Japanese [[horror film|horror]] [[anthology film]] directed by [[Masaki Kobayashi]] from a screenplay by [[Yoko Mizuki]]. It consists of four separate stories adapted from [[Lafcadio Hearn]]'s collections of [[Japanese folktales]], including two from his 1904 book ''[[Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things]]'', the film's namesake. Set mostly in feudal Japan, the segments feature vengeful spirits enforcing moral retribution, while portraying the supernatural realm as largely indifferent to human suffering.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-08-19 |title=Watch a cult classic #7: Kwaidan |url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/watch-cult-classic-7-kwaidan |access-date=2025-10-29 |website=BFI |language=en}}</ref> The cast includes [[Tatsuya Nakadai]], [[Tetsurō Tamba]], [[Yoichi Hayashi]], [[Katsuo Nakamura]], [[Rentarō Mikuni]], and [[Keiko Kishi]]; no actors appear in more than one segment.

The concept of adapting Hearn's ''Kwaidan'' into a film originated with producer [[Shigeru Wakatsuki]] during his student years. Upon the formation of [[Ninjin Club]]'s film production division, Wakatsuki pitched the idea to Kobayashi, who had once contemplated the same adaptation, prompting the project to advance. It subsequently languished in [[development hell]] for a decade; [[Shochiku]] initially planned to fund and distribute, but canceled. [[Toho]] then took over, accelerating progress. [[Principal photography]] began in March 1964, scheduled to end in July, but overran budget and schedule, [[Wrap (filmmaking)|wrapping]] in December.

''Kwaidan'' premiered at the {{Ill|Yurakuza|ja|有楽座 (昭和)}} theater on December 29, 1964, followed by a [[roadshow theatrical release]] in Japan beginning January 6, 1965, and a [[wide release]] on February 27, 1965. Escalating production costs pushed the final budget to approximately ¥318–380 million, making it one of the most expensive Japanese films of its time. Despite ranking as the ninth-highest-grossing Japanese film release of 1965, ''Kwaidan'' earned only ¥225 million at the domestic box office, resulting in a substantial financial loss. Thus, it exacerbated debts for the film's production company Ninjin Club, leading to its bankruptcy shortly after release. Receiving critical acclaim, the film won the [[Jury Prize (Cannes Film Festival)|Special Jury Prize]] at the [[1965 Cannes Film Festival]],<ref name="festival-cannes.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/ficheFilm/id/2895/year/1965.html |title=Festival de Cannes: Kwaidan |access-date=2009-03-04|work=festival-cannes.com}}</ref> and received an [[Academy Award]] nomination for [[Academy Award for Best International Feature Film|Best Foreign Language Film]].<ref name="Oscars1966">{{Cite web|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1966 |title=The 38th Academy Awards (1966) Nominees and Winners |access-date=2011-11-06|work=oscars.org}}</ref><ref name=":10">{{Cite web |date=2016-05-26 |title=''Kwaidan'' |url=https://www.oscars.org/events/kwaidan |access-date=2025-11-09 |website=www.oscars.org |language=en}}</ref> It is now regarded as one of the greatest horror films and among the most visually beautiful films ever made.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |last=Earl |first=Siddhant Adlakha,Peter Debruge,Owen Gleiberman,Courtney Howard,Tomris Laffly,Amy Nicholson,Rene Rodriguez,William |date=2024-10-09 |title=The 100 Best Horror Movies of All Time |url=https://variety.com/lists/best-horror-movies-of-all-time/ |access-date=2025-10-28 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Plot==
==="The Black Hair"===
An impoverished swordsman in [[Kyoto]] divorces his wife, a weaver, and leaves her for a woman from a wealthy family to attain greater social status. However, despite his new wealthy status, the swordsman's second marriage proves to be unhappy. His new wife is shown to be callous and selfish. The swordsman regrets leaving his more devoted and patient ex-wife.

The second wife is furious when she realizes that the swordsman not only married her to obtain her family's wealth, but also still longs for his old life in Kyoto with his ex-wife. When he is told to go into the chambers to reconcile with her, the swordsman refuses, stating his intent to return home and reconcile with his ex-wife. He points out his foolish behavior and [[Poverty in Japan|poverty]] as the reasons why he reacted the way he did. The swordsman informs his lady-in-waiting to tell his second wife that their marriage is over and she can return to her parents in shame.

After a few years, the swordsman returns to find his home, and his wife, largely unchanged. He reconciles with his ex-wife, who refuses to let him punish himself. She mentions that Kyoto has "changed" and that they only have "a moment" together, but does not elaborate further. She assures him that she understood that he only left her in order to bring income to their home. The two happily exchange wonderful stories about the past and the future until the swordsman falls asleep. He wakes up the following day only to discover that he had been sleeping next to his ex-wife's rotted corpse, the corpse also rapidly decays into a skeleton on the next appearance. Rapidly aging, the swordsman stumbles through the house, finding that it actually is in ruins and overgrown with weeds. He manages to escape, only to be attacked by his ex-wife's black hair.

==="The Woman of the Snow"===
Two woodcutters from [[Musashi Province]], 18-year-old Minokichi and his elderly mentor Mosaku, take refuge in a boatman's hut during a snowstorm. Mosaku is killed by a {{transliteration|ja|[[yuki-onna]]}}. When the yuki-onna turns to Minokichi, she sympathetically remarks that he is a handsome boy and spares him because of his youth, warning him never to mention what happened or she will kill him. Minokichi returns home and never mentions that night.

One day, while cutting wood, Minokichi meets Yuki, a beautiful young woman traveling at sunset. She tells him she lost her family and that she has relatives in Edo who can secure her a job as a lady-in-waiting. Minokichi offers to let her spend the night at his house with his mother. The mother takes a liking to Yuki and asks her to stay. She never leaves for Edo, and Minokichi falls in love with her. The two marry and have children, living happily. The older women in the town are in awe over Yuki maintaining her youth even after having three children.

One night, Minokichi gives Yuki a set of sandals he has made. When she asks why he always gives her red ribbons on her sandals, he tells her of her youthful appearance. Yuki accepts the sandals and tries them on. She is stitching a kimono in the candlelight. In the light, Minokichi recalls the yuki-onna and sees a resemblance between them. He tells her about the strange encounter. It is then that Yuki reveals herself to be the yuki-onna, and a snowstorm comes over the home. Even though he broke his word, she cannot bring herself to kill him because of her love for him and their children. Yuki then spares Minokichi and leaves on the condition that he treats their children well. As Yuki disappears into the snowstorm, a heartbroken Minokichi places her sandals outside in the snow. After he goes back inside, the snow covers the sandals, implying that Yuki took them with her.

==="Hoichi the Earless"===
[[Hoichi the Earless|Hoichi]] is a young blind musician who plays the {{transliteration|ja|[[biwa]]}}. His specialty is singing the chant of ''[[The Tale of the Heike]]'' about the [[Battle of Dan-no-ura]] fought between the [[Taira clan|Taira]] and [[Minamoto clan|Minamoto]] clans during the last phase of the [[Genpei War]]. Hoichi is an attendant at a temple and is looked after by the others there. One night he hears a sound and decides to play his instrument in the garden courtyard. A spectral samurai appears and tells him that his lord wishes to have a performance at his house. The samurai leads Hoichi to a mysterious and ancient court. Another attendant notices that he went missing for the night as his dinner was not touched. The samurai re-appears on the next night to take Hoichi and affirms that he has not told anyone. Afterwards, the priest asks Hoichi why he goes out at night but Hoichi will not tell him. One night, Hoichi leaves in a storm and his friends follow him and discover he has been going to a graveyard and reciting the Tale of Heike to the court of the [[Emperor Antoku|dead Emperor]]. Hoichi informs the court that it takes many nights to chant the entire epic. They direct him to chant the final battle - the battle of Dan-no-ura. His friends drag him home as he refuses to leave before his performance is completed.

The priest tells Hoichi he is in great danger and that this was a vast illusion from the spirits of the dead, who plan to kill Hoichi if he obeys them again. Concerned for Hoichi's safety, a priest and his acolyte write the text of the [[Heart Sutra]] on his entire body including his face to make him invisible to the ghosts and instruct him to meditate. The samurai re-appears and calls out for Hoichi, who does not answer. Hoichi's ears are visible to the samurai as they forgot to write the text on his ears. The samurai, wanting to bring back as much of Hoichi as possible, rips his ears off to show his lord his commands have been obeyed.

The next morning, the priest and the attendants see a trail of blood leading from the temple. The priest and the acolyte realize their error and believe the ears were a trade for Hoichi's life. They believe the spirits will now leave him alone. A local lord arrives at the temple with a full retinue. They have heard the story of Hoichi the earless and wish to hear him play his biwa. Hoichi is brought before the lord and says he will play to console the sorrowful spirits. The narrator states that many wealthy nobles came to the temple with large gifts of money, making Hoichi wealthy.

==="In a Cup of Tea"===
Anticipating a visit from his publisher, a writer relates an old tale of an attendant of Lord Nakagawa Sadono named Kannai. While Lord Nakagawa is on his way to make a New Year's visit, he halts with his train at a [[Chashitsu|teahouse]] in [[Hakusan, Ishikawa|Hakusan]]. While the party is resting there, Kannai sees the face of a strange man in a cup of tea. Despite being perturbed, he drinks the cup.

Later, while Kannai is guarding his Lord, the man whose face appeared in the tea reappears, calling himself Heinai Shikibu. Kannai runs to tell the other attendants, but they laugh and tell him he is seeing things. Later that night at his own residence, Kannai is visited by three ghostly attendants of Heinai Shikibu. He duels them and is nearly defeated, but the author notes the tale ends before things are resolved and suggests that he could write a complete ending, but prefers to leave the ending to the reader's imagination.

The publisher soon arrives and asks the Madame for the author, who is nowhere to be found. They both flee the scene in terror when they discover the author trapped inside a large jar of water.

==Cast==
{{Col-begin}}
{{Col-4}}

;The Black Hair
* [[Rentarō Mikuni]] as the samurai<ref name="kintoneapp"/>{{sfn|Motoyama|Matsunomoto|Asai|Suzuki|2012|p=91}}<ref name="nfaj">{{cite web |url=https://nfad.nfaj.go.jp/det.php?data_id=598 |title=怪談 |trans-title=''Kwaidan'' |publisher=[[National Film Archive of Japan]] |access-date=December 5, 2025 |language=ja }}</ref>
* [[Michiyo Aratama]] as the first wife<ref name="kintoneapp">{{cite web |url=https://31fb9f38.viewer.kintoneapp.com/public/0a3f41a74b8bb9e879c82e5240035410e01df4c27f0dfc1d2ef44495962b1f44/detail/def502003f7d710fc3e0ed23da53367d83c0b9b8d0420a7b597543b66172c4a3cd53394aa1747df7e6925a0794bf3d807a2ab90f413ca3cd6db19169e8049f7ea534e8c3a8bee3a4d20e7035582599bc55943cee13036c2d66e31360a886a229f5ff38d289450f9c14cad96670c19583651cf945405fa6b41a62b3c386bc9dd9f53ee0506520c6d18961286f5d325a43c41f106747e802ff97 |title=怪談 |trans-title=''Kwaidan'' |publisher=[[Toho]] |access-date=December 5, 2025 |language=ja }}</ref><ref name="criterion">{{cite web |url=https://www.criterion.com/films/629-kwaidan |title=''Kwaidan'' |work=[[The Criterion Collection]] |access-date=December 8, 2025 }}</ref>
* [[Misako Watanabe]] as the second wife<ref name="kintoneapp"/><ref name="criterion"/>
* {{Ill|Kenjirō Ishiyama|ja|石山健二郎}} as the father<ref name="kintoneapp"/>{{sfn|Motoyama|Matsunomoto|Asai|Suzuki|2012|p=91}}<ref name="nfaj"/>
* {{Ill|Ranko Akagi|ja|赤木蘭子}} as the mother<ref name="kintoneapp"/>{{sfn|Motoyama|Matsunomoto|Asai|Suzuki|2012|p=91}}<ref name="nfaj"/>
* {{Ill|Fumie Kitahara|ja|北原文枝}} as the wet nurse<ref name="kintoneapp"/>{{sfn|Motoyama|Matsunomoto|Asai|Suzuki|2012|p=91}}
* {{Ill|Kappei Matsumoto|ja|松本克平 (俳優)}} as the manager<ref name="kintoneapp"/>{{sfn|Motoyama|Matsunomoto|Asai|Suzuki|2012|p=91}}<ref name="nfaj"/>
* {{Ill|Yoshiko Ieda|ja|家田佳子}} as the maid<ref name="kintoneapp"/>{{sfn|Motoyama|Matsunomoto|Asai|Suzuki|2012|p=91}}<ref name="nfaj"/>
* {{Ill|Otome Tsukimiya|ja|月宮乙女}} as the caretaker<ref name="kintoneapp"/><ref name="nfaj"/>
* Kenzo Tanaka as the servant<ref name="kintoneapp"/>{{sfn|Motoyama|Matsunomoto|Asai|Suzuki|2012|p=91}}<ref name="nfaj"/>
* Kiyoshi Nakano as the [[daimyo]]<ref name="kintoneapp"/>{{sfn|Motoyama|Matsunomoto|Asai|Suzuki|2012|p=91}}<ref name="nfaj"/>

{{Col-4}}

;The Woman of the Snow
* [[Tatsuya Nakadai]] as Minokichi<ref name="kintoneapp"/>{{sfn|Motoyama|Matsunomoto|Asai|Suzuki|2012|p=91}}<ref name="nfaj"/>
* [[Keiko Kishi]] as the [[yuki-onna]]<ref name="kintoneapp"/>{{sfn|Motoyama|Matsunomoto|Asai|Suzuki|2012|p=91}}<ref name="nfaj"/>
* [[Yūko Mochizuki]] as Minokichi's mother<ref name="kintoneapp"/>{{sfn|Motoyama|Matsunomoto|Asai|Suzuki|2012|p=91}}<ref name="nfaj"/>
* [[Kin Sugai]] as a village woman<ref name="kintoneapp"/><ref name="nfaj"/>
* [[Noriko Sengoku]] as a village woman<ref name="kintoneapp"/><ref name="nfaj"/>
* {{Ill|Akiko Nomura|ja|野村昭子}} as a village woman<ref name="kintoneapp"/><ref name="nfaj"/>
* {{Ill|Torahiko Hamada|ja|浜田寅彦}} as the boatman<ref name="kintoneapp"/><ref name="nfaj"/>
* [[Jun Hamamura]] as Mosaku<ref name="kintoneapp"/>{{sfn|Motoyama|Matsunomoto|Asai|Suzuki|2012|p=91}}<ref name="nfaj"/>

{{Col-4}}

;Hoichi the Earless
* [[Katsuo Nakamura]] as [[Hoichi the Earless]]<ref name="kintoneapp"/>{{sfn|Motoyama|Matsunomoto|Asai|Suzuki|2012|p=91}}<ref name="nfaj"/>
* [[Tetsurō Tamba]] as the samurai in armor<ref name="kintoneapp"/>{{sfn|Motoyama|Matsunomoto|Asai|Suzuki|2012|p=91}}<ref name="nfaj"/>
* [[Takashi Shimura]] as the chief priest<ref name="kintoneapp"/>{{sfn|Motoyama|Matsunomoto|Asai|Suzuki|2012|p=91}}<ref name="nfaj"/>
* [[Yoichi Hayashi]] as [[Minamoto no Yoshitsune]]<ref name="kintoneapp"/>{{sfn|Motoyama|Matsunomoto|Asai|Suzuki|2012|p=91}}<ref name="nfaj"/>
* {{Ill|Eiko Muramatsu|ja|村松英子}} as [[Kenreimon-in]]<ref name="kintoneapp"/>{{sfn|Motoyama|Matsunomoto|Asai|Suzuki|2012|p=91}}
* [[Kunie Tanaka]] as Yasaku,<ref name="criterion"/> the fletcher<ref name="kintoneapp"/>{{sfn|Motoyama|Matsunomoto|Asai|Suzuki|2012|p=91}}
* [[Kazuo Kitamura]] as [[Taira no Tomomori]]<ref name="kintoneapp"/>{{sfn|Motoyama|Matsunomoto|Asai|Suzuki|2012|p=91}}
* [[Ichirō Nakatani]] as a nobleman<ref name="kintoneapp"/>{{sfn|Motoyama|Matsunomoto|Asai|Suzuki|2012|p=91}}
* {{Ill|Masanori Tomotake|ja|友竹正則}} as Donkai<ref name="kintoneapp"/>
* {{Ill|Tokue Hanazawa|ja|花沢徳衛}} as Matsuzo<ref name="nfaj"/>
* [[Shizue Natsukawa]] as [[Taira no Tokiko]]<ref name="kintoneapp"/>{{sfn|Motoyama|Matsunomoto|Asai|Suzuki|2012|p=91}}<ref name="nfaj"/>
* {{Ill|Shin Tatsuoka|ja|龍岡晋}} as [[Taira no Norimori]]<ref name="kintoneapp"/>{{sfn|Motoyama|Matsunomoto|Asai|Suzuki|2012|p=91}}<ref name="nfaj"/>
* {{Ill|Makiko Kitashiro|ja|北城真記子}} as a noblewoman<ref name="kintoneapp"/>
* {{Ill|Shoichi Kuwayama|ja|桑山正一}} as a fisherman<ref name="kintoneapp"/>
* {{Ill|Mutsuhiko Tsurumaru|ja|鶴丸睦彦}} as [[Taira no Tsunemori]]<ref name="kintoneapp"/>
* {{Ill|Akira Tani|ja|谷晃}} as a fisherman<ref name="kintoneapp"/>{{sfn|Motoyama|Matsunomoto|Asai|Suzuki|2012|p=91}}
* {{Ill|Yousuke Kondou|ja|近藤洋介 (俳優)}} as [[Benkei]]<ref name="kintoneapp"/>{{sfn|Motoyama|Matsunomoto|Asai|Suzuki|2012|p=91}}
* {{Ill|Kiyoshi Yamamoto|ja|山本清 (俳優)}} as [[Taira no Munemori]]<ref name="kintoneapp"/>
* {{Ill|Kinji Omino|ja|小美野欣士}} as {{Ill|Hideto Yamaga|ja|山鹿秀遠}}<ref name="kintoneapp"/>
* [[Atsuo Nakamura]] as [[Taira no Noritsune]]<ref name="kintoneapp"/>
* Ginzo Sekiguchi as a [[Minamoto clan|Genji]] warrior<ref name="kintoneapp"/>
* {{Ill|Akio Miyabe|ja|宮部昭夫}} as Taro of Aki<ref name="kintoneapp"/>
* Gen'ya Nagai as a fisherman<ref name="kintoneapp"/>
* Toru Uchida as {{Ill|Kawano Michinobu|ja|河野通信}}<ref name="kintoneapp"/>
* Hikaru Kamino as Gen'ya Hirotsuna<ref name="kintoneapp"/>
* [[Musei Tokugawa|Toshio Fukuhara]] as a Genji warrior<ref name="kintoneapp"/>
* Kiro Abe as [[Satō Tadanobu]]<ref name="kintoneapp"/>
* Toshiro Yagi as {{Ill|Taira no Arimori|ja|平有盛}}<ref name="kintoneapp"/>
* {{Ill|Yuriko Abe|ja|阿部百合子}}<ref name="kintoneapp"/>
* Yuri Sato as [[Emperor Antoku]]<ref name="kintoneapp"/>{{sfn|Motoyama|Matsunomoto|Asai|Suzuki|2012|p=91}}
* {{Ill|Kyoichi Sato|ja|佐藤京一}} as [[Taira no Kagekiyo]]<ref name="kintoneapp"/>
* Nobuo Aikawa as {{Ill|Ise Yoshimori|ja|伊勢義盛}}<ref name="kintoneapp"/>
* Taiji Kodama as {{Ill|Taira no Yukimori|ja|平行盛}}<ref name="kintoneapp"/>
* Nobuaki Maeda as {{Ill|Taira no Sukemori|ja|平資盛}}<ref name="kintoneapp"/>
* {{Ill|Teruhiko Shibata|ja|柴田侊彦}} as {{Ill|Taira no Kiyomune|ja|平清宗}}<ref name="kintoneapp"/>
* Haruo Kaji as a warlord<ref name="kintoneapp"/>
* {{Ill|Michio Gina|ja|義那道夫}} as Aki no Jiro<ref name="kintoneapp"/>
* Seiji Tabe as Aki no Jiro's servant<ref name="kintoneapp"/>
* Mitsuko Narita as a lady-in-waiting<ref name="kintoneapp"/>
* Noriko Mikura as a lady-in-waiting<ref name="kintoneapp"/>
* {{Ill|Aiko Nagayama|ja|長山藍子}} as a lady-in-waiting<ref name="kintoneapp"/>
* Michiko Nakahata as a noblewoman<ref name="kintoneapp"/>
* [[Kyōko Kishida]] as a noblewoman<ref name="nfaj"/> (uncredited)
{{Col-4}}

;In a Cup of Tea
* [[Kan'emon Nakamura]] as Kannai, the samurai<ref name="kintoneapp"/>{{sfn|Motoyama|Matsunomoto|Asai|Suzuki|2012|p=91}}<ref name="nfaj"/>
* [[Osamu Takizawa]] as the author/narrator<ref name="kintoneapp"/>{{sfn|Motoyama|Matsunomoto|Asai|Suzuki|2012|p=91}}<ref name="nfaj"/>
* [[Haruko Sugimura]] as the landlady<ref name="kintoneapp"/><ref name="nfaj"/> (the author's wife)<ref name="criterion"/>
* [[Nakamura Ganjirō II]] as the publisher<ref name="kintoneapp"/><ref name="nfaj"/>
* [[Noboru Nakaya]] as Heinai Shikibu<ref name="kintoneapp"/>{{sfn|Motoyama|Matsunomoto|Asai|Suzuki|2012|p=91}}<ref name="nfaj"/>
* [[Seiji Miyaguchi]] as the old man<ref name="kintoneapp"/>
* [[Kei Satō]] as Matsuoka Bungo,{{sfn|Motoyama|Matsunomoto|Asai|Suzuki|2012|p=91}} one of Heinai's retainers<ref name="kintoneapp"/>
* [[Tomoko Naraoka]] as Suzue, Kannai's younger sister<ref name="kintoneapp"/>
* [[Shigeru Kōyama]] as a co-worker of Kannai's<ref name="kintoneapp"/>
* [[Jun Tazaki]] as a co-worker of Kannai's<ref name="kintoneapp"/>
* [[Junkichi Orimoto]] as a co-worker of Kannai's<ref name="kintoneapp"/>
* [[Akiji Kobayashi]] as a co-worker of Kannai's<ref name="kintoneapp"/>
* {{Ill|Yoshiro Aoki|ja|青木義朗}} as a co-worker of Kannai's<ref name="kintoneapp"/>
* [[Hideyo Amamoto]] as Dobashi Kyuzo,{{sfn|Motoyama|Matsunomoto|Asai|Suzuki|2012|p=91}} one of Heinai's retainers<ref name="kintoneapp"/>
* [[Isao Tamagawa]] as Okamura Heiroku,{{sfn|Motoyama|Matsunomoto|Asai|Suzuki|2012|p=91}} one of Heinai's retainers<ref name="kintoneapp"/>

{{Col-end}}

==Production==
===Development and pre-production===
[[File:Kinema-Junpo-1960-October-late-1.jpg|thumb|upright|Director [[Masaki Kobayashi]] in 1960]]
While he was a student, producer [[Shigeru Wakatsuki]], later the president of [[Ninjin Club]], had the idea of a film adaptation of [[Lafcadio Hearn]]'s ''[[Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things]]''.{{sfn|Motoyama|Matsunomoto|Asai|Suzuki|2012|p=93}} Upon the formation of Ninjin Club's film production division in 1954, Wakatsuki pitched an adaptation of Lafcadio Hearn's ''Kwaidan'' to director [[Masaki Kobayashi]], who had also previously thought of adapting it. The project quickly gained momentum but soon languished in [[development hell]] for roughly a decade. [[Shochiku]] initially committed to funding and distribution but ultimately withdrew. [[Toho]] stepped in as partner and distributor, injecting the resources needed to push forward.{{sfn|Toho|1965|p=2}} Thus, Toho also began a three-film deal with director [[Masaki Kobayashi]] that concluded with the production of ''Kwaidan''.{{sfn|Galbraith IV|2008|p=451}}

Screenwriter [[Yoko Mizuki]] made the decision herself of which four of Hearn's stories to adapt.{{sfn|De Agostini|2012|p=12}} The opening segment, {{nihongo|"The Black Hair"|黒髪|Kurokami}}, is adapted from "{{Ill|The Reconciliation (novel)|lt=The Reconciliation|ja|和解 (小泉八雲の小説)}}", which appeared in Hearn's collection ''Shadowings'' (1900);{{sfn|Prince|2015|loc=00:08:04}} the second and third segments, {{nihongo|"The Woman of the Snow"|雪女|Yukionna}}, and {{nihongo|"Hoichi the Earless"|耳無し芳一の話|Miminashi Hōichi no Hanashi}} are based on stories from Hearn's ''Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things''.{{sfn|Prince|2015|loc=00:39:57}}{{sfn|Prince|2015|loc=01:22:17}} The fourth and final segment, {{nihongo|"{{Ill|In a Cup of Tea|ja|茶碗の中}}"|茶碗の中|Chawan no Naka}}, is adapted from Hearn's ''{{Ill|Kottō: Being Japanese Curios, with Sundry Cobwebs|ja|骨董 (小泉八雲)}}'' (1902).{{sfn|Prince|2015|loc=02:37:46}}

Kobayashi pursued the project following the critical success of ''[[Harakiri (1962 film)|Harakiri]]'' (1962) at the [[Cannes Film Festival]], where he decided to advance further in stylization on his next film. ''Kwaidan'' also served as a personal homage to his late teacher [[Aizu Yaichi]], who had introduced Kobayashi to Hearn's writings.{{Sfn|Prince|2017|pp=204–205}}

During pre-production, Kobayashi discovered that the studio's sound stages were too small for the elaborate sets he envisioned. Therefore, he built the stages in an airplane hangar in Uji, Kyoto.<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Av-AQZ3iLQE |title=Interview with Masaki Kobayashi - Kwaidan (1964) |date=2024-09-15 |last=FilmArchive |access-date=2025-10-12 |via=YouTube}}</ref> Kobayashi worked with composer Toru Takemitsu for six months to produce the film's score.{{sfn|Kemp|2020|p=133}} The film exhausted its budget three-quarters of the way through production, which led Kobayashi to sell his house.{{sfn|Kemp|2020|p=133}}

Though known for hard-edged contemporary dramas, Kobayashi prioritized aesthetic reclamation with the film. During the 1930s–1940s, militarists had co-opted traditional arts for propaganda; ''Kwaidan'' sought to "reclaim the arts from this dark period", according to [[Stephen Prince]].{{sfn|Prince|2015|loc=00:00:20}}

===Filming===
Filming began on March 22, 1964.{{sfn|Toho|1965|p=4}} Nearly all scenes were shot on vast indoor soundstages converted from a former military barracks—ironic given Kobayashi's pacifism and wartime trauma (drafted 1941, Kwantung Army near [[Unit 731]], brief POW detention). This enabled stylized, uncanny landscapes.{{sfn|Prince|2015|loc=00:15:49}}

The film was one of the most expensive Japanese films ever at the time, with most money spent on the sets, nearly bankrupting Ninjin Club during filming; a loan from mentor [[Keisuke Kinoshita]] sustained it.{{sfn|Prince|2015|loc=00:46:57}}<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-10-27 |title=Kwaidan |url=https://www.deepfocusreview.com/definitives/kwaidan/ |access-date=2025-10-27 |website=Deep Focus Review |language=en-US}}</ref> The exact budget is disputed in reports, though it is generally agreed to have been over {{JPY|300 million}}. Some sources list the budget as {{JPY|320 million}},{{sfn|Imamura|1987|p=314}}{{sfn|Motoyama|Matsunomoto|Asai|Suzuki|2012|p=91}} while the film's trailer states it to have cost {{JPY|350 million}} ({{USD|970,000}}).<ref>{{cite web |title=Midnight Eye review: Kwaidan (Kaidan, 1965, Masaki KOBAYASHI) |url=http://www.midnighteye.com/reviews/kwaidan/ }}</ref>{{sfn|Barrett|2018|p=45}} According to Asaka Wakayama, widow of the film's composer, [[Tōru Takemitsu]], the initial budget was {{JPY|100 million}} with {{JPY|2 million}} set to be spent on Takemitsu's music, escalating to {{JPY|317 million}} for the film and {{JPY|3.36 million}} for the score by the end of production.{{sfn|Takemitsu|2006|p=101}} The ''[[Honolulu Star-Bulletin]]'' in September 1964 reported the budget as {{USD|361,000}}, though filming was still ongoing at that time.{{sfn|Gima|1964|p=9}} Wakatsuki provided a detailed description of the costs in the March 1965 issue of [[Kinema Junpo|''Kinema Junpo'']], citing the exact production budget as {{JPY|318,661,704}} by January 20, 1965, excluding marketing.{{sfn|''Kinema Junpo''|1965|p=19}} The film's theater program stated that the total cost was {{JPY|380 million}} (just over {{USD|1 million|long=no}}) for the film.{{sfn|Toho|1965|p=2}} The [[New York Daily News|New York ''Daily News'']] claimed that the budget exceeded {{USD|1 million|long=no}}, adding that it was "peanuts for color and wide screen in Hollywood but the most expensive film ever made in Japan".{{sfn|Hale|1965|p=57}}

Cinematographer [[Yoshio Miyajima]] (a communist who made wartime propaganda before anti-militarist collaborations with Kobayashi) used fluid traveling shots, high-angle views (from Kobayashi's Otaru mountain climbs for solace, and 12th-century ''[[emakimono]]'' scrolls, explicitly cited in "Hoichi"), and oblique perspectives minimizing depth for two-dimensional surface design.{{sfn|Prince|2015|loc=00:03:06}} Kobayashi rejected realism, honoring [[Zeami Motokiyo]]'s Noh theory despising "appearance."{{sfn|Prince|2015|loc=00:06:19}} Color (his first film in color) was theatrical—gelled lights, painted backdrops, translights. Sets emphasized artificiality; outdoor archery in "The Black Hair" used exaggerated reverberant hoofbeats.{{sfn|Prince|2015|loc=01:25:58}}

===Music and sound effects===
Tōru Takemitsu composed the film's score and co-created its sound effects, both of which are considered revolutionary. This marked his third of ten collaborations with Kobayashi. Kobayashi said his films had "too much music" until Takemitsu, who parsed to essentials.{{sfn|Prince|2015|loc=00:02:30}} Takemitsu, a self-taught composer known for blending Eastern and Western musical traditions, was drawn to film scoring due to the medium's inherent "eroticism" and "violence," which he believed grounded it in physical reality.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kwaidan |url=https://www.tcm.com/articles/145455/kwaidan |access-date=2025-11-18 |website=Turner Classic Movies |language=en-us}}</ref> Influenced by [[John Cage]], Takemitsu used prepared piano (screws/bolts/wool), electronic alteration, and Japanese ''[[Ma (negative space)|ma]]'' (charged silence). Sounds decoupled from visuals—creaking bamboo, ripping wood as metaphor, no ambient rustling.{{sfn|Prince|2015|loc=00:10:06}}

==Thematic analysis==
''Kwaidan'' explores the uncanny (''kaidan''—Edo-period tales of strange encounters, not Western horror/morality).{{sfn|Prince|2015|loc=00:05:06}} Central is ''[[mujō]]'' (transience)—life's brevity, inevitable decay, illusion of permanence.{{sfn|Prince|2015|loc=01:06:32}}{{sfn|Prince|2015|loc=02:13:20}}{{sfn|Eswaran|2021|p=34}} High angles evoke Buddha-like detachment; oblique compositions reference emakimono, flattening reality.{{sfn|Prince|2015|loc=02:13:20}} Anti-militarism permeates subtly: angry ghosts unify episodes; eyes symbolize imperial surveillance ("thought police"); Heike suicide critiques ritualized death (echoing ''Harakiri''); biwa reclaimed from wartime propaganda.{{sfn|Prince|2015|loc=00:45:46}} Kobayashi, a pacifist conscript, saw war as "culmination of human evil."{{sfn|Prince|2015|loc=01:52:18}} Sound and image experiment—decoupled audio, prepared piano, silence—point to a spiritual domain beyond empiricism, confounding perception to reveal "force behind surfaces."{{sfn|Prince|2015|loc=00:05:42}}

Although ''Kwaidan'' is typically classified as a [[horror film]], Kobayashi rejected this interpretation. In a 1975 interview with [[Joan Mellen]], he called the horror label merely a "shorthand description" of the film. He emphasized his primary aim was to explore the opposition between humanity's material existence and the spiritual realm, including dreams and aspirations, and to focus on the profound spiritual meaning of life. He said he enjoyed portraying the beauty of [[Culture of Japan|traditional Japan]], but was dissatisfied with the horror classification, maintaining that the film's essence lay in its spiritual concerns.{{sfn|Mellen|1975|p=148}}

==Release==
[[File:Yūraku-za.jpg|thumb|The [[Toho]]-operated {{Ill|Yurakuza|ja|有楽座 (昭和)}} theater (pictured {{circa}} 1930s) in Tokyo's [[Yūrakuchō]] district, where ''Kwaidan'' premiered in December 1964.]]
''Kwaidan'' premiered at the {{Ill|Yurakuza|ja|有楽座 (昭和)}}, the most prestigious theater in central Tokyo, on December 29, 1964.{{sfn|Motoyama|Matsunomoto|Asai|Suzuki|2012|p=90}} The film opened in Japan as a [[roadshow theatrical release]] on 6 January 1965, distributed by [[Toho]],{{sfn|Galbraith IV|2008|p=217}}{{sfn|Gima|1965a|p=9}} with a simultaneous release in [[Taipei]].{{sfn|Huang|2008|p=111}} The Japanese general [[wide release]] followed on February 27, 1965.{{sfn|Galbraith IV|2008|p=218}} To promote the film, stars Nakadai and Aratama visited Heard's grave.{{sfn|Gima|1965a|p=9}}

Despite high expectations, ''Kwaidan'' underperformed commercially in Japan. Toho had projected at least ¥100 million in roadshow revenue, and early reports from the Tokyo Scala Theater noted attendance comparable to [[The Miracle Worker (1962 film)|''The Miracle Worker'']] and [[Mondo Cane|''Mondo Cane'']] (both 1962).{{sfn|''Engekikai''|1965|p=72}} The film ultimately earned ¥84.6 million during its Tokyo and Osaka roadshow engagements (January 6–February 12, 1965).{{sfn|''Kinema Junpo''|1965|p=19}} Despite this, its roadshow release alone was reportedly considered a success, leading Toho to start a new roadshow policy with the 1965 remake of [[Akira Kurosawa]]'s [[Sanshiro Sugata|''Sanshiro Sugata'']] (1943).{{sfn|''Boxoffice''|1965|p=W-7}} In total, domestic rentals reached ¥225 million,{{sfn|''Kinema Junpo''|2012|p=210}} placing it ninth among Japanese-produced films released in 1965. With its final cost—including marketing—of ¥380 million, the film failed to break even. This shortfall, in turn, contributed heavily to the financial collapse of its production company, Ninjin Club, which declared bankruptcy shortly after release.{{sfn|Nikaido|2020|p=35}}

A 161-minute version screened in competition at the [[1965 Cannes Film Festival]], with Kobayashi and Takemitsu in attendance, giving them a sense of relief and accomplishment after the arduous production.{{Sfn|Prince|2017|p=224}} Upon returning from Cannes, Kobayashi was promptly dismissed by Shochiku president Kido Shiro, who had begun to dislike Kobayashi and attributed the decision to the film's excessive costs.{{Sfn|Prince|2017|p=224}} This ended Kobayashi's longstanding relationship with Shochiku and marked his transition to a more independent, "lone wolf" career.{{Sfn|Prince|2017|p=224}}

''Kwaidan'' then became one of the most popular and acclaimed foreign films ever released in the United States, according to [[The Union (newspaper)|''The Union'']].{{sfn|''The Union''|1982|p=8}} The film was released in the U.S. on 15 July 1965 by [[Continental Distributing]] in a 125-minute version that omitted the entire "The Woman of the Snow" segment after its Los Angeles premiere,{{sfn|Galbraith IV|2008|p=217}} reportedly with Kobayashi's approval.{{Sfn|Galbraith IV|1994|p=104}} A screening of ''Kwaidan'' was arranged for [[Grace Kelly|Princess Grace Kelly]] around November 1965 at her request.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Wilson |first=Earl |author-link=Earl Wilson (columnist) |date=November 26, 1965 |title=Earl Wilson's New York |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/1133626611/ |url-access=subscription |work=[[Grand Forks Herald]] |page=6 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> The film, with all Its four segments intact, was also shown at Toho's [[La Brea Theatre]] in [[Los Angeles]] in July 1965;{{sfn|Barrin|1965|p=10}}{{sfn|Thomas|1965|p=49}} and in [[San Francisco]] from November 29-December 1, 1970.{{sfn|''San Francisco Chronicle''|1970|p=233}}

Some contemporary sources claim that the excised "Woman of the Snow" segment was later released overseas as a standalone short subject. However, film historian [[Stuart Galbraith IV]] found no evidence of a standalone theatrical release in the United States or elsewhere.{{Sfn|Galbraith IV|1994|p=104}} Nevertheless, there are indications of its exhibition in England. The [[British Board of Film Classification]] gave an A rating to a 36-minute film titled "The Woman of the Snow" on December 10, 1967, listing Orb Films Ltd. as distributor;<ref>{{Cite web |title=''The Woman of the Snow'' |url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/the-woman-of-the-snow-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0ynjq3mdg |access-date=November 26, 2025 |website=[[British Board of Film Classification]] |language=en}}</ref> this company also handled the UK releases of ''[[Matango]]'' (1963)<ref>{{Cite web |title=''Matango'' |url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/matango-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0ynzg1mje |access-date=November 26, 2025 |website=[[British Board of Film Classification]] |language=en}}</ref> and ''[[Onibaba (film)|Onibaba]]'' (1964).<ref>{{Cite web |title=''Onibaba'' |url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/onibaba-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0yndgzmjm |access-date=November 26, 2025 |website=[[British Board of Film Classification]] |language=en}}</ref> In October 1968, according to a listing and review, "The Woman of the Snow" was screened [[Double feature|alongside]] [[The Dress (1964 film)|''The Dress'']] (1964) at the [[Academy 1-2-3 (cinema)|Academy 1-2-3]] in London.{{sfn|''Evening Standard''|1968|p=18}}<ref>{{Cite news |last=Billington |first=Michael |author-link=Michael Billington (critic) |date=October 12, 1968 |title=Woman's week |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/1143685705/ |url-access=subscription |work=[[The Illustrated London News]] |page=40 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> The segment was subsequently shown in [[Derby]] with ''Onibaba'' in January 1969,<ref>{{Cite news |date=January 11, 1969 |title=''Onibaba'' |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/872057285/ |url-access=subscription |work=[[Derby Telegraph]] |page=4 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> and in June 1969 at the [[Electric Cinema, Notting Hill#History|Electric Cinema Club]] in June 1969 alongside several other short films.<ref>{{Cite news |date=June 20, 1969 |title=Pick of shorts |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/800452406/ |url-access=subscription |work=Marylebone and Paddington Mercury |page=40 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>

''Kwaidan'' was re-released theatrically in Japan on November 29, 1982, as part of Toho's fiftieth anniversary.{{sfn|Galbraith IV|2008|p=332}} For several decades the original 183-minute Japanese cut was believed lost, and home-video releases (including laserdisc and early DVDs) were sourced from the 161-minute Cannes print. Toho later rediscovered the 183-minute cut and released it on [[DVD]] in 2003.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kwaidan |url=https://www.tohokingdom.com/movies/kwaidan.htm |access-date=2025-11-09 |website=Toho Kingdom}}</ref>

==Reception==

=== Critical response ===
{{expand section|date=August 2015}}
Japanese critics considered ''Kwaidan'' one of the best Japanese films of 1964 or 1965, but the latter year was mostly disregarded, as the film premiered in 1964 and was thus considered a 1964 film; only a few votes in a 1965 survey of Japanese film critics mentioned it as such.{{sfn|''Film Society Review''|1966|p=6}} ''[[Kinema Junpo]]'' ranked it the second best Japanese film of 1964, after ''[[Woman in the Dunes]]'',{{sfn|Gima|1965b|p=9}} and ''[[The Japan Times]]'' placed it sixth.{{sfn|Gima|1965c|p=13}} [[Yoko Mizuki]] also won the ''Kinema Junpo'' award for Best Screenplay. It also won awards for Best Cinematography and Best Art Direction at the [[Mainichi Film Concours]].{{sfn|Galbraith IV|2008|p=217}} The film won international awards, including [[Jury Prize (Cannes Film Festival)|Special Jury Prize]] at the [[Cannes Film Festival]] and was nominated for the [[Academy Award for Best International Feature Film|Best Foreign Language Film]] at the [[Academy Awards]].{{sfn|Galbraith IV|2008|p=215}} Despite its success at Cannes, its initial reception there was reportedly mixed.{{sfn|''Guam Daily News''|1965|p=14}} It also remains the only horror movie ever to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.<ref name=":10" />

In a 1967 review, the ''[[Monthly Film Bulletin]]'' commented on the use of colors in the film, stating that "it is not so much that the colour in ''Kwaidan'' is ravishing...as the way Kobayashi uses it to give these stories something of the quality of a legend."{{sfn|''Monthly Film Bulletin''|1967|pp=135–136}} The review concluded that the ''Kwaidan'' was a film "whose details stay on in the mind long after one has seen it."{{sfn|''Monthly Film Bulletin''|1967|pp=135–136}} [[Bosley Crowther]], in a 1965 ''[[The New York Times|New York Times]]'' review, stated that director Kobayashi "merits excited acclaim for his distinctly oriental cinematic artistry. So do the many designers and cameramen who worked with him. ''Kwaidan'' is a symphony of color and sound that is truly past compare."<ref name=":12" /> Furthermore, Crowther singled out [[Katsuo Nakamura]]'s performance as the "most conspicuous and memorable."<ref name=":12">{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9A07E4DB1639E33ABC4B51DFB767838E679EDE|work=[[New York Times]]|title=Screen: 'Kwaidan,' a Trio of Subtle Horror Tales:Fine Arts Theater Has Japanese Thriller|last=Crowther|first=Bosley|access-date=September 28, 2016|date=November 23, 1965|author-link=Bosley Crowther|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160609032227/http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9A07E4DB1639E33ABC4B51DFB767838E679EDE|archive-date=June 9, 2016}}</ref> He later listed it among the Top 10 films released in 1965 and recognized Katsuo's performance as one of the best in a film of that year.<ref>{{Cite web |date=1965-12-26 |title=The Ten Best Films of 1965; Summing Up: The Year's Ten Best Movies (Published 1965) |website=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1965/12/26/archives/the-ten-best-films-of-1965-summing-up-the-years-ten-best-movies.html |access-date=2025-11-09 |language=en}}</ref> ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' described the film as "done in measured cadence and intense feeling" and that it was "a visually impressive tour-de-force."{{sfn|Galbraith IV|1994|p=100}}
<!-- The "The Woman of the Snow" episode received particular praise from the few contemporary Western critics who viewed the full version, as it was omitted from most international releases to shorten the runtime. -->

=== Accolades ===
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
! scope="col" |Award
! scope="col" |Date of ceremony
! scope="col" |Category
! scope="col" |Recipient(s)
! scope="col" |Result
! class="unsortable" scope="col" |{{Tooltip|Ref.|Reference(s)}}
|-
|[[Academy Awards]]
|[[38th Academy Awards|April 18, 1966]]
|[[Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film|Best Foreign Language Film]]
|''Kwaidan'' ([[List of Japanese submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film|Japan]])
|{{Nominated}}
|<ref name="Oscars1966" />
|-
|[[Cannes Film Festival]]
|[[1965 Cannes Film Festival|May 1965]]
|[[Jury Prize (Cannes Film Festival)|Special Jury Prize]]
| rowspan=2 | ''Kwaidan''
| {{Won}}
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=KWAIDAN |url=https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/f/kwaidan/ |access-date=2025-11-09 |website=Festival de Cannes |language=en-US}}</ref>
|-
|International Film Awards
|January 21, 1966
|Joseph Burstyn Award
|{{Nominated}}
|{{sfn|''Boxoffice''|1966|p=SE-7}}
|-
|{{Ill|Japan Film Technical Awards|ja|映像技術賞}}
|1965
|Best Lighting
|Akira Aomatsu
| {{Won}}
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=日本映画技術賞 受賞一覧 - 一般社団法人 日本映画テレビ技術協会 |url=https://mpte.jp/outline/kennsyou/technological_prize.html |access-date=2025-11-09 |website=mpte.jp}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan=2 | ''[[Kinema Junpo]]''
| rowspan=2 | March 1965
| Best Japanese Films of 1964
| ''Kwaidan''
| {{draw|2nd Place}}
|{{sfn|Gima|1965b|p=9}}
|-
| Best Screenplay
| [[Yoko Mizuki]]
| rowspan=3 {{Won}}
| {{sfn|Galbraith IV|2008|p=217}}
|-
| rowspan=2 | [[Mainichi Film Awards]]
|rowspan=2 | 1965
|[[Mainichi Film Award for Best Cinematography|Best Cinematography]]
|[[Yoshio Miyajima]]
|rowspan=2 | {{sfn|Galbraith IV|2008|p=217}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=毎日映画コンクール 第20回（1965年） |url=https://mainichi.jp/mfa/history/020.html |access-date=2025-11-09 |website=毎日新聞 |language=ja}}</ref>
|-
|[[Mainichi Film Award for Best Art Direction|Best Art Direction]]
| Shigemasa Toda
|-
|[[New York Film Critics Circle]]
|[[1965 New York Film Critics Circle Awards|January 29, 1966]]
|[[New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Foreign Language Film|Best Foreign Language Film]]
|''Kwaidan''
| {{runner up}}
|<ref>{{Cite web |date=1965-12-28 |title=Critics Vote 'Darling' The Best Film of 1965; Julie Christie Wins Best-Actress Prize -- Director Cited (Published 1965) |website=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1965/12/28/archives/critics-vote-darling-the-best-film-of-1965-julie-christie-wins-best.html |access-date=2025-11-09 |language=en}}</ref>
|}

== Legacy ==

=== Modern reception ===
''Kwaidan'' is now considered one of the greatest horror films and among the "most beautiful" movies of all time.<ref name=":5" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Bolt |first=Neil |date=2023-09-21 |title=Hideo Kojima's Criterion Closet Picks Include 4 Classic Japanese Horror Movies |url=https://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/1346898-kojima-criterion-picks |access-date=2025-10-27 |website=ComingSoon.net - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The 100 Best Horror Movies of All Time |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/horror-movies/best-horror-movies-ever-of-all-time-scariest-films |access-date=2025-10-28 |website=Paste Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |date=2022-10-28 |title=101 Best Horror Movies of All Time |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-lists/best-horror-movies-of-all-time-1234597766/ |access-date=2025-10-28 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Welcome to BFI Southbank online |url=https://whatson.bfi.org.uk/Online/error.asp |access-date=2025-10-28 |website=BFI site |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Chapman |first=Wilson |date=2024-10-17 |title=The 100 Greatest Horror Movies of All Time |url=https://www.indiewire.com/features/best-of/best-horror-films-all-time-1235041390/ |access-date=2025-10-28 |website=IndieWire |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The 100 best horror movies of all time |url=https://www.timeout.com/film/best-horror-films |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250819112159/https://www.timeout.com/film/best-horror-films |archive-date=2025-08-19 |access-date=2025-10-28 |work=Time Out Worldwide |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Sciences |first=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and |title=Ari Aster: My 5 Favorite Horror Movies |url=https://newsletter.oscars.org/what-to-watch/post/ari-aster-top-5-horror-movies |access-date=2025-10-28 |website=Academy |language=en}}</ref> {{Rotten Tomatoes prose|91|7.9|46|Exquisitely designed and fastidiously ornate, Masaki Kobayashi's ambitious anthology operates less as a frightening example of horror and more as a meditative tribute to Japanese folklore.|ref=yes|access-date={{RT data|access date}}}}

Though he never wrote a dedicated review of ''Kwaidan'', [[Roger Ebert]] frequently expressed high admiration for the film, describing it in his 2012 Great Movies essay on ''Harakiri'' as "an assembly of ghost stories that is among the most beautiful films I've seen."<ref>{{cite web |date=November 16, 2011 |title=Honor, morality, and ritual suicide |url=https://rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-harakiri-1962/ |access-date=October 2, 2022}}</ref> He also called it one of the greatest films of all time when mentioning films featuring [[Takashi Shimura]],<ref>{{cite book |last=Ebert |first=Roger |author-link=Roger Ebert |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=inDoaeP6dioC&dq=roger+ebert+kwaidan&pg=PA785 |title=Roger Ebert's Movie Yearbook 2003 |date=December 2, 2002 |publisher=[[Andrews McMeel Publishing]] |isbn=9780740726910 |page=785}}</ref> and often highlighted its deliberate use of artificial studio sets and painted backdrops, citing it favorably in reviews of films such as ''[[The Night of the Hunter (film)|The Night of the Hunter]]'' (1955),<ref>{{cite book |last=Ebert |first=Roger |author-link=Roger Ebert |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=inDoaeP6dioC&dq=roger+ebert+kwaidan&pg=PA785 |title=Roger Ebert's Movie Yearbook 2003 |date=December 2, 2002 |publisher=[[Andrews McMeel Publishing]] |isbn=9780740726910 |page=785}}</ref> ''[[The Scent of Green Papaya]]'' (1993),<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Ebert |first1=Roger |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N5YtDwAAQBAJ&dq=roger+ebert+kwaidan&pg=PA493 |title=Awake in the Dark: The Best of Roger Ebert |last2=Bordwell |first2=David |date=2017-04-06 |publisher=University of Chicago Press |isbn=978-0-226-46086-4 |edition=2nd |page=258 |language=en}}</ref> and ''[[Fear(s) of the Dark]]'' (2007).<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ebert |first=Roger |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zXQqF1qFnjsC&dq=roger+ebert+kwaidan&pg=PT274 |title=Roger Ebert's Movie Yearbook 2011 |date=2010-12-14 |publisher=Andrews McMeel Publishing |isbn=978-0-7407-9769-9 |page=274 |language=en}}</ref>

Philip Kemp wrote in ''[[Sight & Sound]]'' that ''Kwaidan'' was "almost too beautiful to be scary" and that "each tale sustains its own individual mood; but all are unforgettably, hauntingly beautiful."{{sfn|Kemp|2020|p=133}} [[/Film]] called it "one of the absolute high points of the [[Japanese New Wave]]".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lima |first=Leo Noboru |date=2025-02-11 |title=The 12 Best Ghost Movies, Ranked |url=https://www.slashfilm.com/1781577/best-ghost-movies-ranked/ |access-date=2025-11-01 |website=SlashFilm |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Cultural influence ===
The film has been noted for its significant influence.{{sfn|Huang|2008|p=111}}<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brzeski |first=Patrick |date=2024-10-31 |title=10 Classic Samurai Movies to Watch While You Wait for 'Shogun' Season 2 |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/10-classic-samurai-movies-to-watch-1236047290/ |access-date=2025-10-31 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2000-01-01 |title=Kaidan |url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/kaidan-review/ |access-date=2025-11-01 |website=Empire |language=en}}</ref>{{sfn|Derry|2009|pp=284–285}} Several filmmakers have spoken of their appreciation for ''Kwaidan'' or cited its influence on their own work, including [[Guillermo del Toro]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Guillermo del Toro's Guide to the Collection |url=https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/5389-guillermo-del-toro-s-guide-to-the-collection |access-date=2025-10-27 |website=The Criterion Collection |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Vela |first=Natalia |date=2025-06-18 |title=10 Horror Masterpieces Recommended by Guillermo del Toro |url=https://movieweb.com/guillermo-del-toro-best-horror-movie-recommendations/ |access-date=2025-10-28 |website=MovieWeb |language=en}}</ref> [[John Milius]],<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Salter |first=G. Connor |date=2024-08-23 |title=The John Milius Effect: Watching Conan the Barbarian Today |url=https://fellowdustmag.com/2024/08/23/the-john-milius-effect-watching-conan-the-barbarian-today/ |access-date=2025-10-27 |website=Fellowship & Fairydust |language=en}}</ref> [[Ari Aster]],<ref name=":4" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Heilbronn |first=Leora |date=2018-06-08 |title=Interview: Hereditary's Ari Aster |url=https://brieftake.com/interview-hereditary-ari-aster/ |access-date=2025-10-27 |website=Brief Take |language=en-CA}}</ref> [[Peter Greenaway]],{{sfn|Hoshino|2012|p=224}} [[Clive Barker]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Official Clive Barker Website - Influences |url=https://www.clivebarker.info/influences.html |access-date=2025-10-27 |website=www.clivebarker.info}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=James |first=Jonathan |date=2020-10-07 |title=Interview: Clive Barker & Brannon Braga Talk Anthology Horror Films and BOOKS OF BLOOD |url=https://dailydead.com/interview-clive-barker-brannon-braga-talk-anthology-horror-films-and-books-of-blood/ |access-date=2025-10-27 |website=Daily Dead |language=en-US}}</ref> [[Marco Brambilla]],<ref>{{Cite web|last=Sallier|first=Valérie|date=2021-09-25|title=Artist Marco Brambilla on creating the visual intermezzos for Marina Abramovic's opera '7 Deaths of Maria Callas'|url=https://artdaily.com/news/139664/Artist-Marco-Brambilla-on-creating-the-visual-intermezzos-for-Marina-Abramovic-s-opera--7-Deaths-of-Maria-Callas-#.YWkIbBpBwvh|website=Artdaily}}</ref> [[Amir Naderi]],<ref>{{Cite web |date=2012-04-15 |title=Meet the 2012 Tribeca Filmmakers #26: 'CUT' Director Amir Naderi |url=https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/meet-the-2012-tribeca-filmmakers-26-cut-director-amir-naderi-48130/ |access-date=2025-10-31 |website=[[IndieWire]] |language=en-US}}</ref> [[Bill Hader]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chitwood |first=Adam |date=2019-09-19 |title=Bill Hader Lists the Movies That Inspired Him to Become a Filmmaker |url=https://collider.com/bill-hader-favorite-movies-list/ |access-date=2025-10-31 |website=Collider |language=en}}</ref> [[John Landis]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rideout |first=T. D. |date=2020-10-12 |title=In Conversation with John Landis |url=https://themindreels.com/2020/10/12/in-conversation-with-john-landis/ |access-date=2025-11-01 |website=The Mind Reels |language=en}}</ref> and [[Wang Toon]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=王童的藝術人生與成就 |trans-title=Wang Tong's Artistic Journey and Achievements |url=https://www.ncafroc.org.tw/artsaward/winnerDetail@1250 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221208223539/https://www.ncafroc.org.tw/artsaward/winnerDetail@1250 |archive-date=December 8, 2022 |access-date=November 8, 2025 |website={{Ill|National Culture and Arts Foundation|zh|國家文化藝術基金會}} |publisher=[[Ministry of Culture (Taiwan)|Taiwan's Ministry of Culture]] |language=zh}}</ref> In addition, [[Hideo Kojima]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Russell |first=Calum |date=2023-09-21 |title=Hideo Kojima names his favourite Japanese movies of all time |url=https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/hideo-kojima-names-his-favourite-japanese-movies-of-all-time/ |access-date=2025-10-27 |website=faroutmagazine.co.uk |language=en-US}}</ref> [[Jack Reynor]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jack Reynor's Top 10 |url=https://www.criterion.com/current/top-10-lists/365-jack-reynor-s-top-10 |access-date=2025-10-27 |website=The Criterion Collection |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Jackson |first=Angelique |date=2019-07-11 |title='Midsommar' Star Jack Reynor Debuts Trailer For His Directorial Debut 'Bainne' |url=https://variety.com/2019/film/news/the-ominous-new-trailer-for-jack-reynor-directorial-debut-bainne-1203264496/ |access-date=2025-10-27 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref> [[Kate and Laura Mulleavy]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rodarte's Top 10 |url=https://www.criterion.com/current/top-10-lists/313-rodarte-s-top-10 |access-date=2025-10-27 |website=The Criterion Collection |language=en}}</ref> [[Zola Jesus]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Zola Jesus's Top 10 |url=https://www.criterion.com/current/top-10-lists/202-zola-jesus-s-top-10 |access-date=2025-10-27 |website=The Criterion Collection |language=en}}</ref> [[Scott Morse]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Scott Morse's Top Ten |url=https://www.criterion.com/current/top-10-lists/129-scott-morse-s-top-ten |access-date=2025-10-27 |website=The Criterion Collection |language=en}}</ref> [[Barnaby Clay]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Barnaby Clay's Top 10 |url=https://www.criterion.com/current/top-10-lists/308-barnaby-clay-s-top-10 |access-date=2025-10-29 |website=The Criterion Collection |language=en}}</ref> [[Rodrigo Prieto]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rodrigo Prieto's Closet Picks |url=https://www.criterion.com/shop/collection/516-rodrigo-prieto-s-closet-picks |access-date=2025-10-29 |website=The Criterion Collection |language=en}}</ref> [[Tracy Letts]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tracy Letts's Closet Picks |url=https://www.criterion.com/shop/collection/879-tracy-letts-s-closet-picks |access-date=2025-10-29 |website=The Criterion Collection |language=en}}</ref> [[Nicolas Winding Refn]],<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Refn |first=Nicolas Winding |date=1 April 2016 |title=Undying Classics: Nicolas Winding Refn's 10 Favorite Horror Films |url=http://www.moviemaker.com/archives/fall-2015/undying-classics-nicolas-winding-refn/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160418024601/http://www.moviemaker.com/archives/fall-2015/undying-classics-nicolas-winding-refn/ |archive-date=18 April 2016 |magazine=MovieMaker Magazine}}</ref> [[Bruce Wagner]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lattanzio |first=Ryan |date=2015-02-27 |title='Maps to the Stars' Writer Bruce Wagner on Raising Hell with David Cronenberg |url=https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/maps-to-the-stars-writer-bruce-wagner-on-raising-hell-with-david-cronenberg-188643/ |access-date=2025-10-31 |website=IndieWire |language=en-US}}</ref> and [[Ernest Dickerson]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Falisi |first=Frank |date=2025-01-13 |title=Ernest R. Dickerson |url=https://bloodvine.com/ernest-r-dickerson |access-date=2025-11-01 |language=en-US}}</ref> have mentioned it among their favorite films. Films specifically inspired by ''Kwaidan'' include [[Conan the Barbarian (1982 film)|''Conan the Barbarian'']] (1982),<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":3">{{Cite web |date=2006-05-26 |title=Kwaidan |url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/kwaidan-review/ |access-date=2025-10-27 |website=Empire |language=en}}</ref> [[Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters|''Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters'']] (1985),<ref name=":3" /> [[Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992 film)|''Bram Stoker's Dracula'']] (1992),{{sfn|Lévesque|2016|p=15}} ''[[Bedevil]]'' (1993),<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-12-04 |title=101 hidden gems: the greatest films you've never seen |url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/lists/101-hidden-gems-greatest-films-youve-never-seen |access-date=2025-10-28 |website=BFI |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Summerhayes |first=Catherine |date=2004 |title=Haunting Secrets: Tracey Moffatt's ''beDevil'' |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1525/fq.2004.58.1.14 |journal=Film Quarterly |volume=58 |issue=1 |page=17 |doi=10.1525/fq.2004.58.1.14 |jstor=10.1525/fq.2004.58.1.14 |issn=0015-1386}}</ref> [[The Pillow Book (film)|''The Pillow Book'']] (1996),{{sfn|Hoshino|2012|p=224}} [[Bedeviled (2016 film)|''Bedeviled'']] (2016),<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wilson |first=Staci Layne |date=2016-10-26 |title=Bedeviled - Exclusive Interview With Jordan Essoe |url=https://www.dreadcentral.com/news/196477/bedeviled-exclusive-interview-jordan-essoe/ |access-date=2025-11-01 |website=Dread Central |language=en-US}}</ref> ''[[Aamis]]'',<ref>{{cite web|title=Assamese film 'Kothanodi' is a set of grim tales involving infanticide, witchcraft and possession |date=16 September 2015 |url=https://scroll.in/article/755641/assamese-film-kothanodi-is-a-set-of-grim-tales-involving-infanticide-witchcraft-and-possession}}</ref> ''[[Bainne]]'' (both 2019),<ref name=":2" /> [[A Haunting in Venice|''A Haunting in Venice'']] (2023),<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lopez |first=Kristen |date=2023-09-06 |title='Haunting in Venice' Cinematographer Says Film Drew Inspiration From 'In Cold Blood' |url=https://www.thewrap.com/haunting-in-venice-cinematographer-film-inspiration/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230906222156/https://www.thewrap.com/haunting-in-venice-cinematographer-film-inspiration/ |archive-date=September 6, 2023 |access-date=2025-10-28 |website=[[TheWrap]] |language=en-US}}</ref> and [[The Legend of Ochi|''The Legend of Ochi'']] (2025),<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lang |first=Jamie |date=2025-01-26 |title='The Legend of Ochi' Director Isaiah Saxon Mixed Puppetry, Animatronics and CG to Create One of the Most Nostalgic and Endearing Worlds at This Year's Sundance |url=https://variety.com/2025/film/global/legend-of-ochi-isaiah-saxon-interview-sundance-1236285823/ |access-date=2025-10-31 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref> as well as [[The Ring (franchise)|''The Ring'']], ''[[Ju-On]]'', and [[Tomie (film series)|''Tomie'']] film franchises.<ref name=":3" />{{sfn|Lévesque|2016|p=15}} The film is credited with establishing the long, black-haired ghost as a recurring motif in contemporary Japanese horror cinema.{{sfn|Derry|2009|pp=284–285}}{{sfn|Lévesque|2016|p=15}} It also had a major impact on Taiwanese horror cinema.{{sfn|Huang|2008|p=111}}

The episode "[[The Curse of Frank Black]]" of ''[[Millennium (TV series)|Millennium]]'' was also inspired by the film.<ref>{{cite journal |date=October 1998 |volume=30 |issue=7 & 8 |journal=[[Cinefantastique]] |page=20 |first=Paula |last=Vitaris |title=TV's Best Kept Secret Improves in Its Sophomore Season}}</ref> [[Joel Rose]] cited it as an influence on his and [[Anthony Bourdain]]'s graphic novel ''Hungry Ghosts''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=McMillan |first=Graeme |date=2018-09-19 |title=How Anthony Bourdain Started Creating Comics |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/how-anthony-bourdain-became-a-hungry-ghosts-graphic-novel-writer-1145069/ |access-date=2025-10-31 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US}}</ref> [[Postman Blues|''Postman Blues'']] (1997)<ref>{{Cite web |last=Klinger |first=Gabe |date=2023-01-31 |title=Tiger Tanaka – Interview with Japanese Cult Director Hiroyuki "Sabu" Tanaka |url=https://www.sensesofcinema.com/2000/interviews/sabu/ |access-date=2025-11-01 |website=Senses of Cinema |language=en-US}}</ref> and [[The Terror: Infamy|''The Terror: Infamy'']]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Porter |first=Rick |date=2019-08-12 |title=How 'The Terror: Infamy' Blends Real-Life and Supernatural Horror |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/terror-infamy-premiere-explained-alexander-woo-interview-1230944/ |access-date=2025-10-31 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US}}</ref> pay homage to ''Kwaidan''. [[Mike Patton]] of [[Faith No More]] selected ''Kwaidan''<nowiki/>'s soundtrack as one of his favorite horror scores.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Staff |first=Revolver |title=Mike Patton Picks the 5 Most Spine-Tingling Horror Soundtracks |url=https://www.revolvermag.com/music/mike-patton-picks-5-most-spine-tingling-horror-soundtracks/ |access-date=2025-10-27 |website=Revolver |language=en-US}}</ref> Theatre director [[Ping Chong]] cited the film as inspiring his adaptation of Hearn's ''Kwaidan'' for the stage.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cheng |first=Scarlet |date=2000-11-19 |title=Haunted by Such Human Tales |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-nov-19-ca-54062-story.html |access-date=2025-11-11 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref>

The "Woman of the Snow" segment from the film was remade as the final story, "Lover's Vow", in the 1990 horror anthology ''[[Tales from the Darkside: The Movie]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Miska |first=Brad |date=2017-03-24 |title=James Remar Tells Us His Favorite Satanic Horror Movies! |url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/editorials/3429477/james-remar-tells-us-favorite-satanic-horror-movies/ |access-date=2025-11-01 |website=Bloody Disgusting! |language=en-US}}</ref>{{sfn|Newman|2011|p=445}} This made ''Kwaidan'' the first Japanese horror film to be remade in the United States.{{sfn|Newman|2011|p=445}}

Stephen Prince suggests that the giant cosmic eyes in the skies of "The Woman of the Snow" episode influenced [[Akira Kurosawa]]'s depiction of the [[Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki|Nagasaki atomic bombing]] in ''[[Rhapsody in August]]'' (1991), where a massive eye opens in the sky as a surreal representation of the blast.{{Sfn|Prince|2017|p=213}}

In 2024, filmmaker Quan Zhang released the [[video essay]] ''kwAIdan'' for the [[academic journal]] ''MAI: Feminism & Visual Culture'', reinterpreting the film's "Black Hair" segment using [[Generative artificial intelligence|AI-generated]] female figures to explore guilt, subvert female madness tropes, and critique AI objectification of women. Two reviewers in [[Sight and Sound|''Sight and Sound'']] praised it as a standout AI reworking and one of 2024's best video essays.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-12-18 |title=The best video essays of 2024 |url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/polls/best-video-essays-2024 |access-date=2025-11-01 |website=BFI |language=en}}</ref>

The Asian-owned luxury womenswear fashion label Kwaidan Editions is named after the film.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Neises |first=Jessica |date=2021-03-19 |title=26 Asian-Owned Fashion Businesses to Support Now and Always |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/style/photos/2021/03/25-asian-owned-brands-to-support-now-and-always |access-date=2025-11-01 |magazine=Vanity Fair |language=en-US}}</ref>
==See also==
* [[List of ghost films]]
* ''[[Kuroneko]]'' – a 1968 Japanese horror film with similar plot elements{{sfn|Malina|1969|p=33}}

== References ==
===Footnotes===
{{reflist}}

===Sources===
{{refbegin|30em}}
* {{cite book |last=Barrett |first=Michael S. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dbVqDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA45 |title=Foreign Language Films and the Oscar: The Nominees and Winners, 1948-2017 |date=2018 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-1476674209 |pages=45}}
* {{Cite news |last=Barrin |first=Arnold |date=July 19, 1965 |title=''Kwaidan'': Noteworthy Film at Toho La Brea |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/684504494/ |work=[[Community_newspapers_in_Hollywood,_California#Citizen-News_(1931–1970)|Citizen-News]] |page=10}}
* {{Cite book |last=Derry |first=Charles |url=https://archive.org/details/darkdreams20psyc0000derr/page/284/mode/2up?q=kwaidan |title=Dark Dreams 2.0: A Psychological History of the Modern Horror Film from the 1950s to the 21st Century |date=November 2009 |publisher=[[McFarland & Company]] |isbn=9780786433971 |pages=284–285 |url-access=limited}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Eswaran |first=Swarnavel |date=2021 |title=Kobayashi's Kwaidan: Horror, History, and Culture |url=https://journals.kpu.ca/index.php/msq/article/view/1579 |journal=Mise-en-scène: The Journal of Film & Visual Narration |language=en |volume=6 |issue=2 |issn=2369-5056}}
* {{cite book |last=Galbraith IV |first=Stuart |title=Japanese Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films |publisher=McFarland |date=1994 |isbn=0-89950-853-7 |author-link=Stuart Galbraith IV}}
* {{cite book |last=Galbraith IV |first=Stuart |title=The Toho Studios Story: A History and Complete Filmography |publisher=Scarecrow Press |date=2008 |isbn=978-1461673743}}
* {{cite news |last=Gima |first=Dick |date=September 26, 1964 |title=Japanese Entertainment News Briefs |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/269367454/?match=1&terms=kwaidan |access-date=October 27, 2025 |newspaper=[[Honolulu Star-Bulletin]] |page=9 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}
* {{cite news |last=Gima |first=Dick |date=January 16, 1965 |title=Japanese Entertainment News Briefs |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/270200745/?match=1&terms=kwaidan |access-date=October 27, 2025 |newspaper=[[Honolulu Star-Bulletin]] |page=9 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |ref={{harvid|Gima|1965a}} }}
* {{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/271261929/?match=1&terms=kwaidan |title=Japanese Entertainment News Briefs |last=Gima |first=Dick |date=March 13, 1965 |page=9 |newspaper=[[Honolulu Star-Bulletin]] |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |access-date=October 27, 2025 |ref={{harvid|Gima|1965b}} }}
* {{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/270581717/?match=1&terms=kwaidan |title=Japanese Entertainment News Briefs |last=Gima |first=Dick |date=May 29, 1965 |page=13 |newspaper=[[Honolulu Star-Bulletin]] |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |access-date=October 27, 2025 |ref={{harvid|Gima|1965c}} }}
* {{cite news |last=Hale |first=Wanda |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/460505150/ |title=''Kwaidan'', a Beautiful Japanese Color Film |date=November 23, 1965 |page=57 |newspaper=[[New York Daily News]] |via=[[Newspapers.com]] }}
*{{Cite book |last=Hoshino |first=Tomoyuki |author-link= |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2bdHEAAAQBAJ&dq=Peter+Greenaway+kwaidan&pg=PT244 |title=We, the Children of Cats |publisher=[[PM Press]] |isbn=978-1-60486-591-2 |series=Found in Translation |publication-date=2012 |page=224 |language=English |translator-last=Bergstrom |translator-first=Brian |access-date=October 27, 2025 |translator-link=Brian Bergstrom}}
* {{Cite book |last=Huang |first=Ren |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JYmBh168oggC&pg=PA109 |title=日本電影在臺灣 |date=2008 |pages=111 |publisher=秀威出版 |isbn=978-986-221-120-5 |language=zh |trans-title=Japanese Movies in Taiwan |via=[[Google Books]]}}
* {{cite book|last=Imamura|first=Shōhei|author-link=Shōhei Imamura |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SdjSAAAAMAAJ |title=日本映画の模索 |trans-title=Searching for Japanese Cinema |publisher=[[Iwanami Shoten]]|year=1987|isbn=978-4000102568|language=Japanese}}
* {{cite magazine|magazine=[[Sight & Sound]]|last=Kemp|first=Phillip|date=2020|volume=30|issue=6|title=Kwaidan}}
* {{Cite news |last=Lévesque |first=François |author-link=:fr:François Lévesque |date=January 11, 2016 |title=''Kwaïdan'', de Masaki Kobayashi |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/1079561862/ |url-access=subscription |work=[[Le Devoir]] |page=15 |language=fr |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}
* {{Cite news |last=Malina |first=Martin |date=February 3, 1969 |title=Vampires, cannibals spice Japanese films |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/739593710/ |work=[[The Montreal Star]] |page=33}}
* {{cite book |last=Mellen |first=Joan |author-link1=Joan Mellen |url=https://archive.org/details/voicesfromjapane0000mell/page/148/mode/ |title=Voices from the Japanese Cinema |publisher=[[Liveright Publishing Corporation]] |year=1975 |isbn=978-0-87140-604-0 |page=148 |url-access=limited}}
* {{cite book|last1=Motoyama|first1=Sho|last2=Matsunomoto|first2=Kazuhiro|last3=Asai|first3=Kazuyasu|last4=Suzuki|first4=Nobutaka|last5=Kato|first5=Masashi|title=Toho Special Effects Movie Complete Works|publisher=villagebooks|date=September 28, 2012|isbn=978-4864910132|language=Japanese}}
* {{Cite book |last=Newman |first=Kim |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fKaam297D2cC&dq=kwaidan+film+remake&pg=PA445 |title=Nightmare Movies: Horror on Screen Since the 1960s |date=2011 |publisher=[[A&C Black]] |isbn=978-1-4088-0503-9 |page=445}}
* {{cite book |last=Nikaido |first=Takuya |author-link=:ja:二階堂卓也 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wG3SDwAAQBAJ |title=日本映画裏返史 |trans-title=The Inside-Out History of Japanese Cinema |publisher=Sairyūsha |date=February 5, 2020 |page=35 |isbn=9784779151835  |language=ja }}
* {{cite book |last=Prince |first=Stephen |author-link=Stephen Prince |date=November 16, 2017 |title=A Dream of Resistance: The Cinema of Kobayashi Masaki |chapter= |publisher=[[Rutgers University Press]] |isbn=978-0-8135-9235-0}}
*{{cite AV media|last=Prince|first=Stephen|author-link=Stephen Prince|title=Kwaidan Audio Commentary|type=Blu-ray|publisher=[[The Criterion Collection]]|year=2015}}
* {{Cite book |last=Takemitsu |first=Asaka |title=作曲家・武満徹との日々を語る |trans-title=Talking about My Days with Composer Tōru Takemitsu |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YsUpAQAAIAAJ |publisher=[[Shogakukan]] |year=2006 |page=101 |isbn=9784093876131 <!--|quote=『怪談』の費用当初の製作予算は 1 億円、音楽予算は 200 万円だった。しかし実際の製作費は約 3 億 1700 万円、音楽費は約 336 万円にのぼった。小林正樹監督は当時を次のように述懐している。「その代償として「にんじんくらぶ」は倒産。ぼくも麻布の自宅を引き払って借家住まいの生活に入ることになります。苦労かけっぱなしの奥さんには気の毒なことをしたなあと思っています」(「北海道新聞」 1993 年 10 月 1 日)--> }}
* {{Cite news |last=Thomas |first=Kevin |author-link=Kevin Thomas (film critic) |date=July 20, 1965 |title=''Kwaidan'', Supernatural Tales Told in Superlative Way |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/382358150/ |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |page=49}}

* {{Cite book |url=https://danmanjohme.blog.fc2.com/blog-entry-50.html |title=怪談 |date=January 1965 |publisher=[[Toho]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230621085240/https://danmanjohme.blog.fc2.com/blog-entry-50.html |archive-date=21 June 2023 |language=ja |trans-title=Kwaidan |type=theater program |ref={{harvid|Toho|1965}} }}
* {{Cite magazine |url=http://www.kinenote.com/main/public/cinema/book.aspx?book_id=387 |title=特集レポート 独立プロ 〈その現実と大企業との関係〉 「怪談」製作白書序説 |trans-title=Special Report on Independent Productions: Their Reality and Relationship with Large Corporations - Introduction to the ''Kwaidan'' Production White Paper |date=March 1965 |magazine=[[Kinema Junpo]] |issue=387 |volume=1202 |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=mZo2AAAAMAAJ&q=318,661,704%E5%86%86+%E6%80%AA%E8%AB%87&dq=318,661,704%E5%86%86+%E6%80%AA%E8%AB%87&hl=en 19] |language=ja <!--|quote=「怪談」製作費内訳(昭和 40 年 1 月 20 日現在):<br><br>・企画費 ¥4,793,892<br>・スタッフ人件費 ¥44,161,841<br>・俳優費 ¥37,607,988<br>・音楽費 ¥3,361,437<br>・制作準備費 ¥836,581<br>・ロケーション費 ¥3,542,770<br>・大道具費 ¥70,441,002<br>・小道具費 ¥6,186,670<br>・美術雑費 ¥1,027,696<br>・衣装費 ¥3,770,710<br>・結髪・抜髪費 ¥3,601,319<br>・特技・タイトル費 ¥338,845<br>・自動車費 ¥10,588,995<br>・食事費 ¥3,201,613<br>・宿泊費 ¥2,039,005<br>・製作雑費 ¥11,077,811<br>・滞在費 ¥19,103,326<br>・ステージレンタル ¥26,197,621<br>・ダビング費 ¥5,161,799<br>・撮影費 ¥5,723,350<br>・照明費 ¥35,907,145<br>・録音費 ¥3,348,486<br>・効果費 ¥250,000<br>・編集費 ¥648,153<br>・通信費 ¥4,113,954<br>・フィルム費 ¥4,311,582<br>・現像費 ¥5,357,262<br>・製作宣伝費 ¥1,660,781<br>・完成後の諸費 ¥300,000<br>・合計 ¥318,661,704<br><br>(註)以上の総合計のうち 9,000 万円を東宝が負担、配給収入の配分は総配収から宣伝費・プリント費・配給諸経費を差引いた残りを東宝60 %、にんじんくらぶ 40 %で取得。海外配収の配分は 50 %対 50 %となっている。 --> |ref={{harvid|''Kinema Junpo''|1965}} }}
* {{Cite book |url=https://auctions.c.yimg.jp/images.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/image/dr000/auc0208/users/fd40ff1100991c244765a5f1e66476a6e7ab66ac/i-img871x1200-1629897404ehaozx1707391.jpg |title=『東宝特撮映画DVDコレクション』第61号 |date=2012 |publisher=[[De Agostini]] |page=12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251110011810/https://auctions.c.yimg.jp/images.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/image/dr000/auc0208/users/fd40ff1100991c244765a5f1e66476a6e7ab66ac/i-img871x1200-1629897404ehaozx1707391.jpg |archive-date=10 November 2025 |language=ja |trans-title=Toho Special Effects Movie DVD Collection No. 61 |ref={{harvid|De Agostini|2012}} }}
* {{Cite magazine |date=1965 |title=Issues 1-6 |volume=23 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=j7YVAAAAMAAJ&q=%E6%80%AA%E8%AB%87+%E5%8B%95%E5%93%A1%E8%88%88%E5%8F%8E |page=72 |magazine={{Ill|Engekikai|ja|演劇界}} |via=[[Google Books]] |ref={{harvid|''Engekikai''|1965}} }}
* {{Cite news |date=November 5, 1982 |title=Japanese film depicts 4 tales of spirit world |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/1101557167/ |url-access=subscription |work=[[The Union (newspaper)|The Union]] |page=8 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |ref={{harvid|''The Union''|1982}} }}
* {{Cite news |date=August 9, 1965 |title=Honolulu and Other Hawaiian Areas |url=https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/27565214/boxoffice-august091965 |work=[[Boxoffice Pro|Boxoffice]] |page=W-7 |via=[[Yumpu.com]] |ref={{harvid|''Boxoffice''|1965}} }}
* {{Cite news |date=October 11, 1968 |title=Academy Cinema Two |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/721517056 |url-access=subscription |work=[[Evening Standard]] |page=18 |ref={{harvid|''Evening Standard''|1968}} }}
* {{cite magazine|title=Kinema Junpo Best Ten 85th Complete History 1924-2011|magazine=[[Kinema Junpo]]|date=May 17, 2012|isbn=9784873767550|language=Japanese|ref={{harvid|''Kinema Junpo''|2012}}}}
* {{Cite news |title=Classics of the Japanese Film |newspaper=[[San Francisco Chronicle]] |date=October 25, 1970 |page=233 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/1241435009/ |access-date=2025-11-18 |via=Newspapers.com |ref={{harvid|''San Francisco Chronicle''|1970}} }}
* {{Cite news |date=1966 |title=Japan's Ten Best Films of 1965 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vKw3AAAAIAAJ&q=kwaidan+1964 |work=Film Society Review |page=6 |via=[[Google Books]] |ref={{harvid|''Film Society Review''|1966}} }}
* {{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/608784626/?match=1&terms=kwaidan |title=Olympic Film... |date=May 21, 1965 |page=14 |newspaper=[[Guam Daily News]] |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |ref={{harvid|''Guam Daily News''|1965}} }}
* {{cite magazine|magazine=[[Monthly Film Bulletin]]|title=Kwaidan|volume=34|issue=396|pages=135–136|year=1967|publisher=[[British Film Institute]]|location=London|author=D.W. |ref={{harvid|''Monthly Film Bulletin''|1967}} }}
* {{Cite news |date=January 24, 1966 |title=IFIDA Sets Nominations For Annual Awards Jan. 21 |url=https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/27566404/boxoffice-january241966 |work=[[Boxoffice Pro|Boxoffice]] |page=SE-7 |via=[[Yumpu.com]] |ref={{harvid|''Boxoffice''|1966}} }}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb title|0058279}}
* {{TCMDb title|id=80500}}
* {{Rotten-tomatoes|kwaidan}}
* {{cite web |url=http://www.jmdb.ne.jp/1965/co000070.htm|title=怪談 (Kaidan)|access-date=2007-07-16|language=ja|publisher=[[Japanese Movie Database]]}}
* [https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/3756-kwaidan-no-way-out ''Kwaidan: No Way Out''] an essay by [[Geoffrey O’Brien]] at the [[Criterion Collection]]

===Text of Lafcadio Hearn stories that were adapted for Kwaidan===
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060620081212/http://www5.ocn.ne.jp/~kilib/hearn/works/shadowings/the_reconciliation.html ''The Reconciliation'' at K.Inadomi's Private Library]
* [http://www.gutenberg.org/files/1210/1210-h/1210-h.htm#mimi ''The Story of Mimi-nashi-Hōichi'' at Gutenberg.org]
* [http://www.gutenberg.org/files/1210/1210-h/1210-h.htm#yukionna ''Yuki-Onna''] at Gutenberg.org, read at [https://librivox.org/kwaidan-stories-and-studies-of-strange-things-by-lafcadio-hearn/ LibriVox]
* [http://www.gutenberg.org/files/55473/55473-h/55473-h.htm#In_a_Cup_of_Tea ''In a Cup of Tea'' at Gutenberg.org]

{{Masaki Kobayashi}}
{{Cannes Film Festival Jury Prize}}
{{Japanese submissions for the Academy Award}}

[[Category:1964 horror films]]
[[Category:1964 fantasy films]]
[[Category:1960s supernatural horror films]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of Minamoto no Yoshitsune]]
[[Category:Jidaigeki films]]
[[Category:Films based on short fiction]]
[[Category:Films directed by Masaki Kobayashi]]
[[Category:Films set in Kyoto]]
[[Category:Japanese ghost films]]
[[Category:Japanese horror anthology films]]
[[Category:Japanese fantasy films]]
[[Category:Folk horror films]]
[[Category:1960s Japanese-language films]]
[[Category:1964 films]]
[[Category:Toho films]]
[[Category:Films scored by Toru Takemitsu]]
[[Category:1964 Japanese films]]
[[Category:Japanese films about revenge]]
[[Category:Japanese supernatural horror films]]
[[Category:Toho tokusatsu films]]
[[Category:1960s samurai films]]
[[Category:Jury Prize (Cannes Film Festival) winners]]

{{Wikipedia attribution|original_title=Kwaidan (film)|access_date=2026-03-04}}