Synopsis
In Shinano province, a lord deeply hated elderly people. According to local law, anyone who turned sixty had to be sent to a deserted island. On the night of August 15th, a peasant was supposed to send away his elderly mother, but rather than turn her over to the cruel authorities, he secretly hid her beneath the floor of a barn. Later, a messenger from the neighboring province's lord issued an unreasonable demand: thread a silk string through a spiral hole in a crystal ball, or face war. The devoted son asked his mother for advice, and she suggested coating one end of the hole with honey and guiding an ant carrying the thread from the opposite side. The lord rewarded the son for his cleverness. Then another challenge appeared: tell apart two identical mares, identifying which was the mother and which the foal. The son again sought his mother's wisdom and solved the puzzle. When the lord promised to grant any wish, the son begged for his mother's freedom. From that day on, the elderly were respected and never exiled again.
Background
The film was made available online as part of the National Project for the Sustainability of Born-Digital Cinema, supported by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan in the fiscal 2016.