{ "id": "epcvymfvgn", "slug": "kano-2014-film", "title": "Kano (2014 film)", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.drama-biographical", "label": "Drama and biographical films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.drama-biographical" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.drama-biographical.drama-films-2010-to-2014", "label": "Drama films 2010 to 2014", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.drama-biographical.drama-films-2010-to-2014" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.drama-biographical.drama-films-2010-to-2014.biographical-and-historical-drama-films", "label": "Biographical and historical drama films", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.drama-biographical.drama-films-2010-to-2014.biographical-and-historical-drama-films" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.drama-biographical", "label": "China · 2001 to 2020: Drama and biographical films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.drama-biographical", "path": [ { "id": "geo.chn", "label": "China", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2001", "label": "China · 2001 to 2020", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2001.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001.culture" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.drama-biographical", "label": "Drama and biographical films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.drama-biographical" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Kano is a 2014 Taiwanese biographical sports drama directed by Umin Boya about a multi-ethnic Taiwanese baseball team reaching the 1931 Koshien final.", "snippet": "Kano is a 2014 Taiwanese biographical sports drama directed by Umin Boya about a multi-ethnic Taiwanese baseball team reaching the 1931 Koshien final.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.drama-biographical.drama-films-2010-to-2014.biographical-and-historical-drama-films", "markdown": "# Kano (2014 film)\n\n**Kano** (Chinese: KANO; Japanese release title *KANO 1931海の向こうの甲子園*) is a 2014 Taiwanese biographical sports drama directed by Umin Boya (馬志翔), with Wei Te-Sheng (魏德聖) serving as producer and co-writer, depicting the multi-ethnic baseball team of the Kagi Agriculture and Forestry Public School in Japanese-ruled Taiwan and its run to the final of Japan's 1931 Koshien high-school tournament.[1](https://taiwancinema.bamid.gov.tw/Film/PrintFrameContent?ContentUrl=70327) • [2](https://www.nippon.com/en/people/e00058/taiwanese-kano-baseball-team-found-its-field-of-dreams-in-prewar-japan.html) • [17](https://www.oaff.jp/2014/en/program/lineup/t02.html) The film runs 185 minutes, is performed in Japanese and Taiwanese, and opened in Taiwan on February 27, 2014.[1](https://taiwancinema.bamid.gov.tw/Film/PrintFrameContent?ContentUrl=70327) • [3](https://asianwiki.com/Kano)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Directors | Umin Boya, with Wei Te-Sheng producing; screenplay by Wei Te-Sheng, Umin Boya, and Chen Chia-wei (陳嘉蔚)[1](https://taiwancinema.bamid.gov.tw/Film/PrintFrameContent?ContentUrl=70327) • [17](https://www.oaff.jp/2014/en/program/lineup/t02.html) |\n| Release | February 27, 2014 (Taiwan); January 24, 2015 (Japan)[1](https://taiwancinema.bamid.gov.tw/Film/PrintFrameContent?ContentUrl=70327) • [3](https://asianwiki.com/Kano) |\n| Runtime and languages | 185 minutes; Japanese and Taiwanese[4](https://tfai.openmuseum.tw/mdb/mp_film/2e8edfacef314ae85544fd808dd777fc) |\n| Lead cast | Masatoshi Nagase as coach Kondo Hyotaro, Takao Osawa as Yoichi Hatta, Tsao Yu-ning as Wu Mingjie (Akira)[5](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/kano) |\n| Historical subject | The Kano team of Chiayi Agriculture and Forestry School, runners-up at the 17th All Japan Middle School Tournament (Koshien) in 1931[6](https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/santhropology/2010/12/2010_02/_article/-char/en) |\n| Principal awards | Audience Award at the 2014 Osaka Asian Film Festival; audience-voted Best Film at the 2014 Taipei Film Awards and the 51st Golden Horse Awards, plus a FIPRESCI Prize[1](https://taiwancinema.bamid.gov.tw/Film/PrintFrameContent?ContentUrl=70327) |\n| Production | ARS Film Production (果子電影有限公司), founded by Wei Te-Sheng in 2004; distributor Vie Vision (威視股份有限公司)[7](https://taiwancinema.bamid.gov.tw/public/Attachment/762717593171.pdf) • [1](https://taiwancinema.bamid.gov.tw/Film/PrintFrameContent?ContentUrl=70327) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Plot\n\nThe story begins in 1929, when the Chiayi Agriculture and Forestry baseball team, made up of Japanese, Taiwanese, and aboriginal players, has never won a game. Kondo, a former baseball player working as an accountant in Taiwan, takes over the team and trains it with Spartan severity toward the goal of reaching Koshien.[1](https://taiwancinema.bamid.gov.tw/Film/PrintFrameContent?ContentUrl=70327) • [3](https://asianwiki.com/Kano)\n\nIn 1931 the team beats the perennial Japanese-led champion Taipei Commercial team, becoming the first team south of the Zhuoshui River to win the all-island championship, and travels to Japan as Taiwan's representative at Koshien.[1](https://taiwancinema.bamid.gov.tw/Film/PrintFrameContent?ContentUrl=70327) • [4](https://tfai.openmuseum.tw/mdb/mp_film/2e8edfacef314ae85544fd808dd777fc) There Kano advances through the rounds, with the ace pitcher Wu Mingjie pitching through a hand injury in the later games. In the final against the favorite Chukyo Commercial, Kano trails by two runs in the top of the ninth with two outs and the bases loaded; Wu's fly ball is caught for the final out, and the team leaves the field having written a new page in Taiwanese baseball history.[4](https://tfai.openmuseum.tw/mdb/mp_film/2e8edfacef314ae85544fd808dd777fc) • [9](https://www.asiancinevision.org/point-of-interest-interview-with-director-umin-boya-of-kano/) A framing story follows Josha Hiromi, the former Sapporo Commercial captain who lost to Kano at Koshien, as a Japanese officer passing through Taiwan in 1944 who wants to visit Chiayi.[1](https://taiwancinema.bamid.gov.tw/Film/PrintFrameContent?ContentUrl=70327) • [4](https://tfai.openmuseum.tw/mdb/mp_film/2e8edfacef314ae85544fd808dd777fc)\n\n## Historical background\n\nThe film is based on the Kagi Agriculture and Forestry Public School team, known by the abbreviated Japanese-style name Kano, in southern Taiwan under Japanese colonial rule, which began after Taiwan was ceded to imperial Japan in 1895.[2](https://www.nippon.com/en/people/e00058/taiwanese-kano-baseball-team-found-its-field-of-dreams-in-prewar-japan.html) • [8](https://www.unive.it/pag/fileadmin/user_upload/comunicazione/cafoscarinews/documenti/Film_Passport_Project_Vol_1_231120.pdf) The team was composed of Japanese, Taiwanese ([Han Chinese](https://www.edgepedia.org/han-chinese) born on the island), and Taiwanese aboriginal players, a combination that drew wide attention in the Japanese press.[2](https://www.nippon.com/en/people/e00058/taiwanese-kano-baseball-team-found-its-field-of-dreams-in-prewar-japan.html) • [6](https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/santhropology/2010/12/2010_02/_article/-char/en)\n\nUnder the coach Kondo Hyotaro (近藤兵太郎), who had led teams in Japan, the players improved rapidly. After winning the 1931 Taiwan tournament, Kano defeated a series of Japanese powerhouses at the 17th All Japan Middle School Tournament at Koshien and reached the championship final, finishing second.[2](https://www.nippon.com/en/people/e00058/taiwanese-kano-baseball-team-found-its-field-of-dreams-in-prewar-japan.html) • [6](https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/santhropology/2010/12/2010_02/_article/-char/en) In 1937 a Kano student named Lln Mu-Tson coined the term \"Kano-spirit\" (later also \"Kano-tamashii\"), a discourse of identity that students and alumni continued to pass on even after the school became Chiayi University in 2000.[6](https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/santhropology/2010/12/2010_02/_article/-char/en)\n\n## Production\n\n**Origin.** Wei Te-Sheng said the project began while he was collecting research material for his 2011 film *Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale* and came across *Archives of Taiwan Baseball History: Kano Baseball 1928–2005*, a book curated by Tsai Wu-chang, which convinced him that Kano was strong film material.[10](https://tcmb.culture.tw/zh-tw/detail?id=251862&indexCode=Culture_Object) He chose the years around 1930 and 1931 as the setting because he regards 1930 to 1935 as a golden age of Taiwanese history: the Chianan Irrigation canal had just been developed in the Chiayi area, and Chiayi's Central Fountain roundabout was at the height of its commercial prosperity. He wanted the film to connect the players to the land, not only to show baseball games.[10](https://tcmb.culture.tw/zh-tw/detail?id=251862&indexCode=Culture_Object)\n\n**Filming.** The production shot in [Kaohsiung](https://www.edgepedia.org/kaohsiung) for more than half a year, with assistance from the city government's film development center; the scenes at Japan's Koshien Stadium were filmed in Kaohsiung's Nanzih District, whose abundant sunlight the city government said faithfully reproduced the atmosphere of the 1931 games.[11](https://kcginfo.kcg.gov.tw/en/RssPost_Content.aspx?n=02BEEFEAF49A5225&s=28AB1D16ECF7E63C) The film was completed in January 2014.[12](https://taiwancinema.bamid.gov.tw/public/Attachment/43109281971.pdf)\n\n**Crew and cast.** The credited crew includes Tu Duu-chih and Tang Hsiang-chu on sound, Chin Ting-chang on cinematography, Suming Rapiy (舒米恩) and Naoki Sato on music, and production design by Tai Te-wei.[1](https://taiwancinema.bamid.gov.tw/Film/PrintFrameContent?ContentUrl=70327) Japanese actors Masatoshi Nagase, Takao Osawa, Maki Sakai, and Togo Igawa appear alongside Taiwanese actors including Tsao Yu-ning and [Chen Chu](https://www.edgepedia.org/chen-chu)-sheng.[1](https://taiwancinema.bamid.gov.tw/Film/PrintFrameContent?ContentUrl=70327) • [5](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/kano) Kano was Umin Boya's feature directorial debut.[9](https://www.asiancinevision.org/point-of-interest-interview-with-director-umin-boya-of-kano/)\n\n## Reception and awards\n\nAt the 2014 Osaka Asian Film Festival, where Kano was the opening film of the Special Invitation section, it won the Audience Award.[1](https://taiwancinema.bamid.gov.tw/Film/PrintFrameContent?ContentUrl=70327) • [13](https://www.oaff.jp/2014/ja/program/lineup/s01.html) At the 2014 Taipei Film Awards it won the audience-voted Best Film and the Best New Performer prize for Yu-Ning Tsao, whose debut performance the jury described as showing a fearlessness matched with professional acting from veterans.[1](https://taiwancinema.bamid.gov.tw/Film/PrintFrameContent?ContentUrl=70327) • [14](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2247566/awards/)\n\nAt the 51st Golden Horse Awards the film won the audience-voted Best Film and the FIPRESCI (international critics) Prize, and was nominated for Best Feature Film, Best New Director, Best Leading Actor (Masatoshi Nagase), Best New Performer, Best Makeup and Costume Design, and Best Original Film Song.[1](https://taiwancinema.bamid.gov.tw/Film/PrintFrameContent?ContentUrl=70327) • [14](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2247566/awards/) It also screened at festivals including Far East Film Festival in Italy, the Toronto Asian Film Festival, the Hawaii International Film Festival, and the New York Asian Film Festival.[1](https://taiwancinema.bamid.gov.tw/Film/PrintFrameContent?ContentUrl=70327)\n\nCritics responded positively to the central performance. Maggie Lee of *Variety* wrote that Masatoshi Nagase \"gives a masterful performance as a baseball coach in this lengthy but big-hearted 1930s sports saga.\"[15](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/kano_2014) Reviewers have noted the three-hour running time and uneven visual effects as weaknesses, while describing the film as a crowd-pleaser; a [Letterboxd](https://www.edgepedia.org/letterboxd) review calls it one of the highest-grossing Taiwanese films of all time.[16](https://letterboxd.com/eightandahalf/film/kano-2014/) The Kaohsiung city government, writing at the time of release, described 2014 as \"the year of baseball in Taiwan, led by the film 'Kano'\" and credited the film with depicting a team spirit that crossed ethnic barriers.[11](https://kcginfo.kcg.gov.tw/en/RssPost_Content.aspx?n=02BEEFEAF49A5225&s=28AB1D16ECF7E63C)\n\n## Themes\n\nThe film presents the mixed Japanese, Taiwanese, and aboriginal roster as the team's distinctive strength, and its director has framed the story as one of heart-to-heart interaction across national boundaries and of the shared history that people of Taiwan and Japan created together.[2](https://www.nippon.com/en/people/e00058/taiwanese-kano-baseball-team-found-its-field-of-dreams-in-prewar-japan.html) Umin Boya, a Taiwanese aborigine born in Hualien in 1978, said in an interview that the true story represented for him a soul-searching journey about identity that many of his generation were still on.[8](https://www.unive.it/pag/fileadmin/user_upload/comunicazione/cafoscarinews/documenti/Film_Passport_Project_Vol_1_231120.pdf) • [2](https://www.nippon.com/en/people/e00058/taiwanese-kano-baseball-team-found-its-field-of-dreams-in-prewar-japan.html) Commentators have also read the underdog team's journey as a metaphor for Taiwan's position on the world stage.[16](https://letterboxd.com/eightandahalf/film/kano-2014/)\n\n## References\n\n1. [KANO, Taiwan Cinema (Ministry of Culture film database)](https://taiwancinema.bamid.gov.tw/Film/PrintFrameContent?ContentUrl=70327)\n2. [Taiwanese \"Kano\" Baseball Team Found its Field of Dreams in Prewar Japan, Nippon.com (April 9, 2014)](https://www.nippon.com/en/people/e00058/taiwanese-kano-baseball-team-found-its-field-of-dreams-in-prewar-japan.html)\n3. [Kano, AsianWiki](https://asianwiki.com/Kano)\n4. [電影｜KANO, Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute digital museum](https://tfai.openmuseum.tw/mdb/mp_film/2e8edfacef314ae85544fd808dd777fc)\n5. [Kano (2014), JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/kano)\n6. [Sheng-Lung Lin, \"The invention of the 'Kano-spirit'\", Japan Journal of Sport Anthropology, 2010](https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/santhropology/2010/12/2010_02/_article/-char/en)\n7. [Taiwan Cinema exhibitor directory, Shanghai 2017](https://taiwancinema.bamid.gov.tw/public/Attachment/762717593171.pdf)\n8. [Kano film passport entry, Ca' Foscari University of Venice](https://www.unive.it/pag/fileadmin/user_upload/comunicazione/cafoscarinews/documenti/Film_Passport_Project_Vol_1_231120.pdf)\n9. [Interview with Director Umin Boya of Kano, Asian CineVision](https://www.asiancinevision.org/point-of-interest-interview-with-director-umin-boya-of-kano/)\n10. [「KANO」棒球電影拍攝二三事, National Cultural Memory Bank (Chiayi City Cultural Affairs Bureau)](https://tcmb.culture.tw/zh-tw/detail?id=251862&indexCode=Culture_Object)\n11. [Kaohsiung City Government Information Office news release on Kano](https://kcginfo.kcg.gov.tw/en/RssPost_Content.aspx?n=02BEEFEAF49A5225&s=28AB1D16ECF7E63C)\n12. [KANO feature film listing, Taiwan Cinema production catalog (PDF)](https://taiwancinema.bamid.gov.tw/public/Attachment/43109281971.pdf)\n13. [KANO (opening film), 9th Osaka Asian Film Festival](https://www.oaff.jp/2014/ja/program/lineup/s01.html)\n14. [Kano (2014) awards, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2247566/awards/)\n15. [Kano (2014), Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/kano_2014)\n16. [Review of KANO by eightandahalf, Letterboxd](https://letterboxd.com/eightandahalf/film/kano-2014/)\n17. [Special Programs , KANO](https://www.oaff.jp/2014/en/program/lineup/t02.html)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Drama and biographical films (individual works) › Drama films 2010 to 2014 › Biographical and historical drama films*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/kano-2014-film", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/kano-2014-film.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Kano (2014 film)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/kano-2014-film. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Kano (2014 film)](https://www.edgepedia.org/kano-2014-film)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/kano-2014-film](https://www.edgepedia.org/kano-2014-film). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Kano (2014 film)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/kano-2014-film. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Kano is a 2014 Taiwanese biographical sports drama directed by Umin Boya about a multi-ethnic Taiwanese baseball team reaching the 1931 Koshien final." }