{ "id": "eppntbx45e", "slug": "manji", "title": "Manji (卍)", "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-1960s", "label": "Drama films 1960s", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.drama-biographical.drama-films-1960s" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.drama-biographical.drama-films-1960s.yr-1960-1965", "label": "Released 1960 to 1965", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.drama-biographical.drama-films-1960s.yr-1960-1965" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.asia.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.drama-biographical", "label": "Asia (other) · 1946 to 2000: Drama and biographical films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.drama-biographical", "path": [ { "id": "geo.asia", "label": "Asia (other)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t1946", "label": "Asia (other) · 1946 to 2000", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t1946" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t1946.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t1946.culture" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t1946.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t1946.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t1946.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t1946.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t1946.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.asia.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.drama-biographical" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Manji (卍, All Mixed Up) is a 1964 Daiei drama directed by Yasuzo Masumura, adapting Junichiro Tanizaki's novel Quicksand; it depicts an explicit lesbian love quadrangle, scripted by Kaneto Shindo and starring Ayako Wakao and Kyoko Kishida.", "snippet": "Manji (卍, All Mixed Up) is a 1964 Daiei drama directed by Yasuzo Masumura, adapting Junichiro Tanizaki's novel Quicksand; it depicts an explicit lesbian love quadrangle, scripted by Kaneto Shindo and starring Ayako Wakao and Kyoko Kishida.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.drama-biographical.drama-films-1960s.yr-1960-1965", "markdown": "# Manji (卍)\n\n**Manji** (卍) is a 1964 Japanese drama film directed by Yasuzo Masumura (増村保造) and produced by Daiei, adapted from Junichiro Tanizaki's 1928 novel of the same title, published in English as *Quicksand*.[1](https://jfdb.jp/title/10078) • [2](https://jffau.jpf.go.jp/film/manji-the-goddess-of-mercy-%E5%8D%8D/) It follows a married woman, Sonoko, and a younger woman, Mitsuko, whose love affair draws their husband and fiancé into a destructive four-way web of obsession, jealousy, and manipulation.[3](https://www.timeout.com/movies/manji) The Venice Film Festival's 2024 program describes it as the first movie in Japanese history to deal with lesbian love explicitly.[4](https://www.labiennale.org/en/cinema/2024/venice-classics/manji-all-mixed)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Original title | 卍 (Manji), also released internationally as *All Mixed Up*[1](https://jfdb.jp/title/10078) |\n| Director / studio | Yasuzo Masumura; produced by Daiei (Tokyo), released July 25, 1964[1](https://jfdb.jp/title/10078) |\n| Source | Tanizaki's 1928 novel *Manji*, known in English as *Quicksand*[2](https://jffau.jpf.go.jp/film/manji-the-goddess-of-mercy-%E5%8D%8D/) |\n| Screenplay / crew | Kaneto Shindo (screenplay), Setsuo Kobayashi (cinematography), Tadashi Yamanouchi (music)[4](https://www.labiennale.org/en/cinema/2024/venice-classics/manji-all-mixed) |\n| Lead cast | Ayako Wakao (Mitsuko), Kyoko Kishida (Sonoko), Eiji Funakoshi (Kotaro), Yusuke Kawazu (Eijiro)[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/manji) |\n| Format | 90 minutes, color, CinemaScope (1:2.35), mono sound[1](https://jfdb.jp/title/10078) |\n| Restoration | 4K restoration by Kadokawa, screened at Venice Classics 2024 and the 2024 BFI London Film Festival[4](https://www.labiennale.org/en/cinema/2024/venice-classics/manji-all-mixed) • [6](https://filmuforia.com/manji-1964/) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Plot and structure\n\nThe story is told as a confession. Sonoko (Kyoko Kishida), a wealthy lawyer's wife bored with her life, narrates her story to a silent, expressionless man, a psychiatrist figure, and the film unfolds as one long flashback with occasional cut-ins back to the narration.[3](https://www.timeout.com/movies/manji) • [9](https://japanonfilm.wordpress.com/2020/05/01/swastika-manji-1964/)\n\nSonoko meets the younger Mitsuko (Ayako Wakao) in an art class, and their attachment becomes a love affair.[2](https://jffau.jpf.go.jp/film/manji-the-goddess-of-mercy-%E5%8D%8D/) When Sonoko tells her husband Kotaro (Eiji Funakoshi) about the relationship, he demands she stop; she resists, and when Mitsuko reveals a fiancé, Watanuki (Yusuke Kawazu), and a possible pregnancy, Sonoko tries to end things, only to be lured back as Mitsuko and Watanuki begin playing games that draw Kotaro in as well.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/manji) The four principals collide as jealousy, blackmail, suicide pacts, fake pregnancies, tests of loyalty, and blood oaths enter the picture.[3](https://www.timeout.com/movies/manji) • [5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/manji)\n\n## Title and source\n\nThe title is the Buddhist swastika-like symbol, an auspicious sign in Japanese Buddhism; in the film it stands for the way two couples become entangled with each other.[1](https://jfdb.jp/title/10078) Tanizaki wrote the novel after he moved to western Japan following the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake, and the characters speak in [Kansai dialect](https://www.edgepedia.org/kansai-dialect), which gives the dialogue a distinctive flavor.[1](https://jfdb.jp/title/10078)\n\nThe project had a place in studio history before Masumura took it on. [Kon Ichikawa](https://www.edgepedia.org/kon-ichikawa) had long planned to film the novel, but because Ichikawa was occupied with *Tokyo Olympiad*, Masumura directed it instead.[7](https://www.crank-in.net/movietitle/27477) It became the first of three Tanizaki adaptations Masumura made, followed by *Irezumi* (1966) and *A Fool's Love* (*Chijin no ai*, 1967).[6](https://filmuforia.com/manji-1964/) • [8](https://www.jpf.go.jp/j/publish/film/pdf/japanese-film-classics-00.pdf)\n\n## Style and reception\n\nMasumura, whose work often centers on destructive obsession, depicts the lesbian romance without imposing judgment, an unusual stance for Japanese cinema of the period, where the subject was treated as taboo.[2](https://jffau.jpf.go.jp/film/manji-the-goddess-of-mercy-%E5%8D%8D/) • [7](https://www.crank-in.net/movietitle/27477) The film stays close to the novel rather than opening it up: almost every scene is indoors, and the audience sees or hears almost no one but the four main characters, which heightens the emotional tension.[9](https://japanonfilm.wordpress.com/2020/05/01/swastika-manji-1964/)\n\nCinematographer Setsuo Kobayashi, known for *Fires on the Plain*, gives the film highly stylized compositions in widescreen color; characters are often confined to part of the frame while the rest is filled with textured space such as walls, latticed stairs, or textiles, and the JFDB notes compositions that seem to split the scope screen in two.[10](https://www.eyefilm.nl/en/whats-on/manji-all-mixed-up/1341902) • [5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/manji) • [1](https://jfdb.jp/title/10078) Critics have placed the film between art cinema and sexploitation: Time Out calls it a torrid melodrama that verges on art-movie classic status but stays anchored in sexploitation territory by Masumura's earthy tastes, while Dennis Schwartz describes it as resembling a sexploitation film with subliminal religious undertones.[3](https://www.timeout.com/movies/manji) • [11](https://www.cinafilm.com/movies/manji-1964/) On Rotten Tomatoes it holds a Tomatometer score of 61 percent from two critic reviews.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/manji)\n\n## Masumura and Wakao\n\nMasumura (1924–1986) made more than 50 films and studied cinema in Italy at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia in the early 1950s before returning to Japan.[6](https://filmuforia.com/manji-1964/) • [8](https://www.jpf.go.jp/j/publish/film/pdf/japanese-film-classics-00.pdf) Ayako Wakao, a Daiei contract actress, starred in nearly half of his films after the two worked together on [Kenji Mizoguchi](https://www.edgepedia.org/kenji-mizoguchi)'s *Street of Shame*, and she is the muse at the center of this film.[3](https://www.timeout.com/movies/manji)\n\n## Restoration and revival\n\nKadokawa restored the film in 4K, with laboratory work by Imagica, and it has circulated widely in recent years: it was shown at the 2023 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival within a tribute to Masumura, in Venice Classics at the 2024 [Venice Film Festival](https://www.edgepedia.org/venice-film-festival), and in the archive section of the 2024 [BFI London Film Festival](https://www.edgepedia.org/bfi-london-film-festival).[1](https://jfdb.jp/title/10078) • [4](https://www.labiennale.org/en/cinema/2024/venice-classics/manji-all-mixed) • [6](https://filmuforia.com/manji-1964/) Kadokawa has announced plans to restore and release other films from Masumura's catalog.[6](https://filmuforia.com/manji-1964/)\n\n## References\n\n1. [JFDB – 卍 (Manji / All Mixed Up), Japan Foundation film database](https://jfdb.jp/title/10078)\n2. [Manji: The Goddess of Mercy (卍), Japanese Film Festival Australia](https://jffau.jpf.go.jp/film/manji-the-goddess-of-mercy-%E5%8D%8D/)\n3. [Manji, Time Out film review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/manji)\n4. [Manji (All mixed up), Biennale Cinema 2024, Venice Classics](https://www.labiennale.org/en/cinema/2024/venice-classics/manji-all-mixed)\n5. [Manji, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/manji)\n6. [Manji (1964), Filmuforia review](https://filmuforia.com/manji-1964/)\n7. [卍〈まんじ〉〈1964年〉, Crank-in!](https://www.crank-in.net/movietitle/27477)\n8. [Directors and Films: Masumura Yasuzo, Japan Foundation](https://www.jpf.go.jp/j/publish/film/pdf/japanese-film-classics-00.pdf)\n9. [Swastika / Manji (1964), Japanonfilm](https://japanonfilm.wordpress.com/2020/05/01/swastika-manji-1964/)\n10. [Manji (All Mixed Up), Eye Filmmuseum](https://www.eyefilm.nl/en/whats-on/manji-all-mixed-up/1341902)\n11. [Manji (1964) reviews, Cinafilm](https://www.cinafilm.com/movies/manji-1964/)\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 1960s › Released 1960 to 1965*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 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/manji", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/manji.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": "\"Manji (卍)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/manji. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Manji (卍)](https://www.edgepedia.org/manji)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/manji](https://www.edgepedia.org/manji). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Manji (卍)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/manji. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Manji is a 1964 Daiei drama directed by Yasuzo Masumura, adapting Junichiro Tanizaki's novel Quicksand; it depicts an explicit lesbian love quadrangle, scripted by Kaneto Shindo and starring Ayako Wakao and Kyoko Kishida." }