Japan Synopsis
楢山節考
In Kabuki style, the film tells the story of a remote mountain village where the scarcity of food leads to a voluntary but socially-enforced policy in which relatives carry 70-year-old family members up Narayama mountain to die. Granny Orin is approaching 70, content to embrace her fate. Her widowed son Tatsuhei cannot bear losing his mother, even as she arranges his marriage to a widow his age. Her grandson Kesa, who's girlfriend is pregnant, is selfishly happy to see Orin die. Around them, a family of thieves are dealt with severely, and an old man, past 70, whose son has cast him out, scrounges for food. Will Orin's loving and accepting spirit teach and ennoble her family?
Other Titles From Shochiku
The 1957–1959 Japan Window
The Ballad of Narayama holds position #8 of 32 Japan films in the 1957–1959 window, below highlighted by audience rating.
The 1950s Japan Landscape
1958 was the decade’s peak output year for Japan — 12 titles released, including The Ballad of Narayama. Bars below show how the 1950s stacked up year by year (76 total).
Position in Catalog
Released alongside 11 other Japan films in 1958.
The 108th Japan title from Japan we index (earliest catalogued entry: 1899).
Our Japan catalog contains 4,579 titles in total (2,908 films).
Audience Engagement
71 audience reviews — more than 70% of Japan films in our index.
Review volume (70th percentile) outruns trending popularity (55th) — a durable title with sustained audience attention.
Reception Benchmarks
Ranked #1,225 of 4,579 Japan films indexed here (73rd percentile by TMDB audience score).
Rating is +0.6 points above the Japan average of 6.9/10.
Among Japan Drama productions specifically: #534 of 1,933 (top 28%).
Production Details
| Primary Country | Japan |
|---|---|
| Original Language | Japanese |
| Production Companies | Shochiku |
| Runtime | 1h 38m |
| Release Date | June 1, 1958 |
| IMDb | tt0051980 |