"Kukai" is a film directed by Junya Sato and completed in 1984. It tells the story of Kukai, a scholar sent to Tang during the Heian period in Japan. [Expand All]
"Kukai" is a film directed by Junya Sato and completed in 1984. It tells the story of Kukai, a scholar sent to Tang during the Heian period in Japan. This film was shot to commemorate the 1,150th anniversary of the passing of this eminent monk who left an important mark in Japanese cultural history. In his youth, Kukai, in pursuit of the true scriptures and the essence of art, braved risks and crossed the ocean to come to China to study esoteric Buddhism and calligraphy. After returning to Japan, he founded the Shingon Sect Esoteric Buddhism and enriched the artistic content of Japan. The film cost 1.2 billion yen and was shot in China with the support of the Chinese government. It was a rare super-large production at that time. After its release, "Kukai" grossed over 3 billion yen at the box office in Japan, ranking seventh on the 1984 box office chart and achieving great success.[Collapse]
