The Spirit of Japan Film
Donation protected
Thank you for taking a moment to visit our page. In 2016 and 2017, we traveled to Ichiki in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan to document the work of the artisanal shochu makers at Yamatozakura Distillery.
I have a profound respect for Japanese craftsmanship and this film is meant to inform and document the traditions around this uniquely Japanese spirit with a 600 year tradition.
The footage has been shot and audio interviews recorded, but now we need your help to fund the post-production.
Your contribution will go towards hiring an editor, translation and subtitling, creating a musical score, color correction, and promoting the film.
We are looking to raise these funds in the months of June & July. Our goal is to have post-production finished by late autumn so the film can be released at the end of this year.
If you love documentary film or Japanese culture (or shochu), this is a great project to be part of.
We would sincerely appreciate any contribution you could make. Our dream is to see this film reach the public eye both to educate and entertain our audience and to help provide some assurance that these traditions will not be lost to history.
We believe cultural understanding is the cornerstone of peace and prosperity for all people. This film is our personal effort to foster that understanding in some small way.
Please consider joining us on our journey! Thank you.
Film synopsis:
The Spirit of Japan is the story of the Wakamatsu family, who have been making the traditional Japanese distilled spirit, shochu, at their Yamatozakura Distillery in Kagoshima Prefecture since the 1850s. We follow 5th generation toji (master brewer/distiller) Tekkan Wakamatsu (41) as he takes the traditions passed down by his father Kazunari Wakamatsu (77) and strives to adapt to a changing world. The film follows Tekkan as he strives and struggles to balance the rigors of making handmade shochu, running the family business, and maintaining a healthy family life.
In a world of mass consumerism and commodification, the Wakamatsu family have maintained the 600 year old tradition of brewing and distilling sweet potato shochu by hand. Director Joseph Overbey and Producer Stephen Lyman lived with the family and began the project of documenting their craft in 2016. The Spirit of Japan offers a rarified and intimate cinematic portrait of shochu making and modern home life in small town Japan.
I have a profound respect for Japanese craftsmanship and this film is meant to inform and document the traditions around this uniquely Japanese spirit with a 600 year tradition.
The footage has been shot and audio interviews recorded, but now we need your help to fund the post-production.
Your contribution will go towards hiring an editor, translation and subtitling, creating a musical score, color correction, and promoting the film.
We are looking to raise these funds in the months of June & July. Our goal is to have post-production finished by late autumn so the film can be released at the end of this year.
If you love documentary film or Japanese culture (or shochu), this is a great project to be part of.
We would sincerely appreciate any contribution you could make. Our dream is to see this film reach the public eye both to educate and entertain our audience and to help provide some assurance that these traditions will not be lost to history.
We believe cultural understanding is the cornerstone of peace and prosperity for all people. This film is our personal effort to foster that understanding in some small way.
Please consider joining us on our journey! Thank you.
Film synopsis:
The Spirit of Japan is the story of the Wakamatsu family, who have been making the traditional Japanese distilled spirit, shochu, at their Yamatozakura Distillery in Kagoshima Prefecture since the 1850s. We follow 5th generation toji (master brewer/distiller) Tekkan Wakamatsu (41) as he takes the traditions passed down by his father Kazunari Wakamatsu (77) and strives to adapt to a changing world. The film follows Tekkan as he strives and struggles to balance the rigors of making handmade shochu, running the family business, and maintaining a healthy family life.
In a world of mass consumerism and commodification, the Wakamatsu family have maintained the 600 year old tradition of brewing and distilling sweet potato shochu by hand. Director Joseph Overbey and Producer Stephen Lyman lived with the family and began the project of documenting their craft in 2016. The Spirit of Japan offers a rarified and intimate cinematic portrait of shochu making and modern home life in small town Japan.
Co-organizers (2)
Joseph Overbey
Organizer
Brooklyn, NY
Stephen Lyman
Co-organizer