Private Project

The Music box of Time

A Samurai house in Settsu.Misao was summoned by her father, Sugiemon who had returned from Nagasaki.
Sugiemon gave her a music box.
The music box became Misao’s treasure.
Time passed into the Meiji era and Misao grew into a young woman.One day, her father told her arranged marriage.
On the day of the arranged marriage, an English gentleman named Mr. Grace arrived.
Thanks to the music box, they agreed to marry.
Mr.Grace loved Kobe. Especially Mount Rokko.He built an estate called “101” at the top of Mt.Rokko, where he and Misao lived.
Mr. Grace quit hunting and started Japan’s first golf course, at Mt.Rokko.They were blessed with many children. Mr. Grace prospered greatly while managing hotels
and Misao kept busy as well. When Mr. Grace told his friends about Misao’s music box, some of them sent rare music boxes for her.
Meanwhile, Mr. Grace fell ill. His condition worsened and Mr. Grace passed away.
Time passed, and eventually, Misao also fell ill.
Her children and grandchildren surrounded her, as her time to say farewell approached.
Just then, Misao thought she could hear the music box her father gave her, that brought her and Mr. Grace together, playing softly.
As Misao looked to her side, she saw Mr. Grace smiling at her.

  • Iimen Masako
    Director
  • Shimizu Binichi
    Writer
  • Shimizu Binichi
    Producer
  • Project Type:
    Animation
  • Runtime:
    11 minutes 15 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    April 2, 2017
  • Production Budget:
    350,000 JPY
  • Country of Origin:
    Japan
  • Country of Filming:
    Japan
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Ca Foscari Short Film Festival
    Venezia
    Italy
    March 16, 2017
    Japanese art animation
Distribution Information
  • AVITEX Inc.
    Country: Japan
    Rights: All Rights
Director Biography - Iimen Masako

Iimen Masako:sand artist

She was born in Tokyo and is resident in Yokohama-City.
graduate from a Tokyo Metropolitan Hakuoh high school, and Musashino Art University
molding department sight transmission design subject.

A member of Japan animation association.
A member of Japan movie and TV technology association.
A member of sand art performance association of Japan.

She produced the animation works which assumed sand matter from school days
and attracted attention of "Osamu Tezuka", movie director "Nobuhiko Obayashi" and others.
She produced the ending of the NTV "Kimagure orange ☆ road" with a sand animation
afterwards.
This became the sand art televised in Japanese artists on TV for the first time.

She produced a sand animation part with permanent construction display work "SARUTOBI"
(Shotaro Ishinomori original Shinichi Suzuki animation supervision work),in Nagano,
the Ueda-City multimedia information center
and the whole film was performed in Japan animation association.

"Sand box" (direction: Iimen Masako) in NHK education program
she began to walk the way of the commercial animation creater,
mainly on offers from NHK educational.

In the sand art performance, she staged the first sand art performance as a Japanese artist
in front of 2,000 spectators in Brussels meeting (Belgium) that world junior chamber of
commerce met to the all members.

She recorded the number of the most audience in Tokyo midtown atrium, at
"Roppongi art night 2012"(The highest artistic approach displayed it and performed an
independent live at staged)
She plans activity to extend a sand art performance and a sand animation
as "culture" positively.
Even in she develops the workshops of the sand art lecture　for public,
and a special lecturer for Japan movie and TV technique association,
she also lecturered of the sand art at "Kinder film Festival".

She showed on "Waratte iitomo!"(Most famous TV Program in Japan) at Fuji TV
at the end of 2013,
An animation by the sand performance technique having never met you on TV:
She calls the new style work "Aniperformance".
In 2014 TV Tokyo Channel 12 "Nogizaka te doko?" She directed sand art and taught it to the
members of Nogizaka46 and created a sensation.
It was taken up as the first person of Japanese "sand artist" in TV Asahi
"morning birds" in March of the year and attracted attention.

She engaged in sand art; and established in the principal objective by
the spread of sand art and improvement of the artistry in Sand art performance association
in Japan (sapa) , April, 2014.
three sand art performers of the sapa member was performed in Park hotel TOKYO.
She finished the live stage titled "Iimen Masako Sand art Fantasia" at 500 all seats full.
in Himeji Caspa Hall in July.

A collaboration stage with NHK Symphony Orchestra was broadcasted in "classic music"
NHK education channel nationwide in September.

She participate in live spectacle "NARUTO" in a sand art part in 2015 and 2016.
She staged "HINOTORI- drift sand -" in the Takarazuka City Osamu Tezuka Memorial Musiam.
She enlarge the place of the activity as the first person of the unreached sand art.
March 2017 Succeeded the Italian tour.She enlarge the place of the activity as the first person
of the unreached sand art.

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