At the “Works in Progress” workshop held at the Pierre Lamy Theatre in Annecy, the deep passion for history by directors Naohisa Katabuchi and Chie Uratani was immediately apparent. The event focused on their upcoming film The Mourning Children: Nagiko and the Girls of Tsukumo, diving quickly into the rich historical details embedded in their work.
Producer and MAPPA CEO Manabu Otsuka described the film as “culturally profound.” He highlighted the establishment of the Contrail studio, created specifically to produce this film, as a means to “carve out space for thorough historical research” and enable a deeper exploration of the subject matter. Otsuka also emphasized the involvement of many young artists in the project, expressing a desire to foster a learning and experimental environment for junior staff.
The team shared early footage depicting a thousand-year-old Kyoto—then known as Heian-kyō, meaning “Capital of Peace.” The film contrasts the struggling town with its wealthy lords, both suffering from a widespread disease outbreak. Scenes vividly show people cradling feverish children, workers collapsing in the streets, and corpses carried up mountains for cremation, interspersed with poetic landscapes.
Co-produced by MAPPA and Contrail, The Mourning Children reflects Katabuchi’s interest in contrasting contemporary perceptions of the era with its harsh realities. The period was ravaged by illness, far from peaceful. The director even displayed a spreadsheet he compiled—a detailed log of disease-related deaths including names, disease categories, and notes on abandoned bodies.
The story is told through the personal experiences of Sei Shōnagon, author of The Pillow Book, which chronicles her time serving Empress Teishi and offers intimate glimpses of court life. Katabuchi and his co-director and assistant Uratani meticulously examined footnotes, cross-referenced other texts and sources, and used these to construct detailed character portraits.
“Reading her writing, you find a precise and concrete attention to detail,” Katabuchi explained. They used this to craft an immersive atmosphere, incorporating footnotes and original manuscripts from The Pillow Book, even cross-checking astronomical records to date a lunar eclipse featured in the film.
Every detail carries meaning, brought vividly to life by the creative team. At the workshop, co-director Uratani enacted a scene where she walked across the stage, hiding her face behind a fan before sitting behind a traditional bamboo screen—an authentic miniature of those used in the court. This gesture reflects historical court customs where women like Sei Shōnagon followed strict face-covering practices, indicating acquaintance with many people despite never seeing their faces.
“This woman left a huge imprint through her writing,” Katabuchi remarked, “yet she had to remain hidden from the outside world. Through writing, these women found a way to express their personalities and assert their identities.”
The Mourning Children seeks to breathe life into these shadowy figures, giving them distinct personalities and period-accurate costumes to create a strong visual impression. This involved detailed research, with the team sharing sketches provided by Uratani and conducting movement studies based on recreated Heian-period clothing.
This extensive research has long been brewing in Katabuchi’s mind. In response to audience questions, he revealed the film’s inspiration traces back to his 2009 film Mai Mai Miracle, which also drew from Sei Shōnagon’s works. He had pondered what her adult life in ancient Kyoto, amid disease and court politics, might have been like—prompting a return to The Pillow Book and related historical sources.
The depth of this research has made the production of The Mourning Children a lengthy process, and when asked about a release date, Katabuchi laughed, indicating it was still some way off.
Nonetheless, the footage shown already reveals a film as finely crafted as its narrative promises. Katabuchi and Uratani see their work as part of a mission to demonstrate that “Japanese animation is a form of exploration,” connecting audiences with women from a thousand years ago and revealing how close they are to home, contrary to common perception.
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