The Life of Chikuzan

The Life of Chikuzan , Chikuzan hitori tabi? is a 1977 Japanese biographical film directed by Kaneto Shindo based on the life of shamisen player Takahashi Chikuzan. It is a coproduction of Kindai Eiga Kyokai and Chikuzans company JeanJean.

After training he sets off and works as a begging shamisen player. He meets various people on his travels around Tohoku and Hokkaido, living hand to mouth. One man is a thief who becomes a tinker Takuzo Kawatani. Another man Taiji Tonoyama is a dancer who travels with him, busking and sleeping on beaches. His mother Toyo arranges a marriage to a blind woman who travels with him. After she is raped she leaves him. He falls in with two confidence tricksters, first selling candy which they say will prevent bedwetting, then fake eyedrops. They are put in prison. He has a relationship with one of the tricksters, Tomiko Hiroko Isayama, who leaves him.He is married again to his second wife, who already has a child, and leaves on his travels. An elderly woman takes him with her group of performers to teach him the shamisen. During the trip she becomes ill and Sadazo takes her place. At this time, his wifes child sickens and eventually dies, but the urgent telegrams to Sadazo are discarded by the other performers because they do not want him to leave. Sadazo returns during the childs funeral and is set upon by his mother. ........

Source: Wikipedia