The Masseurs and a Woman

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The Masseurs and a Woman (Anma to onna) is a 1938 Japanese comedy-drama directed and written by Hiroshi Shimizu. It stars Mieko Takamine, Shin Tokudaiji, and Shin Saburi. The film runs 66 minutes and was produced and distributed by Shochiku in Japan, with a release on July 7, 1938.

Plot
Two blind masseurs, Toku and his friend Fuku, travel to a spa town to work. Toku becomes fond of a woman he meets along the road. A guest named Shintarō and his young nephew are also in the town. When a series of thefts occur, Toku thinks the woman is the thief and tries to help her escape. He soon learns she is innocent and is fleeing from a patron she dislikes. The next day she leaves the village in a carriage with a man who might be her patron, seen by Toku and by Shintarō and his nephew.

Style and themes
Film scholar Alexander Jacoby describes The Masseurs and a Woman as part of a trio of Shimizu films that are bittersweet studies of grown-up feelings, focusing more on character than on plot. It reflects Shochiku’s tradition of quiet, domestic dramas known as the Ōfuna flavor, set in temporary, small communities.

Release and availability
The film was released in the United States on DVD by the Criterion Collection in 2009 as part of Eclipse Series 15: Travels with Hiroshi Shimizu.