Ninomiya Sontoku: Symbol of Self-Education Makes a Comeback

A statue of the young Ninomiya Sontoku at Hōtoku Ninomiya Shrine in Odawara, Kanagawa Prefecture. (Courtesy Hōtoku Museum)

The young Ninomiya (played by Andō Mikoto) steals a moment to study while hauling a load of firewood in the 2019 film Ninomiya Kinjirō. (© Movie Ninomiya Kinjirō Production Committee)

Trials and triumphs await Ninomiya (played by Gōda Masashi) at his new post in Sakuramachi. (© Movie Ninomiya Kinjirō Production Committee)

Tempers get heated during Ninomiya’s revitalization efforts. (© Movie Ninomiya Kinjirō Production Committee)

Ninomiya faces off with his nemesis, the samurai bureaucrat Toyota Shōsaku. (© Movie Ninomiya Kinjirō Production Committee)

The Buddhist monks of Naritasan Shinshōji bid a fond farewell to Ninomiya as he heads back to Sakuramachi, armed with a new spiritual understanding. (© Movie Ninomiya Kinjirō Production Committee)

Family and friends welcome Ninomiya back to Sakuramachi after his spiritual retreat. (© Movie Ninomiya Kinjirō Production Committee)