Dodes’ka-den (1970): Cast, Box Office & Plot
Dodes’ka-den is a 1970 drama directed by Akira Kurosawa, starring Tatsuo Matsumura as Kyota Watanaka, Shinsuke Minami and Toshiyuki Tonomura. It runs 2 hours 20 minutes and earned $981 worldwide.
- Released
- Runtime
- 2h 20m (140 min)
- Director
- Akira Kurosawa
- Genre
- Drama
- Original language
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Japanese - Studio
- Yonki-no-Kai Productions
- After the credits
- No No extra scene
What Is Dodes’ka-den About?
The premise of Dodes’ka-den without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.
Set in a Tokyo slum on the city’s outskirts, the film portrays the everyday struggles of its residents. A homeless father and his son imagine building their own house, a young woman endures her uncle’s abuse, and a boy pretends to be a trolley conductor, each finding a personal hope that sustains them despite poverty.
Dodes’ka-den Themes & Keywords
· 47 tags- tokyo
- japan
- fight to survive
- better life
- slum dwellers
- tokyo japan
- young
- slum
- poverty
- pregnancy
- overworked
- orphanage
+35 more Show fewer
- orphan
- cabbage
- sake
- trash heap
- shame
- rudeness
- unwanted pregnancy
- abortion
- euthanasia
- child's drawing
- dream house
- drunkenness
- malnutrition
- starving child
- starving to death
- starvation
- starving
- sleep
- sadness
- shack
- dirty clothes
- begging
- dreaming
- pantomime
- long take
- gossip
- marital infidelity
- garbage dump
- artificial flower
- ghetto
- alcohol
- developmentally disabled person
- food poisoning
- stepfather
- based on novel
Dodes’ka-den Cast & Characters
Tatsuo Matsumura leads the cast as Kyota Watanaka, with Shinsuke Minami as Ryotaro Sawagami and Toshiyuki Tonomura as Taro Sawagami. Directed by Akira Kurosawa; 47 actors are credited in all.
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Director Akira Kurosawa
-
Tatsuo Matsumura as Kyota Watanaka - Shinsuke Minami as Ryotaro Sawagami
- Toshiyuki Tonomura as Taro Sawagami
- Yūko Kusunoki as Misao Sawagami
Also Starring in Dodes’ka-den
· 43 more- Hisashi Igawa Masuo Masuda
- Kunie Tanaka Hatsutaro Kawaguchi
- Jitsuko Yoshimura Yoshie Kawaguchi
- Hideko Okiyama Tatsu Masuda
- Hiroshi Akutagawa Hei
- Tomoko Naraoka Ochô
- Junzaburō Ban Yukichi Shima
- Kiyoko Tange Mrs. Shima
- Tomoko Yamazaki Katsuko Watanaka
- Masahiko Kametani Okabe
- Atsushi Watanabe Mr. Tanba
- Jerry Fujio Kichi the Carpenter Bee
- Kayako Sono Kichi's Wife
- Kamatari Fujiwara Suicidal Old Man
- Kôji Mitsui Foodstand owner
- Akemi Negishi Good-Looking Housewife
Show all 47 cast members Show fewer cast members
- Yoshitaka Zushi Roku-Chan
- Kin Sugai Okuni
- Noboru Mitani Beggar
- Eimei Esumi Detective
- Takashi Ebata 2nd Man Calling Out
- Toki Shiozawa Waitress
- Masaya Nihei 4th Man Calling Out
- Masahiko Tanimura Mr. Sô
- Michio Hino Mr. Ikawa
- Masakazu Kuwayama Western-style restaurant owner
- Michiko Araki Restaurant proprietress
- Kazuo Katô Painter
- Tappei Shimokawa Mr. Nomoto
- Sanji Kojima Thief
- Imari Tsuji Otane Watanaka
- Akira Hitomi 1st Man Calling Out
- Shin Ibuki 5th Man Calling Out
- Matsue Ono 4th Wife
- Reiko Niimura 1st Wife
- Yoshiko Maki 2nd Wife
- Minoru Takashima Policeman
- Hiroyuki Kawase Beggar's Son
- Shōji Ichimura 3rd Man Calling Out
- Toriko Takahara 5th Wife
- Hiroshi Kiyama Sushi Shop Proprietor
- Keiji Furuyama Mr. Matsui
- Toshiko Sakurai 3rd Wife
More from Akira Kurosawa
More films directed by Akira Kurosawa, best-rated first: Seven Samurai, Rashomon, Ran and High and Low.
Dodes’ka-den Plot Summary
What happens in Dodes’ka-den from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 13 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 4-minute read.
Spoilers ahead
The film unfolds as an anthology of overlapping vignettes, set in a cramped suburban shantytown perched atop a sprawling rubbish dump. At its strange, quiet center is Roku-chan, a boy who lives inside a vividly imagined world where he steers a trolley along a fixed route, faithfully reciting the rhythm of his journey with the refrain dodeska-den. The image of the trolley and its never-breaking schedule becomes a ritual that others recognize as both charm and a sign of something deeper, and Roku-chan’s devotion to this fantasy earns him the label of “trolley freak” from locals and visiting children alike. His mother watches with concern, worried that the boy’s fantasy might mask a genuine mental struggle.
Full summary
The whole story of Dodes’ka-den, scene by scene
Dodes’ka-den Box Office
Dodes’ka-den grossed $981 worldwide.
Worldwide gross
$981
- International
- $981
Dodes’ka-den Trailers & Videos
The trailer of Dodes’ka-den.
How Well Do You Know Dodes’ka-den?
10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.
Question 1 of 10
- Question 1: not answered
- Question 2: not answered
- Question 3: not answered
- Question 4: not answered
- Question 5: not answered
- Question 6: not answered
- Question 7: not answered
- Question 8: not answered
- Question 9: not answered
- Question 10: not answered
Which boy imagines a never‑ending trolley route in the film?
Seen Dodes’ka-den?
Movies Like Dodes’ka-den
Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including Tokyo Story, Throw Away Your Books, Rally in the Streets and Madadayo.
Dodes’ka-den FAQ: Cast, Box Office & Runtime
Runtime, release date, director, cast, box office, post-credit scenes and language of Dodes’ka-den, each answered in a sentence.
How long is Dodes’ka-den?
Dodes’ka-den runs 2 hours 20 minutes (140 minutes).
When was Dodes’ka-den released?
Dodes’ka-den was released on October 31, 1970.
Who directed Dodes’ka-den?
Dodes’ka-den was directed by Akira Kurosawa.
More films by Akira Kurosawa Who is in the cast of Dodes’ka-den?
Dodes’ka-den stars Tatsuo Matsumura as Kyota Watanaka, Shinsuke Minami as Ryotaro Sawagami and Toshiyuki Tonomura as Taro Sawagami, among 47 credited actors.
How much did Dodes’ka-den make at the box office?
Dodes’ka-den grossed $981 worldwide.
Does Dodes’ka-den have a post-credit scene?
No. Dodes’ka-den has no extra scene during or after the credits.
What language is Dodes’ka-den in?
The original language of Dodes’ka-den is Japanese.
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