The Story of Yanagawa's Canals

The Story of Yanagawa's Canals (柳川の運河の物語 , Yanagawa no Unga no Monogatari) is a part-animated documentary directed by Isao Takahata, originally broadcast on NHK on August 15, 1987.

An (almost) live action documentary movie, this independent movie was produced by Nibariki (Miyazaki's personal office), made with the royalties and profits from Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984).

It won the 42nd Mainichi Film Awards Educational Culture Film Award in the 41st Motion Picture and Television Engineering Society Film Technology Special Award in 1987.

Overview[]

Yanagawa's_canals_(Miyazaki) — Yanagawa's canals (Miyazaki)

After the success of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Yasuyoshi Tokuma wanted to produce another animated movie (of course, they wanted a Nausicaä sequel), and Miyazaki was looking for a good project. At first, it was supposed to be an animated film which took place in the town of Yanagawa.

Miyazaki visited Yanagawa, and was impressed by the beautiful town with its canals, and came up with an idea for a film about high school boys and girls in Yanagawa, and thought that Takahata, who worked as a producer for Nausicaä, should direct such a film.

However, when Takahata visited Yanagawa for research, he came to be more interested in the history of the town, especially how local people fought to preserve the canals which have been a part of the community for a long time, and how they put a great deal of effort to clean up the once polluted canals. As a result, it became a live action documentary, and Miyazaki decided to spend his own money on it. It took three years for Takahata to complete this film.

Composition[]

Prologue
Chapter 1 Horiwari is alive --Waterway pointillism--
Chapter 2 Water Pumping Station and Moat Edge - Characteristics and Utilization of Waterway Network-
Chapter 3 Yanagawa 3rd Year Higo March --Mechanism of Waterway-
Chapter 4 Fukuoka Prefectural Ordinance Drinking River Control Regulations-When the waterways were clean-
Chapter 5 The Age of Archipelago Remodeling-The Devastation of Waterways-
Chapter 6 Plains Created by the Sea ――The Nature of Horiwari ――
Chapter 7 "Making Water" --Completion of Water Use System--
Chapter 8 A Drop of Water Is A Drop of Blood-Yabe River Water Conflict-
Chapter 9 Direct Appeal and Decision-Toward Waterway Regeneration-
Chapter 10 Living Together by Making the Most of Nature-Shirobori Waterfall-
Chapter 11 Solidarity between Residents and Government --History of Waterway Regeneration--

External Links[]

Official

The Story of Yanagawa's Canals on Walt Disney Japan

Information

The Story of Yanagawa's Canals at the Internet Movie Database

Online Shopping

The Story of Yanagawa's Canals on Amazon Japan

Navigation[]

V • T • E

Credits

Founders	Hayao Miyazaki (Director) • Isao Takahata (Director) • Toshio Suzuki (Producer) • Yasuyoshi Tokuma (Executive Producer)

Notable Staff	Steve Alpert (Overseas Promotion Manager) • Hideaki Anno (Director) • Masashi Ando (Animator) • Makiko Futaki (Animator) • Hitomi Tateno (Animation Check) • Toru Hara (Producer) • Takeshi Inamura (Animator) • Katsuya Kondō (Animation Director) • Yoshifumi Kondō (Animation Director) • Koji Hoshino (President) • Megumi Kagawa (Animator) • Yoshinori Kanada (Animator) • Kitarō Kōsaka (Director) • Kazuo Komatsubara (Art Director) • Goro Miyazaki (Director) • Tomomi Mochizuki (Director) • Hiroyuki Morita (Director) • Yoshiyuki Momose (Animation Director) • Yoshiaki Nishimura (Producer) • Atsushi Okui (Director of Photography) • Kazuo Oga (Background Artist) • Shinsuke Nonaka (Production Affairs Manager) • Kaoru Mano (Titles) • Keiko Niwa (Screenwriter) • Reiko Okuyama (Animator) • Seiji Okuda (Director) • Takeshi Seyama (Director) • Masako Shinohara (Animator) • Atsushi Takahashi (Storyboard) • Yohei Takamatsu (Art Director) • Atsuko Tanaka (Key Animator) • Yôji Takeshige (Art Director) Kazuhide Tomonaga (Animator) • Yasuo Uragami (Sound Director) • Kazuhiro Wakabayashi (Sound Director) • Akihiko Yamashita (Animator Director) • Michiyo Yasuda (Color Designer) • Hiromasa Yonebayashi (Director) • Nizô Yamamoto (Background Artist) • Kenichi Yoshida (Animator) • Noboru Yoshida (Art Director) • Ushiko (Cat)

Music	Joe Hisaishi • Michio Mamiya • Yuji Nomi

Association	Eiko Kadono (Author) • Tokiko Kato (Singer) • John Lasseter (Director) • Rieko Nakagawa (Author) • Tatsuo Hori (Author) • Mamoru Hosoda (Director) • Yoshie Hotta (Author) • Yōichi Kotabe (Senior Animator) • Naohisa Inoue (Artist) • Keisuke Miyazaki (Son) • Kenji Miyazawa (Author) • Yasuji Mori (Animation Director) • Hideo Ogata (Animage Editor) • Osamu Sagawa (Friend) • Ryōtarō Shiba (Author) • Mamiko Suzuki (Toshio Suzuki's Daughter) • Mamoru Oshii (Director) • Yasuo Ōtsuka (Director)

Affiliated Companies	Anime Torotoro • NHK • Nippon Animation • Tokyo Movie Shinsha • Fuji TV • Oh! Production • Pony Canyon • Tokuma Shoten • Tokuma International • Shinchosha Publishing • Dentsu • Tohokushinsha Film Corporation • Mitsubishi • Studio Kajino • Studio Ponoc • Streamline Pictures • Toei Animation • Toei Company • TopCraft • Shochiku • Toho • The Walt Disney Company • Central Park Media • Sentai Filmworks • GKIDS • Madman Entertainment

V • T • E

Studio Ghibli

Animated features

Feature films	Castle in the Sky (1986) • Grave of the Fireflies (1988) • My Neighbor Totoro (1988) • Kiki's Delivery Service (1989) • Only Yesterday (1991) • Porco Rosso (1992) • Ocean Waves (1993) • Pom Poko (1994) • Whisper of the Heart (1995) • Princess Mononoke (1997) • My Neighbors the Yamadas (1999) • Spirited Away (2001) • The Cat Returns (2002) • Howl's Moving Castle (2004) • Tales from Earthsea (2006) • Ponyo (2008) • The Secret World of Arrietty (2010) • From Up on Poppy Hill (2011) • The Wind Rises (2013) • The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2013) • When Marnie Was There (2014) • Earwig and the Witch (2020) • The Boy and the Heron (2023)

Short films	Nandarō • On Your Mark • Ghiblies • Film Guru Guru • Ghiblies Episode 2 • Imaginary Flying Machines • The Invention of Imaginary Machines of Destruction • The Whale Hunt • Koro's Big Day Out • Mei and the Kittenbus • Looking for a Home • The Day I Bought a Star • The Night of Taneyamagahara • Water Spider Monmon • Iblard Jikan • A Sumo Wrestler's Tail • Mr. Dough and the Egg Princess • Treasure Hunting • Giant God Warrior Appears in Tokyo • Boro the Caterpillar

Documentaries

The Story of Yanagawa's Canals (1987) • Miyazaki and Kurosawa Fireside Chat (1993) • Ghibli Was Born This Way: A Birth Story Spelled Out With Reproduced Images (1998) • World Journey of My Memory / Journey of the Heart (1998) • How Princess Mononoke Was Born (2001) • Lasseter-San, Arigato! (2003) • Hayao Miyazaki Produces a CD (2004) • Yasuo Otsuka's Joy of Motion (2004) • Hayao Miyazaki and the Ghibli Museum (2005) • Ghibli: The Miyazaki Temple (2005) • The Work of Toshio Suzuki (2006) • Scenery of Ghibli (2006) • A Ghibli Artisan – Kazuo Oga Exhibition – The Man Who Painted Totoro's Forest (2007) • How Ponyo Was Born (2009) • Poppy Hill - 300 Days of War Between Father and Son (2011) • Ghibli's Bookshelf (2011) • The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness (2013) • Until The End of The Creation of When Marnie Was There (2015) • Never-Ending Man: Hayao Miyazaki (2016) • NHK Image File: I Want To Meet This Person - Isao Takahata, Animation Film Director (2018) • 10 Years with Hayao Miyazaki (2019) • Hayao Miyazaki and the Heron (2023)

Television series

The Blue Seed (1992) • Ronja, the Robber's Daughter (2014)

Concerts

Joe Hisaishi in Budokan • Joe Hisaishi Symphonic Concert: The Music of Studio Ghibli

Video games

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (Video Game) • Jade Cocoon: Story of the Tamamayu • Jade Cocoon 2 • Magic Pengel: The Quest for Color • Ni no Kuni (Series) • Ni no Kuni: Dominion of the Dark Djinn • Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch • Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom

Printed works

Animage • Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (manga) • Starting Point: 1979-1996 • Turning Point: 1997-2008 • Kaze no Kaerubasho • People of the Desert • The Age of the Flying Boat • Hayao Miyazaki's Daydream Data Notes • To My Sister • The Journey of Shuna • Studio Ghibli's Trajectory as Seen on Animage (1984-2011) • The Art of My Neighbor Totoro • The Art of Castle in the Sky • The Art of Kiki's Delivery Service • The Art of Porco Rosso • Princess Mononoke: The First Story • The Place Where Totoro Was Born • The Bountiful Food of Studio Ghibli • Children's Picture Book Ghibli's Dining Table Earwig and the Witch

Co-Productions

Flying City Plan • Shiki-Jitsu (Studio Kajino) • Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence • Nasu: Summer in Andalusia • Nasu: A Migratory Bird with Suitcase • Portable Airport • Red Crow and the Ghost Ship • Space Station No. 9 • The Red Turtle

Pre-Ghibli works

Hustle Punch (1965) • Horus, Prince of the Sun (1968) • Animal Treasure Island (1971) • Lupin the Third Part I (1971) • Panda! Go, Panda! (1972) • Heidi, Girl of the Alps (1974) • Dog of Flanders (1975) • Future Boy Conan (1978) • Anne of Green Gables (1979) • Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro (1979) • Chie the Brat (1981) • 3000 Leagues in Search of Mother (1981) • Gauche the Cellist (1982) • Sherlock Hound (1984) • Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)

Ghibli-related labels

Animage • Animage Home Video • Ghibli ga Ippai Collection • Ghibli Museum • Ghibli Museum Library • Ghibli Park • Totoro no Furusato Foundation • Totoro no Mori

Unproduced projects

Border 1939

Related productions

Like the Clouds, Like the Wind • Mary and the Witch's Flower • Modest Heroes • Natsuzora • World Masterpiece Theater