This story is based on the novel "Jo no mai" by Tomiko Miyao which is based on the life of painter Shōen Uemura (1875–1949), the first woman to be awarded the Order of Culture. The title refers to the masterpiece bijinga ("picture of a beautiful woman") that Uemura painted at the age of 61. The main character, Tsuya Shimamura, is born in Kyoto as the second daughter of a tea trader who dies before her birth. Tsuya, who loves painting more than anything and is hopeless at housework, attends art school and at age 15 receives the name Shōsui (from the characters for "pine" and "green") from her teacher. The crown prince of England purchases one of her works, propelling her to fame overnight. The novel portrays the remainder of her stormy life, during which she is impregnated by her teacher and raises a fatherless child; through it all she devotes herself to her painting, undaunted.
as Tsuya Shimamura
as Shima Shimamura
as Sei Shimamura
as Sei as a girl
as Sei's uncle
as Midwife
as Neighborhood lady
as Sei's grandmother
as Kura Shimamura
as Neighborhood lady
as Neighborhood lady
as Neighborhood lady
as Waitress
as Girl
as Postman
as Rickshaw man
as Rickshaw man
as Narrator (voice)
