Following the elusive “char” depicted in the film “The Char in the Milk” (2024), this film continues the question, moving from the “char” to the “cherry salmon,” and reveals the relationship between the natural world and human society through the “cherry salmon” that travel along the river basin connecting the forest and the sea.
Whole Universe (General Incorporated Association)
The documentary film “Sakuramasu no Last Waltz” (directed by Asato Sakamoto), planned and distributed by the general incorporated association Whole Universe (headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo), will finally be released nationwide on October 9th (Friday) at Uplink Kichijoji and other theaters including Uplink Kyoto (Kyoto Prefecture), Cinema KOBE (Hyogo Prefecture), and Ueda Eigeki (Nagano Prefecture).
The cherry salmon, a species of salmon distributed mainly in Japan, is born in rivers as a masu salmon and eventually migrates to the sea. Then, with the arrival of spring, it returns as a cherry salmon. However, modernization is hindering this migration. The masu salmon left behind in rivers throughout Japan may symbolize the disruption of the natural environment in these river basins. This film, a documentary, vividly portrays the world woven by the river basins where cherry salmon migrate, incorporating testimonies from researchers and fisheries professionals who have continuously worked with these fish. It’s as if the questions are being passed on from the elusive masu salmon, the “iwana,” which inhabits headwaters, as depicted in the previous film, “Iwana in Milk,” to the masu salmon…
Director’s Message
What can we do to continue our connection with fish as anglers, or to continue our connection with nature as human beings? This film does not simply portray environmental problems in the river basin as an indictment, but rather examines the complex reality that the activities of past human societies simultaneously created an unnatural world. However, rather than emphasizing the conflict between nature and society, we aim to reflect the wavering dilemma between them and explore the possibility of dialogue with cherry salmon. To open a space to re-examine the relationship between nature and society through their life journey—that is the starting point of this film. Film Director Asato Sakamoto
New comments on “The Last Waltz of the Cherry Salmon”
All living things exist within a single “Earth environment,” each living in its own unique “perceptual world.”
In contrast, we humans, a group of 8.2 billion people, each live in a completely separate “Umwelt” (perceptual world).
In other words, humans are the only ones living in a world far removed from the “Earth’s environment.”
It may sound blunt, but if every human left the Earth, all problems would be solved. Our two feet can never leave this planet, so why don’t humans try to coexist with it?
The sole purpose of this work is not to convey the current situation of cherry salmon.
It forces us to consider how we should live.
──── Kazufumi Miyazawa ( musician )
From the tiny universe inhabited by cherry salmon, we can see through to the world we live in, or perhaps its flaws.
How will I, and we, survive in the coming era, burdened with inescapable contradictions?
Leading the way are colorful experts with academic and original perspectives, and the author presents…
A story guided by the beat of memories, evoking a unique resonance.
This is not just a documentary, but a new kind of “festival” imbued with the aura of a film.
Dance, yourself. Even if it’s a weird, silly dance.
Like that fish that wiggles its tail fin without blinking.
Until the “dance” you create one day becomes a memento of that child.
────Naotaro Moriyama ( musician )
As I continued to gaze at the fish, and my love for them overflowed, I unexpectedly began to see the problems facing Japanese society, and even the problems facing humanity as a whole. The last flicker of the cherry salmon was as dazzling and intense as a spark.
──── Kom_I (artist)
Everything that is happening on Earth right now has been done for human convenience.
This is the consequence of one’s actions. There’s no way to control nature.
It presented me with that harsh reality.
────Ryo Fukawa (Talent)
“What is a way of life that is in line with Earth’s values?” “What does it mean to protect nature?”
In our daily lives, we are increasingly separated from nature.
I watched this film over and over again, wanting to fully understand its intentions, as it meticulously followed the cherry salmon throughout its entire life cycle, from upstream to downstream, out to sea, and then back up the river to spawn upstream and end its life. And each time I watched it, I began to ask myself questions through the images: What is the relationship between the magnificent workings of nature and the Earth, and the workings of humanity? Or rather, what does it mean for a human being to live like the cherry salmon? I realized how much I had been living in a microscopic world. With its overwhelming visual beauty and wonderful sound, I believe this is an incredibly necessary work for us today.
────Yuri Nomura (eatrip)
Following the life journey of the cherry salmon,
It felt like I was listening to a common “resonance” that exists throughout this world.
Humans are nature itself. Everything—the visible and the intangible—is interconnected.
The fact that I am breathing here and now.
The way the Earth is, and my true self as it is, is reflected in the living things that breathe before me and
It may lie in confronting that history. It’s not an easy task, but
I intend to continue reflecting on that matter.
I believe that the lessons I’ve learned through countless failures will become a prayer for the lives that have been lost.
──── Mamiko Hirai (musician)
Nature is not something that humans need to survive; rather, humans are simply a part of nature, and we must reflect on this by observing how salmon continue their lives and eventually die.
────Katsu Tadazuki (Photographer)
In my hometown of Ina, Shinshu, deep in the mountains, we always eat salmon on December 31st, the day of “Toshitori,” to welcome the New Year. For us who live along the Fossa Magna (a rift in the sea), salmon is a special fish. I learned something important from this film: the mountain people renew the world by inviting the sea gods of salmon and trout.
──── Minao Kitamura (Documentary film director and visual ethnologist)
Following the success of the previous film, “The Trout in the Milk,” I am delighted that such a wonderful film has been created. I was deeply moved by the captivating story and stunning visuals. This film not only depicts the ecology of cherry salmon, masu salmon, satsuki salmon, and amago trout, but also carefully portrays the feelings of the people who live around where these fish inhabit, the thoughts of anglers, and even the social value of these fish. I believe that watching this film will encourage even more people to take an interest in and love fish. We can never truly speak for the feelings of the fish, but with that in mind, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who produced and acted in this film.
────Tomoyuki Nakamura (Fisheries Research Institute, National Research and Development Agency)
It is rare to find a fish that behaves with such beauty and mystery. We learned from and were enlightened by the way the cherry salmon lives, and realized what we need to change. The logic we had envisioned did not work as expected. We were no match for the resilient wildness that quietly perpetuates life. Maintaining a humble attitude towards the natural world and focusing on following its laws and principles—that attitude will be a great source of strength that will pave the way for our future.
──── Narifumi Sato (Fly fisherman)
Although the film centers on the cherry salmon, it is actually a film about humanity. As we shift between diverse perspectives, we become disillusioned with the existence of humanity, but that disillusionment also seems to hold a glimmer of hope. This is similar to the contradiction between the blessings and disasters brought about by the “river” described in the film. In reality, nature has neither blessings nor disasters. The human view of nature, which divides the one entity of nature into good and evil, fosters indigenous beliefs and cultures, while simultaneously creating the dichotomy between humans and nature in modern flood control. There is no perspective that allows us to oversee the complex network of cause and effect symbolized by this duality. The people depicted in the film seem somewhat carefree. Their appearance overlaps with that of the cherry salmon and other wild animals I encounter in Hokkaido.
──── Norimichi Hirakawa (Artist)
Fish are disappearing from rivers. Natural disasters are becoming more severe. Whether you fish or not, in recent years you may have felt that nature’s bounty and the foundations of your life are being threatened. The cause is not that nature is turning against humanity, but rather the result of human activities that pursue efficiency and economic benefits. This film and the cherry salmon clearly illustrate this point. And in this day and age where values such as cost-effectiveness and value for money are prevalent, I can’t help but feel that it is conveying a scathing message that pursuing efficiency and economic benefits is not always the right thing to do.
────Taku Yoshiyama (Doctor of Fisheries Science)
Theaters showing the film
Tokyo
Uplink Kichijoji
October 9th (Fri) ~
Kyoto Prefecture
Uplink Kyoto
October 23rd (Fri) ~
Nagano Prefecture
Ueda Eigeki
October 16th (Fri) ~
Toyama Prefecture
Otayaza
October 23rd (Fri) ~
Hyogo Prefecture
Cinema KOBE
October 24th (Sat) ~
Okayama Prefecture
Enmusubi Cinemaru Musubi
October 30th (Fri) ~
Oita Prefecture
Hita Cinematheque Liberté
Saturday, November 28th ~
Synopsis of the film “The Last Waltz of the Cherry Salmon”
■Story
Which planet will we live on?
The cherry salmon, which migrate between the sea and rivers, sustains its life within the river basin. However, the wave of modernization has disrupted this cycle. What have we gained and lost? This raises questions about the relationship between river basins and society.
Yamame trout, born in rivers, journey to the sea and eventually return to the rivers as cherry salmon. This journey connects forests and seas, nurturing the lives and cultures of the river basin over long periods of time. However, the development of modern society has gradually hindered this exchange. Tens of thousands of dams and weirs built for disaster prevention and power generation have divided rivers and seas, and abandoned forests increase the risk of disasters. The development of renewable energy, promoted as a measure against global warming, is also shaking the very foundations of the relationship between nature and society. This film explores the trajectory of nature and culture that is being lost in the shadow of economic development, through the life of the cherry salmon.
