“HIDARI” is a “stop-motion samurai film” that tells the story of a legendary craftsman from the Edo era who left behind numerous works and anecdotes. Although his existence remains uncertain, we have boldly reimagined his story, weaving historical records from the Edo era into our tale. All of the characters are hand-carved from wood and brought to life through frame-by-frame animation techniques, just as Hidari’s wooden sculptures were said to come alive through his genius craftsmanship in the anecdotes. Experience a thrilling blend of dynamic action inspired by Japanimation and the rich, analog world view of stop-motion animation that you’ve never seen before.

Our intention is to use this pilot film as a starting point to create a full length feature film. We’re currently running a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter to gain support for our activities to find the necessary partners to go into production of the feature-length version. If you liked this video and would want to see more of it, we would be very grateful if you can support us on Kickstarter!

Period: Wednesday, March 8, 2023 – Tuesday, April 25, 2023
Kickstarter project page: http://bit.ly/hidari-kickstarter

The Plot (full-feature version)
“HIDARI” tells the story of Hidari Jingoro, a genius carpenter and sculptor who is said to have lived during the Edo era. The film weaves together various anecdotes and historical facts surrounding his life.

As a young and talented carpenter, Jingoro becomes involved in the massive project of rebuilding Edo Castle with his colleagues and masters. However, just as the project nears completion, Jingoro and his peers are framed and trapped to keep the secret of Edo Castle. All of his colleagues are killed, and Jingoro himself loses the dominant right arm. In despair, Jingoro’s only wish is revenge. He reconstructs his lost right arm into a powerful mechanical prosthetic hand and sets out on a vengeful journey with a companion cat, who later becomes the model for his famous work “Sleeping Cat.” People came to call him “Hidari” (left) Jingoro before long.

As Jingoro seeks revenge and takes down his enemies one by one, he eventually discovers a massive conspiracy within the shogunate. He returns to Edo Castle, the site of his fateful encounter, to confront the mastermind behind the plot. However, Edo Castle has been transformed into an impenetrable fortress armed with the latest weaponry. Will Jingoro be able to take down the mastermind and his army of mechanical weapons in the ultimate showdown?