When the Rain Lifts

Ihei Misawa, a kindly faced master less samurai, and his wife are just two of the many travelers stuck at a small inn during a powerful rain storm, which has made the near by river impassable. During this downpour a bad mood begins to infiltrate the inn and to lift it Misawa leaves the inn in search of a way to buy a small feast to lighten the spirits of the weary travelers. Soon he returns and a celebration is held and the peasant travelers are overjoyed, but the only way Misawa was able to raise money for the food was through prize fighting. Misawa, although a highly skilled swordsman, has trouble maintaining a position for long and his wife scolds him for committing such a dishonorable act. The next day the rain lifts and Misawa goes for a walk in the woods. He comes across some inexperienced samurai having a dual and stops them. The local lord sees him from afar and commends him on stopping the dual as he has forbidden his samurai from the act. It soon becomes apparent that the lord is looking for a new fencing master for his fief and Misawa is invited to the castle to discuss the position. After demonstrating his excellent swordsmanship the lord himself challenges him but is also decisively defeated. Misawa having so strongly defeating the local lord and embarrassing him with over apologizing is sure that the position is lost when he is ambushed by the gang he had fought for money with earlier and he must once again make use of his great skill.

Throughout the film each scene shows the stunning beauty of nature. Rain drops, mossy forests, and mountain passes make every frame enjoyable to watch. The story takes place over the course of several days and although the tale is small it provides great interest. Ame Agaru, also known as After the Rain and When the Rain Lifts, was one of the last screen plays by Akira Kurosawa, based on a short story by Shugoro Yamamoto, to be made into a film. Although Kurosawa could not make the movie prior to his death his assistant, Takashi Koizumi, directed the film with great effect. As written in Kurosawa notes for the film, “The viewer should feel refreshed after watching this film.”