The Face of Jizo, is a Japanese play, depicting the anguish and struggles of Mitsue, a Japanese woman who barely survived the Aug. 6th, 1945, atomic bombing of Hiroshima.

In the story, Mitsue tries to forget what happened on that fateful day when she lost her father Takezo in a sea of atomic fire, but she is tormented by the childhood memory of having run away instead of attempting to help her father.

She cannot live with her guilt and torment, and convinces herself that she has no right to happiness.

Originally a stage play by Hisashi Inoue that premiered in Japan in 1994, the work has since gone on to travel the world.

The original title Chichi To Kuraseba literally means Living with Father.

The story takes place in the mid-1950s, with Mitsue living in her family’s bombed out but partially repaired house. Most of her friends and family were killed by pika-don (flash blast, the name Japanese gave to the atomic explosion), and she has only one friend, confidant, and adviser left in the world that she can talk honestly with… her father.

Yes, Mitsue lives with her ghostly parent, making this one of the most unusual ghost films ever made.

But Face of Jizo is not a ghost film in the traditional sense, the only frightening moments come when one considers the realities of nuclear war.

Instead, Mitsue’s spirit father materializes in order to encourage his lonely and angst-ridden daughter, advising her to embrace life and give in to love and happiness.

 In Japanese Buddhism, Jizo (jee-zo) is the guardian deity and savior of children, as well as the protector of travelers.

You can see roadside statues of Jizo throughout Japan.

In the story Mitsue finds that the family’s garden statue of Jizo had half of its face melted off from the atomic blast, and she relates the visage to her father’s inexplicable reappearance.
The play’s transcript was translated into English by Roger Pulvers (and now available in book form), a professor at the Tokyo Institute of Technology.

His translation of the play was used for the English subtitles of Kuroki’s movie adaptation.
Face of Jizo created by Hisashi Inoue will be on Mar 21 3pm at Metro Studio on 1411 Quadra Sreet at Johnson, Victoria, B.C.

More info visit: www.metrostudiotheatre.com.