Modorigawa is set in the Taisho era (1912-1926). Gakyo is a poet of tanka (Japanese verses comprising 31 syllables) and spends his days in the company of prostitutes. He believes that these decadent experiences contribute to making good tanka. His wife Mine has high hopes of his poetry. Gakuyo’s tanka teacher condemns Gakuyo’s behaviour. Gakuyo pretends to be in love with Kotu and commits adultery with her. But when she gets too serious, Gakuyo betrays her on purpose and tells her master the truth. Gakuyo is imprisoned for adultery and Kotu gets a divorce and becomes a prostitute. Gakuyo undertakes a whole series of half-successful double suicides with different women as a source of inspiration for his tanka. Modorigawa was a film with a large budget by Japanese standards. To write the script – that was based on a mystery story by Ranjo Mikihiko, a Buddhist priest – extensive research was done on the customs and documents of the Taisho era.
