Misako Watanabe (渡辺美佐子) (b. 23 October 1932) is a Japanese actress. She is a graduate of the Haiyuza Theatre Company. In 1997 she received a Medal of Honor with Purple Ribbon and in 2004 the Order of the Rising Sun.
Taking its title from an archaic Japanese word meaning "ghost story," this anthology adapts four folk tales. A penniless samurai marries for money with tragic results. A man stranded in a blizzard is saved by Yuki the Snow Maiden, but his rescue comes at a cost. Blind musician Hoichi is forced to perform for an audience of ghosts. An author relates the story of a samurai who sees another warrior's reflection in his teacup.
When a mysterious stranger muscles into two rival yakuza gangs, Tokyo's underworld explodes with violence.
Majime, an eccentric man in publishing company, who has unique ability of words, joins the team that will compile a new dictionary, The Great Passage. In the eclectic team, he becomes immersed in the world of dictionaries. But the team is overwhelmed with problems.
