Inu-Oh (犬王) is a 2021 Japanese animated musical film directed by Masaaki Yuasa and produced by Science SARU. Based upon the novel Tales of the Heike: Inu-Oh by Hideo Furukawa, the film is set in 14th century Japan and centers on the friendship between Inu-Oh, a dancer born with unique physical characteristics, and Tomona, a blind musician. Ostracized by society due to their physical differences, Inu-Oh and Tomona nonetheless utilize their artistic abilities to propel themselves to stardom.
Inu-Oh premiered at the 78th Venice International Film Festival in September 2021, with the film releasing in Japan in May 2022.
Plot
A withered biwa player narrates a tale of how 900 years ago, the Genji clan sought the Imperial Regalia to unite the emperor's throne. They defeat the rival Heike clan at the Battle of Dan-no-ura, wherein the child emperor drowns while carrying the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, the legendary Japanese sword. Three hundred years later, agents of Ashikaga Yoshimitsu hire young Tomona and his father to retrieve a box from a Heike shipwreck. They find a sword inside the box. Not realizing that it is Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, Tomona's father unsheathes the sword, letting loose a blade of energy that cuts him in half and blinds Tomona. Tomona then goes on a years long journey to find answers for what happened, with the ghost of his father accompanying him. He meets a member of a whole troupe of blind biwa players, and decides to learn the biwa and join the troupe.