In the Realm of the Senses
Never before had a man and a woman loved each other so intensely.
1976 | 105m | Japanese
Popularity: 8 (history)
| Director: | Nagisa Ōshima |
|---|---|
| Writer: | Nagisa Ōshima |
| Staring: |
| A passionate telling of the story of Sada Abe, a woman whose affair with her master led to an obsessive and ultimately destructive sexual relationship. | |
| Release Date: | Sep 15, 1976 |
|---|---|
| Director: | Nagisa Ōshima |
| Writer: | Nagisa Ōshima |
| Genres: | Drama, Romance |
| Keywords | japan, pornography, jealousy, geisha, brothel, sake, longing, deceived wife, based on true story, sadomasochism, mistress, prostitution, nymphomania, 1930s, depravation, sex, shōwa era (1926-89), penis mutilation, erotic asphyxiation |
| Production Companies | Argos films, Oshima Productions, Shibata Organisation |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $0
Budget: $0 |
| Updates |
Updated: Aug 28, 2025 (Update) Entered: Aug 15, 2024 |
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| Eiko Matsuda | Sada Abe |
| Tatsuya Fuji | Kichizo Ishida |
| Aoi Nakajima | Toku |
| Yasuko Matsui | Tagawa Inn Manager |
| Meika Seri | Matsuko (Yoshidaya Maid) |
| Kanae Kobayashi | Old Geisha Kikuryû |
| Taiji Tonoyama | Old Beggar |
| Kyōji Kokonoe | Teacher Ômiya |
| Naomi Shiraishi | Geisha Yaeji |
| Shinkichi Noda | Street Restaurant Owner |
| Komikichi Hori | Mitsuwa Geisha |
| Kikuhei Matsunoya | Hôkan Jester |
| Akiko Koyama | Mansaki Geisha |
| Yuriko Azuma | Mitsuwa Geisha |
| Rei Minami | Mitsuwa Geisha |
| Machiko Aoki | Mitsuwa Maid |
| Mariko Abe | Kinu (Yoshidaya Maid) |
| Kyōko Okada | Hangyoku / Young Geisha |
| Kiyomi Yasuda | Mitsuwa Geisha |
| Hiroko Fuji | O-Tsune (Yoshidaya Head Maid) |
| Tomi Mitsuboshi | Chieko (Yoshidaya Maid) |
| Kimiko Ishii | |
| Katsue Tamiyama | Fat Mansaki Maid |
| Hitomi Fukuhara | Bullseye / Girl with Umbrella |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| Shigemasa Toda | Production Design, Costume Design |
| Kôji Takemura | Makeup Artist |
| Tetsuo Yasuda | Sound Recordist |
| Masayuki Motomochi | Assistant Director |
| Dai Arakawa | Set Decoration |
| Patrick Sauvion | Editor |
| Terumi Hosoishi | Special Effects |
| Keiichi Uraoka | Editor |
| Minoru Miki | Original Music Composer |
| Hideo Itō | Director of Photography |
| Kikue Osawa | Hairstylist |
| Alex Pront | Sound Recordist |
| Masahiro Katō | Costume Design |
| Shizuo Satô | Assistant Director |
| Shigenori Shimoishizaka | Art Direction |
| Yukio Oyamada | Still Photographer |
| Henri Humbert | Sound Effects |
| Saburo Li | Assistant Director |
| Yoichi Sai | Assistant Director |
| Nagisa Ōshima | Director, Writer |
| Kōji Wakamatsu | Production Manager |
| Ken'ichi Okamoto | Lighting Technician |
| Susumu Iwabuchi | Production Manager |
| Eiko Ōshima | Production Manager |
| Hayao Shibata | Production Manager |
| Katsue Tomiyama | Production Manager |
| Shigeru Wakatsuki | Production Manager |
| Claire Painchault | Assistant Editor |
| Hitoshi Nojiri | Property Master |
| Takashi Ueno | Property Master |
| Isao Nishimura | Special Effects |
| Hiroaki Fujiama | Electrician |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Anatole Dauman | Producer |
| Organization | Category | Person | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Toshiyuki Nishida | Nominated |
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 47 | 59 | 33 |
| 2024 | 5 | 47 | 57 | 36 |
| 2024 | 6 | 50 | 80 | 36 |
| 2024 | 7 | 49 | 67 | 30 |
| 2024 | 8 | 46 | 60 | 35 |
| 2024 | 9 | 43 | 71 | 31 |
| 2024 | 10 | 45 | 60 | 30 |
| 2024 | 11 | 42 | 56 | 33 |
| 2024 | 12 | 40 | 54 | 32 |
| 2025 | 1 | 45 | 62 | 34 |
| 2025 | 2 | 49 | 67 | 8 |
| 2025 | 3 | 15 | 49 | 3 |
| 2025 | 4 | 11 | 18 | 5 |
| 2025 | 5 | 9 | 19 | 7 |
| 2025 | 6 | 8 | 13 | 5 |
| 2025 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 5 |
| 2025 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 5 |
| 2025 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 5 |
Trending Position
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 8 | 351 | 761 |
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 7 | 916 | 940 |
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 6 | 893 | 945 |
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 5 | 355 | 577 |
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4 | 226 | 660 |
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3 | 380 | 564 |
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2 | 166 | 591 |
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 11 | 673 | 673 |
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 8 | 653 | 730 |
To put it bluntly, it was Pasolini and Nagisa Oshima who elevated pornography to an art form. "Ai no Corrida" is a film based on the crazy scandal of a Japanese woman, Sada Abe, who was obsessed with sex. The film is a masterful depiction of sex, and in the uncensored version, viewers will be surpri ... sed to find that the sex acts in the film are no different from those in pornographic videos. Some may be put off by the scenes of pubic hair, semen, and lewd displays of genitalia, male and female. However, it is questionable to dismiss the film's unusual artistry on that basis alone. No one can fail to notice that the sex scenes depicted in "Ai no Corrida" are ten thousand times better than those in the erotic "Species". Nagisa Oshima is by far a more aesthetically pleasing director than Akira Kurosawa, and he could have made any number of films that ordinary people would enjoy watching. His talent is unwavering, and this sex-documentary style masterpiece is unique in Asia.