Rentarô Mikuni - Shinran: Shiroi michi AKA Shinran: Path to Purity (1987)

In the early part of the 13th Century in Japan, warring clans turned the country into a bloody playing field. Ritual execution was the order of the day, and expulsion to the far reaches of the empire–to endure extremes of weather on barely fertile land–was the height of mercy.

It’s not surprising that such a turbulent era should also nurture a time of spiritual enlightenment. “Shinran: The Path to Purity” (Little Tokyo) attempts to detail the epic physical and emotional journey of the title Buddhist priest, who founded that religion’s Shinshu sect.