Movie

Elephant from "Zoo Story"

1957 1h 7m Released

Drama

The fifth film in the Toho Diamond series, following "The Hateful Thing." Based on the true story of "Zoo Story" by author Fukuda Saburo. During the Tokyo air raids of World War II, Zen-san, an elephant keeper at Ueno Zoo, is faced with the heartbreaking task of euthanizing Tonki, a beloved elephant, due to food shortages and wartime pressures. Unable to carry out the order, Zen-san secretly feeds Tonki, but the elephant is ultimately shot by the military police. The film poignantly captures Zen-san’s despair and the devastation of war, as he reflects on his powerlessness amid the chaos.

Cast

Kenichi Enomoto Zen-san (Elephant Officer) Keiju Kobayashi Head of Animal Care Divisi Momoko Kôchi Yoshiko (Student mobilizat Kyōko Anzai Miyazawa Sensei Yoshio Kosugi Sugiura (Gatekeeper) Sachio Sakai Tamura (Lion Officer)