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Nonki na Tousan Ryuuguu Mairi
Dreamy Urashima ／ Nonki na Tou-san Ryuuguu Mairi ／ Nonki na Tōsan Ryūgū Mairi ／ ノンキナトウサン竜宮参りDescription
In 1925, Hakuzan Kimura’s animated short *Nonkinatousan Ryugu Mairi*, also known as “Dreamy Urashima”, offers one of the earliest cinematic retellings of the classic tale. The story centers on a lazy man who wakes from a nap and heads to the seaside to fish. A brief live‑action sequence shows the sea swelling before the film transitions back to its animated fantasy world. A beautiful girl appears on the beach and lures the man into the waves, where she transforms into the legendary turtle and carries him beneath the surface to an underwater kingdom inhabited by fish and squid. There he is welcomed by a host of kimono‑wearing beauties who escort him to a stately court full of musicians and dancers. As a ballerina pirouettes on the palace floor before him, he is offered alcohol and handed a sm…
