ABOUT THE PROJECT

LOGLINE
MANJI follows Reverend TK Nakagaki, a Japanese Buddhist priest living in America for the past thirty-five years, as he travels the globe on a mission: to reclaim the swastika as a symbol of peace.

SYNOPSIS
In Western society, few symbols elicit as guttural a reaction and sense of taboo as the swastika. Indelibly tied to Nazi Germany, the Holocaust, and white supremacy, the swastika is a symbol that many people would simply like to see disappear.

Yet while reviled in the West, the swastika maintains a considerably different status in the East, representing auspiciousness, hope, and peace. The swastika has existed, in some form, in Hinduism, Buddhism, and other religions for millennia. It is so commonplace in many Asian countries that you can find it on storefronts, clothing, and even children’s toys. In Tokyo, for example, many of the city maps are dotted with swastikas to show the location of Buddhist temples.

MANJI focuses on Reverend Toshikazu Kenjitsu Nakagaki, or TK as many call him, a Buddhist priest from Japan on a mission to reclaim the positive image of the swastika in the West. MANJI follows TK as he travels through Eastern Europe, Japan and the United States, diving into the history of the swastika and examining how the Nazis appropriated for their own nefarious purposes. Throughout, TK will meet with people of varying backgrounds and faiths to unpack what they think of the swastika’s place both in their society and on a global scale

With the recent resurgence of white nationalism and neo-Nazism in the United States, and with the swastika-laden streets of Tokyo set to host a wave of international tourists with the upcoming 2020 Olympics, now, more than ever, is time to explore whether, as TK puts it, we can “rescue this symbol of peace from the forces of hate”.

PROJECT TYPE Documentary Feature

DIRECTOR Yousuke Kiname
PRODUCER Yousuke Kiname, Adam Weissman