A collection of Japanese Ghost stories, set in the Edo period of Japan.
The first, about a man who leaves his wife to find success in the wider world, and in so doing finds a new wife and all that he's looking for only to discover it wasn't what he wanted all along, and when he returns to find her and apologize....
I can't give more as those would be spoilers and this would cheat you of the joy of watching it yourself.
And another, about a blind bard who finds himself playing to an imperial court of the dead...
***
Overall this was a masterpiece. The visuals and effects, old-school practical effects, are masterful, the atmosphere is perfect. In the story about the bard we see the court; the impassivity of the spirits as they watch; the painting of Buddhist symbols on the bard to protect him - all visually spectacular. And all of the stories share this in common - be wary of any dealings with the dead or spirits.
This, the cautionary tale of dealings with spirits or the dead, that they bear us no goodwill, that nothing good can come of it, it's a tradition - cross cultural I dare to say - that no good can come of summoning or communicating with the dead, it's a warning against the memory of those who've led the way into the great beyond.
This, in tone, pacing, humour, it's the antithesis to Sam Raimi's "The Evil Dead", treating it's subject with more the gravity it deserves. And it's a perfect movie for a cool October night when the dead may indeed be up and about and always to no good...