Tanabata's Wife by Sinai Hamada - "Finest Love Story Ever Written"

Here’s the full story of Tanabata’s Wife by Sinai Hamada.

TANABATA’S WIFE – Sinai Hamada wrote: “Tanabata’s Wife”, dubbed as the “finest love story ever written by a Filipino”.

Sinai Hamada is a writer and poet. He created “Tanabata’s Wife” in 1932 and apart from being an English, he is also a lawyer. He was one of the founders of the Baguio Midland Courier. He was born in 1911 in Baguio City. His parents were Ryukichi Hamada and Josefa Carino, a native Ibaloi belonging to one of the most eminent families of Benguet.

His father is among the first Japanese immigrants in Baguio who is also an engineer.

Check out the summary story below of “Tabanata’s Wife”:

It is the early part of the 20th century and Japanese immigrant farmers are doing well with vegetable gardens in La Trinidad Valley near Baguio, where they have pioneered the cultivation of salad greens in the region, among them Tanabata- San.

Middle-aged and lonely, he hires a young Bontok woman, Fasang, as farmhand, and falls in love with her. They marry and have a son, Kato. They grow the garden, but Fasang is enamored of the city lights of an emerging Baguio. She loves the cinema. She falls for the wiles of a distant cousin, Okdo, and they elope, taking Kato with them.

With only his teen-aged aide Tiago working the farm, Tanabata is distraught. He loses his will to live and abandons the garden. He wants to go home to Japan to die, wishing only to see his wife and son one last time.

Fasang falls on hard times, too. Okdo loses his job at Camp John Hay and abandons her. She goes to the work camp to dig roads. When all seems lost, Tiago finds Fasang and implores her to come home with Kato.

Tanabata-San’s family is restored: True love like the seasons will have its way, it is as old as the mountains.

The summary comes from the Film Freeway blog. This story was adapted into a film and was multi-awarded of how brilliant it was made coming to the casting, cinematography, story-telling, and aesthetics of everything. Charlson Ong, Choy Pangilinan, and Lito Casaje are the directors of this film.

Here are some of the awards and recognitions the film received:

From TOFARM Film Festival 2018
- Best Picture: Tanabata’s Wife
- Best Directors (Charlson Ong, Lito Casaje, Choy Pangilinan)
- Best Screenplay (Charlson Ong, Choy Pangilinan, Mao Portus, Juan Carlo Tarobal)
- Best Actress (Mai Fanglayan)
- Best Actor (Miyuki Kamimura)
- Best Cinematography (Nap Jamir)
- Best Editing (May-i Guia Padilla)
- Best Music (Kurt Ayeo-eo Lumbag Alalag, May-i Guia Padilla, Marc Tan)
- Best Production Design (Martin Masadao)
OSAKA Film Festival March 2019 Official Selection
Asean International Film Festival & Awards, Malaysia April 2019 Official Selection
From FAMAS 2019
- Best Adapted Screenplay – Tanabata’s Wife
From GAWAD URIAN 2019
- Best Editing, May-i Guia Padilla (Winner)
From PMPC STAR AWARDS 2019
- Movie Actress of the Year – Mai Fanglayan
From 67th Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences Awards
- Best Adapted Screenplay (Charlson Ong, Choy Pangilinan, Mao Portus, Juan Carlo Balasbas Tarobal)

Tanabata’s Wife by Sinai Hamada – “Finest Love Story Ever Written”

Here’s the full story of Tanabata’s Wife by Sinai Hamada.

Leave a Comment Cancel reply