Although set in Japan’s distant past (the mid 8th century), Kawamoto here makes a statement about the war in Iraq using the same peaceful means as his lovely heroine Iratsume: she atones for violence committed in the past through her artistic endeavours. Chosen by the gods, Iratsume was born into an honourable family. While following an inner dream vision, she weaves a piece of material, covering it with a beautiful spiritual image. The Book of the Dead is influenced by the myth of the role of the artist who stands, void of all illusion, on the side of good. This perhaps somewhat old-fashioned and romantic idea nevertheless prepared the way for the creation of a very strong and effective story. Only the director’s second work to approach feature length, the film was finished recently, in April 2005.