Bunroku Shishi

Renowned actress/singer Takamine Mieko stars as titular heroine Nobuko, a spirited young teacher working in a conservative school. Based on a novel by Shishi Bunroku, the film follows her experiences as she challenges the school with her liberal thinking and teaching methods. (youtube)

Ken'ichi Enomoto is studying to be a great warrior, but he is a hasty youth. When he continues through with an attack when ordered to stop -- because there is no pausing in a real battle -- he is told that he will not be in the team at the fair the next day. He doesn't know what to tell his mother, but mothers know everything, don't they? So he is given a letter to carry to a priest. However, the path is haunted by ghosts and giants and fox spirits and he gets into a lot of trouble.