云之上 雲の上

In some lonely countryside, or more precisely, in the smaller district where the word “community” still fits perfectly, there is an old temple with a red rusty roof. The temple is called K?un’in whose roof has a tale passed down from ancient times.
　　The tale is based on the myth of dragon god: Once upon a time at a brumous crack of dawn, all kinds of snakes magically flocked to a waterfall. As soon as they merged into a single huge serpent, it started to fly up heavenward. But when it incarnadined his body with the red color of the roof, it transformed itself into a rising dragon.
　　The movie begins when Chikén -the lead character- is released from jail where he was serving a term for assault. He is the son and heir of K?un’in temple and in fact, is also a head man of ruffians in the area. At his return his old time crew returns to him. He recalls a promise he made as a kid which wasn’t just kept but rather violated. Chikén is obsessively attracted to this myth as if he thinks he can purify his heart of sin and finally fulfill the promise once broken by helping his childhood friend who wishes to bail out from the yakuza, or Japanese gangsters.