I became fascinated by an illusion of a man who would die and leave his testament on film. Then, as my films always begin with my fantasies, the idea for a new film was born. Occasionally I am asked where this concept or idea came from. It is impossible, however, to respond to such a question. It is simply a matter of my hearing or seeing a mirage, of a fantasy suddenly drifting to the surface of my mind. If there is one thing I can say with certainty, however, it is that it is because I see mirages and hear their voices that I am a filmmaker. [...] the illusion I experienced [...] is related to the deep interest I took in the life and death struggle launched by the various sects of the student movement to prevent Prime Minister Satō from visiting the United States in 1969 [...] I, too, wandered through the demonstrations at Haneda airport, carrying a camera and filming what I could, but, of course, I did not die either. For me, the question of how to die in the 1970s is an answer to the question of how to live.