Hayao Miyazaki talks why he depicted leprosy in "Princess Mononoke"

Animation giant Hayao Miyazaki depicted leprosy patients in his blockbuster film "Princess Mononoke" (Mononoke Hime) because he wanted to shed light on the little-known history of people who were discriminated against in Japan, he said during a recent event.Stories about the old days in Japan depicted in TV dramas and other media typically focus on samurai warriors and farmers, Miyazaki said in a lecture he delivered at the National Hansen's Disease Museum in Higashimurayama, western Tokyo.(Hayao Miyazaki, right, during a promotional event in 1997)The museum is adjacent to a 110-year-old le…READ FULL ARTICLE