Ronin gai (1990)

Ronin gai had been one of Japan's most popular silent films when Masahiro Makino made it in 1928,* so it comes as no surprise that he remade it with sound in 1939 and again in 1957. In 1990, Shochiku decided to make it again, supposedly to honor the 60th year of the death of Makino's …

Shogun’s Shadow / Shogun Iemitsu no ranshin – Gekitotsu (1988)

While the chanbara was relatively rare in the eighties, examples were still being made, usually with a spectacle that TV chanbara budgets could not match. In Shogun's Shadow, the spectacle is something we have not seen in most earlier Japanese movies, chanbara or otherwise – stunt work. With the flimsiest of possible ties to history, …

To Sleep So As To Dream / Yumemiru yoni nemuritai (1986)

An old woman in a dark room watches a silent movie in which a black masked hero tries to rescue the beautiful Princess, but the last reel is missing. She calls the detective Uotsuka to find the kidnapped Bellflower, sending her faithful servant with the ransom money and a taped message that uses a riddle …

The Love and Adventures of Kuroki Taro / Kuroki Taro to ai no boken (1977)

Kuroki Taro is a stuntman, something of a rarity in Japanese movies.* However, we only see him do one kind of stunt, car races and wrecks, at the very beginning of the movie. The “Love and Adventures” all occur far from the movie set. Juichi and his two buddies are introduced to us on a …

Blazing Sword / Moeyo ken (1966)

Though I have been trying to keep in a rough chronological order in the movies I post about, every now and then I need a swordplay fix. Unfortunately for that plan, during the eighties, the chanbara moved almost completely to television. Thus, when one of my regular readers suggested I look at Moeyo ken from …

Death Shadow / Jittemai (1986)

Although it became much more rare in the eighties, the chanbara did not completely disappear from the big screen. Nevertheless, Hideo Gosha’s Death Shadow would be a peculiar example in any era. There are plenty of sword battles to satisfy the most demanding genre fan, but the principal conflict is between two women. Of course, …

Legend of the Eight Samurai / Satomi hakkenden (1983)

One of the most popular novels of 19th century Japan was the sprawling, episodic fantasy Nanso Satomi Hakkenden written over a period of thirty years by Bakin. It had been adapted to stage, film, and TV several times, so it is no particular surprise that Toei and Kadokawa decided it was time for another version …

One-Eyed, One-Armed Swordsman / Tange Sazen: Zankoku no kawa (1963)

In 1962, Ryutaro Otomo made the last of his popular Tange Sazen films, but it was hardly the last screen appearance of the character. In 1963, Shochiku decided to try a new version with Tetsuro Tanba. Reflecting some of the sixties zeitgeist that was spreading throughout the chanbara as a whole, Zankoku no kawa is …

Flames of Blood / Hono-o no gotoku (1981)

Tai Kato’s last fiction movie, Flames of Blood takes us once again into the world of the Shinsengumi, but from the viewpoint of a complete outsider. Kato continued to make documentaries, so the movie was not an intentional farewell, but it is hard not to see the movie as a summation of Kato’s style and …

Swords of Vengeance / The Fall of Ako Castle / Ako-jo danzetsu (1978)

There have been so many Chushingura movies that it is very difficult to keep them apart in your mind, and equally tempting not to add another to the list of viewings of the all-too-familiar story. However, the name of Kinji Fukasaku on the credits finally persuaded me to watch Fall of Ako Castle, which turns …