Bohachi Bushido: Code of the Forgotten Eight, directed by Japanese cult movie guru Teruo Ishii, is a deranged, over-the-top adaptation from the original manga about a privileged samurai gang in charge of recruiting women for prostitution in old Edo’s pleasure quarter. It’s a perfect match for unapologetically decadent, phantasmagorical, softcore sex and bloody, sword-swinging sadism. Fascinating, brilliant and amoral, a tour through an ancient subculture obsessed with cruel, violent death and cruel, violent sex. Tetsuro Tanba is a standout as the hardboiled mercenary swordsman caught in the middle between the sex slave business, the corrupt Shogunate and rival gangs. When he goes into action, blood sprays, and heads and limbs fly!
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In Zatoichi vs Yojimbo Zatoichi returns to his peaceful village, only to find that it has been taken over by Masagoro. When Masagoro hears Zatoichi is back, he sends Yojimbo to kill him. In their initial encounter, they both feel a grudging respect for the other… Read more…
Samurai Rebellion is a 1967 jidaigeki (period drama) directed by Masaki Kobayashi. Its original Japanese title is JÅi-uchi: HairyÅ tsuma shimatsu, which translates as Rebellion: Receive the Wife. The movie is set in the Edo period of Japan. Toshiro Mifune plays Isaburo Sasahara, a vassal of the daimyo of the Aisu clan. Read more…
The Samurai Trilogy is a film trilogy directed by Hiroshi Inagaki and starring ToshirÅ Mifune as Musashi Miyamoto and Koji Tsuruta as KojirÅ Sasaki. The films are based on the novel by Eiji Yoshikawa, about the famous duellist and author of The Book of Five Rings.
Together, they are a trilogy of epic proportions following the character growth of Musashi from brash—yet strong—young soldier to thoughtful and introspective samurai, culminating in Musashi’s duel with the greatest opponent he would ever face. Read more…
ToshirÅ Mifune (1920–97) was a Japanese actor who appeared in almost 170 feature films. He is best known for his collaboration with filmmaker Akira Kurosawa in films such as Rashomon, Seven Samurai, Throne of Blood, and Yojimbo. He is also popular for portraying Musashi Miyamoto in Hiroshi Inagaki’s Samurai Trilogy. Read more…
Shinsengumi: Assassins of Honoris a 1970 film telling the true story of the end of the Shogunate. The tragedy of the Shinsengumi is one of the best loved stories of Japanese history and has been adapted many times on stage, screen, television, and anime. This film, starring Toshirô Mifune and an all-star cast, stands out as one of the definitive adaptations of this classic tale. Read more…
Koheita (Koji Yakusho) is a samurai with such a reputation for debauchery that his nickname is “Dora-Heita” (Alley Cat), so his appointment as magistrate of the most corrupt township in all of Japan raises a few eyebrows on both sides of the law… But little does everyone know that it’s all a carefully constructed front to outwit the criminals and outfight the righteous samurai who think he’s too disgraceful to live!
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The samurai were the noble military class of ancient Japan. The samurai are believed to have existed from 10th century up until the Meiji reforms of the 19th century.
Although capable of brutal violence the samurai were also subject to a strict code of honour (Bushido), to the point of choosing ritual suicide by disembowelment in preference to disgrace. Bushido continues to influence modern Japanese society. Perhaps this explains why the samurai continue to inspire such fascination both within Japan and beyond. The samurai legend forms the basis of much great cinema. Read more…
The Hidden Fortress is a 1958 movie directed by Akira Kurosawa and starring ToshirÅ Mifune as General Rokurota Makabe and Misa Uehara as Princess Yuki. A literal translation of the Japanese title is The Three Villains of the Hidden Fortress. Read more…
Kagemusha is a 1980 film by Akira Kurosawa starring Tatsuya Nakadai and Tsutomu Yamazaki. The title (“Shadow Warrior” in Japanese) is a term used for an impersonator. It is set in the Warring States era of Japanese history and tells the story of a lower-class criminal who is taught to impersonate a dying warlord in order to dissuade opposing lords from attacking the newly vulnerable clan. Read more…
