Samurai Reincarnation
Encyclopedia
Samurai Reincarnation is a 1981 film directed by Kinji Fukasaku
and starring Sonny Chiba
. The film was based on the novel Makai Tensho
.
The film was nominated for three 'Awards of the Japanese Academy' of which it won two. Hiroyuki Sanada
won best newcomer of the year and Tokumichi Igawa and Yoshikazu Sano took the award for best art direction. The film was nominated for best sound, however did not win the award.
, Shiro Amakusa renounces the God who he feels abandoned them, and bargains his soul to the forces of darkness for the power to take his revenge. He gains the power to resurrect the dead, and begins with Hosokawa, the wife of a samurai who mocked her for her chastity and then left her to die during the invasion. Shiro restores her beauty in exchange for her loyalty. Next, they travel to the cave of legendary swordsman Miyamoto Musashi
, who regrets that he neglected his lovely wife to find more opponents to duel, and that his advanced age prevents him from challenging the one rival he considered worthy to test his technique. He initially resists the pair, but suffers a heart attack and agrees to join them. During this exchange, his cave is visited by Yagyu Jubei, son of a samurai master and a powerful swordsman in his own right. Jubei rushes to Musashi's aid only to find an empty suit of armor. The unholy trio then encounter Inshun, a Buddhist monk who is plagued with terrible fantasies of sex and death. Hosokawa taunts him with the failings of his monastic teachings, and he commits suicide in despair, becoming one of Shiro's undead in the process.
At a local Iga ninja village, young Kirimaru is excited to learn that Jubei is on his way. However, before he can arrive, their Tokugawa controlled rivals the Koga ninja ambush the village with flaming arrows, killing everyone except Kirimaru. He fights his way through the forest against a female ninja, and is mortally wounded, but the female ninja is assaulted by Inshun. The rest of the Koga attack, but are quickly dispatched by the undead warriors. A dying Kirimaru is tenderly offered resurrection by Shiro, and he accepts. Jubei returns to the village to find it in shambles, and goes looking for Kirimaru. He encounters the undead battalion, now on horseback, and they taunt him before leaving, promising to meet again.
In a remote shrine, Shiro chants a ritual curse to wither Tokugawa's crops. The curse succeeds, and a desperate mob petition the magistrate to lift their yearly tax in light of their situation, but his samurai attempt to drive the mob away. Kirimaru comes through the forest to find a young girl mourning the loss of her parents; her father was killed by one of the magistrate's men during the protest. He offers her a flower for their grave, but is overcome by remorse as she sings for them. Meanwhile, Jubei approaches the secluded mountain home of the legendary sword maker Muramasa
. He is shocked to learn that his father, Yagyu Tajima, recently approached Muramasa to commission a sword that would not only cut human flesh, but demonic spirits as well. Jubei wishes a similar sword as well, since Muramasa was exiled by his master Masamune due to his evil nature, and only a truly evil sword can defeat an evil demon. However, Muramasa's daughter Otsu claims that making the sword for Jubei's father has considerably weakened the smith. Muramasa reveals that Otsu is actually the daughter of Musashi's neglected wife who he has adopted as his own. Jubei tells them that he wants the sword to fight against Musashi and the rest of the demons. Just then, the ground begins to tremble as the undead Musashi approaches. Jubei bars the door, and Musashi begins to fight his way in until Otsu plays a haunting tune on her flute. Musashi recognizes the tune and staggers off confused.
Muramasa agrees to make the most evil blade ever to help Jubei defeat the demons, and they begin construction. The villagers are approached by the Shogun's men, who read a proclamation that Tokugawa himself is coming for a lavish hunting party, and expects a high tribute in gold or servitude, nearly inciting a riot among the peasants. Shiro encounters a confused Kirimaru at the shrine, and encourages him to seduce the young girl he met, and to sacrifice her to their dark gods in order to shed his youthful turmoil. He attempts to force himself on the girl by a river, but finds he cannot go through with it. After she runs off, Jubei appears and confronts Kirimaru, who begs Jubei to kill him and put him out of his torment. Jubei draws his sword, however after hearing Kirimaru singing the same song the girl did, he tells Kirimaru that he is also a swordsman and thus his destiny is to fight. If he fights with all his ability and one day feels defeated by his own darkness, only then will Jubei release him. Jubei returns to Muramasa to continue work on his sword.
During the Shogun's hunt, a number of villagers run through the field to present him with a written complaint about the taxes. Hosokawa uses her dark magic to convince Tokugawa and the elder Yagyu that the villagers are actually large deer, and they shoot the peasants down with arrows. Later, the peasant bodies have been crucified on a hill for all the village to see, and the people begin praying loudly and clacking stones together in mourning. Muramasa completes his greatest blade ever, and after telling Jubei "If you encounter God, God will be cut" he collapses dead. As the villagers' uneasy vigil extends into the night, Shiro possesses a local woman to tell the crowd that they can lift the curse by burning Tokugawa's men and spreading the ashes. He causes the bodies to glow, which finally incites the crowd to riot, tearing down the fence and charging the samurai on the hill. They cut down as many peasants as they can but are overwhelmed and killed. Shiro rides up and gives the crowd the magistrate's head on a pole, and incite them to ride to Edo and overthrow the Shogun.
As the peasants march, Kirimaru attempts to escape with his girl, but is blocked by Shiro, who reveals Kirimaru's demonic nature. He tries to battle Shiro using his ninja training, but Shiro overcomes him with a magical whip that transforms into a flock of birds that strangle him. Jubei prepares to place Muramasa's body on a funeral pyre, when the girl brings him Kirimaru's body as well. Before they can act, Musashi approaches and challenges Jubei to meet him on an island at sunrise for a duel. He accepts, much to Otsu's chagrin, and declares it to be "the way of the sword". The following morning, he heads to the beach to battle Musashi, who claims not to be swayed a second time by Otsu's flute. The two masters engage each other on the surf as Otsu plays a frenetic tune, until Jubei finally splits Musashi's scabbard and face in half before impaling him through the heart. Musashi's lifeless body drifts out in the tide.
As the peasants' furious uprising is advancing on the capital, the Shogun's advisors speculate on the future of the Empire. The dying Yagyu Tajima is approached by Shiro about his son Jubei's impending arrival and yields to Shiro's dark influence. Revived from death by Shiro, Tajima begins killing the members of the castle. Meanwhile, Hosokawa has called out the name of her husband in her sleep, prompting a fit of jealously from her new lover Tadoki. In the struggle, a lamp is knocked over and sets the room on fire. She freaks out, drawing a weapon and running through the castle declaring that she will not be abandoned again. She begins attacking retainers, encountering Tajima who also attacks. With the building ablaze, and Hosokawa and Tajima on a killing rampage, the whole castle is thrown into chaos. Tajima kills many men and dares his son to come fight him before the flames die down.
Upstairs, Hosokawa has Tadoki hostage in the fire, and Shiro reveals himself as the leader of the "Christian Believers". He condemns Tadoki to burn in agony as the Christians did. An insane Hosokawa promises to never leave his side, clutching him as they both fall into the fire. As the castle collapses, Tajima is confronted by Jubei, who has covered his body with Buddhist prayer symbols and chastises his father for obsessing only on his swordplay to the point of coming back from hell to fight his own son. The two begin to duel, during which Jubei loses his eyepatch; although his sword is broken, he disarms his father and kills him. Shiro appears and offers to let Jubei join him; Jubei declines and vows to set his father and Kirimaru's souls at peace. After a brief fight, Jubei decapitates Shiro; although this does not kill him, his body catches his head and promises to return as long as humans have evil in their heart before melting into the flames.
Kinji Fukasaku
was a Japanese film actor, screenwriter, and best known as a celebrated and innovative filmmaker. He was born in Mito, Ibaraki, Japan, and died in Tokyo, from prostate cancer...
and starring Sonny Chiba
Sonny Chiba
, also known as Sonny Chiba, is a Japanese actor, singer, film producer, film director and martial artist.Chiba was one of the first actors to achieve stardom through his skills in martial arts, initially in Japan and later before an international audience.- Early life :Born in Fukuoka, Fukuoka,...
. The film was based on the novel Makai Tensho
Makai Tensho
is a novel by Futaro Yamada.It is a tale of historical fiction in which Mori Sōiken resurrects other dead historical figures to overthrow the Shogunate. Yagyū Jūbei Mitsuyoshi rises to fight Amakusa and his warriors of the dead...
.
The film was nominated for three 'Awards of the Japanese Academy' of which it won two. Hiroyuki Sanada
Hiroyuki Sanada
is a Japanese actor.-Life and career:Sanada was born in Tokyo. Originally aiming to be an action star, starting with shorinji kempo, he eventually took up Kyokushin kaikan Sanada began training at age 11 with actor and martial arts star Sonny Chiba's Japan Action Club where he developed good...
won best newcomer of the year and Tokumichi Igawa and Yoshikazu Sano took the award for best art direction. The film was nominated for best sound, however did not win the award.
Plot
Following the massacre of many thousands of Christians by soldiers of the Tokugawa Empire after the Shimabara RebellionShimabara Rebellion
The was an uprising largely involving Japanese peasants, most of them Catholic Christians, in 1637–1638 during the Edo period.It was one of only a handful of instances of serious unrest during the relatively peaceful period of the Tokugawa shogunate's rule...
, Shiro Amakusa renounces the God who he feels abandoned them, and bargains his soul to the forces of darkness for the power to take his revenge. He gains the power to resurrect the dead, and begins with Hosokawa, the wife of a samurai who mocked her for her chastity and then left her to die during the invasion. Shiro restores her beauty in exchange for her loyalty. Next, they travel to the cave of legendary swordsman Miyamoto Musashi
Miyamoto Musashi
, also known as Shinmen Takezō, Miyamoto Bennosuke or, by his Buddhist name, Niten Dōraku, was a Japanese swordsman and rōnin. Musashi, as he was often simply known, became renowned through stories of his excellent swordsmanship in numerous duels, even from a very young age...
, who regrets that he neglected his lovely wife to find more opponents to duel, and that his advanced age prevents him from challenging the one rival he considered worthy to test his technique. He initially resists the pair, but suffers a heart attack and agrees to join them. During this exchange, his cave is visited by Yagyu Jubei, son of a samurai master and a powerful swordsman in his own right. Jubei rushes to Musashi's aid only to find an empty suit of armor. The unholy trio then encounter Inshun, a Buddhist monk who is plagued with terrible fantasies of sex and death. Hosokawa taunts him with the failings of his monastic teachings, and he commits suicide in despair, becoming one of Shiro's undead in the process.
At a local Iga ninja village, young Kirimaru is excited to learn that Jubei is on his way. However, before he can arrive, their Tokugawa controlled rivals the Koga ninja ambush the village with flaming arrows, killing everyone except Kirimaru. He fights his way through the forest against a female ninja, and is mortally wounded, but the female ninja is assaulted by Inshun. The rest of the Koga attack, but are quickly dispatched by the undead warriors. A dying Kirimaru is tenderly offered resurrection by Shiro, and he accepts. Jubei returns to the village to find it in shambles, and goes looking for Kirimaru. He encounters the undead battalion, now on horseback, and they taunt him before leaving, promising to meet again.
In a remote shrine, Shiro chants a ritual curse to wither Tokugawa's crops. The curse succeeds, and a desperate mob petition the magistrate to lift their yearly tax in light of their situation, but his samurai attempt to drive the mob away. Kirimaru comes through the forest to find a young girl mourning the loss of her parents; her father was killed by one of the magistrate's men during the protest. He offers her a flower for their grave, but is overcome by remorse as she sings for them. Meanwhile, Jubei approaches the secluded mountain home of the legendary sword maker Muramasa
Muramasa
Muramasa Sengo was a famous swordsmith who founded the Muramasa school and lived during the Muromachi period in Japan...
. He is shocked to learn that his father, Yagyu Tajima, recently approached Muramasa to commission a sword that would not only cut human flesh, but demonic spirits as well. Jubei wishes a similar sword as well, since Muramasa was exiled by his master Masamune due to his evil nature, and only a truly evil sword can defeat an evil demon. However, Muramasa's daughter Otsu claims that making the sword for Jubei's father has considerably weakened the smith. Muramasa reveals that Otsu is actually the daughter of Musashi's neglected wife who he has adopted as his own. Jubei tells them that he wants the sword to fight against Musashi and the rest of the demons. Just then, the ground begins to tremble as the undead Musashi approaches. Jubei bars the door, and Musashi begins to fight his way in until Otsu plays a haunting tune on her flute. Musashi recognizes the tune and staggers off confused.
Muramasa agrees to make the most evil blade ever to help Jubei defeat the demons, and they begin construction. The villagers are approached by the Shogun's men, who read a proclamation that Tokugawa himself is coming for a lavish hunting party, and expects a high tribute in gold or servitude, nearly inciting a riot among the peasants. Shiro encounters a confused Kirimaru at the shrine, and encourages him to seduce the young girl he met, and to sacrifice her to their dark gods in order to shed his youthful turmoil. He attempts to force himself on the girl by a river, but finds he cannot go through with it. After she runs off, Jubei appears and confronts Kirimaru, who begs Jubei to kill him and put him out of his torment. Jubei draws his sword, however after hearing Kirimaru singing the same song the girl did, he tells Kirimaru that he is also a swordsman and thus his destiny is to fight. If he fights with all his ability and one day feels defeated by his own darkness, only then will Jubei release him. Jubei returns to Muramasa to continue work on his sword.
During the Shogun's hunt, a number of villagers run through the field to present him with a written complaint about the taxes. Hosokawa uses her dark magic to convince Tokugawa and the elder Yagyu that the villagers are actually large deer, and they shoot the peasants down with arrows. Later, the peasant bodies have been crucified on a hill for all the village to see, and the people begin praying loudly and clacking stones together in mourning. Muramasa completes his greatest blade ever, and after telling Jubei "If you encounter God, God will be cut" he collapses dead. As the villagers' uneasy vigil extends into the night, Shiro possesses a local woman to tell the crowd that they can lift the curse by burning Tokugawa's men and spreading the ashes. He causes the bodies to glow, which finally incites the crowd to riot, tearing down the fence and charging the samurai on the hill. They cut down as many peasants as they can but are overwhelmed and killed. Shiro rides up and gives the crowd the magistrate's head on a pole, and incite them to ride to Edo and overthrow the Shogun.
As the peasants march, Kirimaru attempts to escape with his girl, but is blocked by Shiro, who reveals Kirimaru's demonic nature. He tries to battle Shiro using his ninja training, but Shiro overcomes him with a magical whip that transforms into a flock of birds that strangle him. Jubei prepares to place Muramasa's body on a funeral pyre, when the girl brings him Kirimaru's body as well. Before they can act, Musashi approaches and challenges Jubei to meet him on an island at sunrise for a duel. He accepts, much to Otsu's chagrin, and declares it to be "the way of the sword". The following morning, he heads to the beach to battle Musashi, who claims not to be swayed a second time by Otsu's flute. The two masters engage each other on the surf as Otsu plays a frenetic tune, until Jubei finally splits Musashi's scabbard and face in half before impaling him through the heart. Musashi's lifeless body drifts out in the tide.
As the peasants' furious uprising is advancing on the capital, the Shogun's advisors speculate on the future of the Empire. The dying Yagyu Tajima is approached by Shiro about his son Jubei's impending arrival and yields to Shiro's dark influence. Revived from death by Shiro, Tajima begins killing the members of the castle. Meanwhile, Hosokawa has called out the name of her husband in her sleep, prompting a fit of jealously from her new lover Tadoki. In the struggle, a lamp is knocked over and sets the room on fire. She freaks out, drawing a weapon and running through the castle declaring that she will not be abandoned again. She begins attacking retainers, encountering Tajima who also attacks. With the building ablaze, and Hosokawa and Tajima on a killing rampage, the whole castle is thrown into chaos. Tajima kills many men and dares his son to come fight him before the flames die down.
Upstairs, Hosokawa has Tadoki hostage in the fire, and Shiro reveals himself as the leader of the "Christian Believers". He condemns Tadoki to burn in agony as the Christians did. An insane Hosokawa promises to never leave his side, clutching him as they both fall into the fire. As the castle collapses, Tajima is confronted by Jubei, who has covered his body with Buddhist prayer symbols and chastises his father for obsessing only on his swordplay to the point of coming back from hell to fight his own son. The two begin to duel, during which Jubei loses his eyepatch; although his sword is broken, he disarms his father and kills him. Shiro appears and offers to let Jubei join him; Jubei declines and vows to set his father and Kirimaru's souls at peace. After a brief fight, Jubei decapitates Shiro; although this does not kill him, his body catches his head and promises to return as long as humans have evil in their heart before melting into the flames.
Cast
- Sonny ChibaSonny Chiba, also known as Sonny Chiba, is a Japanese actor, singer, film producer, film director and martial artist.Chiba was one of the first actors to achieve stardom through his skills in martial arts, initially in Japan and later before an international audience.- Early life :Born in Fukuoka, Fukuoka,...
as Yagyū Jūbei MitsuyoshiYagyū Jūbei MitsuyoshiYagyū Jūbei Mitsuyoshi is one of the most famous and romanticized of the samurai in Japan's feudal era.Very little is known about the actual life of Yagyū Mitsuyoshi as the official records of his life are very sparse. Yagyū Jūbei Mitsuyoshi grew up in his family's ancestral lands, Yagyū no Sato,... - Kenji SawadaKenji Sawada, nicknamed "Julie" , also-known as vocalist for the Japanese rock band The Tigers, is a Japanese singer, composer, lyricist and actor. He was born in Tsunoi, Iwami , Tottori Prefecture, Japan, and raised in Sakyo-ku, Kyoto at age 3...
as Amakusa ShiroAmakusa Shiroalso known as was the teenage leader of the Shimabara Rebellion.- Biography :The son of former Konishi clan retainer , Shirō was born in modern-day Kami-Amakusa, Kumamoto in a Catholic family... - Tomisaburo WakayamaTomisaburo Wakayama, born Masaru Okumura, was a Japanese actor, best known for playing Ogami Ittō, the scowling, 17th century ronin warrior in the six Lone Wolf and Cub samurai movies.-Biography:...
as Yagyū Tajimanokami MunenoriYagyu Munenoriwas a Japanese swordsman, founder of the Edo branch of Yagyū Shinkage-ryū, which he learned from his father Yagyū "Sekishusai" Muneyoshi. This was one of two official sword styles patronized by the Tokugawa Shogunate... - Ken OgataKen OgataKen Ogata was a Japanese actor.Ogata was born in Tokyo, Japan. Ogata is well known for his roles in Peter Greenaway's The Pillow Book, Paul Schrader's Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters and Shohei Imamura's The Ballad of Narayama...
as Miyamoto MusashiMiyamoto Musashi, also known as Shinmen Takezō, Miyamoto Bennosuke or, by his Buddhist name, Niten Dōraku, was a Japanese swordsman and rōnin. Musashi, as he was often simply known, became renowned through stories of his excellent swordsmanship in numerous duels, even from a very young age... - Akiko Kana as Hosokawa GraciaHosokawa Gracia', usually referred to as ', was a Christian convert, a daughter of Akechi Mitsuhide and the wife of Hosokawa Tadaoki....
- Hideo Murota as Priest Inshun Hozoin
- Hiroyuki SanadaHiroyuki Sanadais a Japanese actor.-Life and career:Sanada was born in Tokyo. Originally aiming to be an action star, starting with shorinji kempo, he eventually took up Kyokushin kaikan Sanada began training at age 11 with actor and martial arts star Sonny Chiba's Japan Action Club where he developed good...
as Iga no Kirimaru - Tetsuro TambaTetsuro Tambawas a Japanese actor.-Biography:Tamba is perhaps best known by Western audiences for his role as Tiger Tanaka in the 1967 James Bond film You Only Live Twice . By then, he had among other roles appeared in two films by director Masaki Kobayashi: Harakiri and Kwaidan...
as MuramasaMuramasaMuramasa Sengo was a famous swordsmith who founded the Muramasa school and lived during the Muromachi period in Japan... - Mikio Narita as Izumori Matsudaira NobutsunaMatsudaira Nobutsunawas a Japanese daimyo of the early Edo period, who ruled the Kawagoe Domain. First serving Tokugawa Iemitsu as a page, Nobutsuna was renowned for his sagacity. He was named a rōjū in 1633. Nobutsuna led the shogunal forces to their final victory over the rebellion at Shimabara...
- Noboru Matsuhashi as Ietsuna Tokugawa, Hosokawa TadaokiHosokawa Tadaokiwas the eldest son of Hosokawa Fujitaka. He fought in his first battle at the age of 15. In that battle, he was in the service of Oda Nobunaga. He was given the Province of Tango in 1580. Soon after that, he married Hosokawa Gracia, the daughter of Akechi Mitsuhide. In 1582, Akechi Mitsuhide...
- Jun Ōba as Yagyu Samon Tomonori
- Etsuo Shima as Yagyū Matajūrō MunefuyuYagyu Munefuyuwas a daimyo and a teacher of kenjutsu and military strategy in Japan during the Edo period. His highest-ranking pupil was Tokugawa Ietsuna, fourth Tokugawa shogun. Munefuyu was the third son of Yagyū Munenori. One of his elder brothers was Yagyū Jūbei Mitsuyoshi...
- Masataka Naruse as Genjuro Koga
- Asao Uchida as Sakai Utanokami TadayoSakai Tadayowas a Japanese daimyo of the Sengoku period, and high ranking government advisor, holding the title of Rōjū, and later Tairō.The son of Sakai Shigetada, Tadayo was born in Nishio, Mikawa Province; his childhood name was Manchiyo. He became a trusted elder in Toyotomi Hideyoshi's government,...
- Haruki KadokawaHaruki Kadokawais a Japanese publisher, film producer, director and screenwriter. He was the son of Genyoshi Kadokawa and inherited the position of president of the publishing house Kadokawa Shoten in 1975. Under his guidance, the company soon branched into film production, and by 1994 Kadokawa had produced close...
as Itakura Naizennokami ShigemasaItakura Shigemasawas a Japanese daimyo of the early Edo period. The lord of Fukōzu han in Mikawa Province, he was a personal aide to Tokugawa Ieyasu. Son of the Kyoto Shoshidai Itakura Katsushige, and younger brother of Itakura Shigemune .... - Gōzō Sōma as Abe Bungonokami TadaakiAbe Tadaakiwas a high-ranking government official in Japan under Tokugawa Iemitsu and Ietsuna, the third and fourth Tokugawa Shogun. Daimyo of the Oshi Domain in modern-day Saitama prefecture, with an income of 80,000 koku , Abe was appointed wakadoshiyori in 1633, and rōjū shortly afterwards.Iemitsu died...
- Sen Okamichi as Hotta Bichunokami MasamoriHotta Masamori, Japanese daimyo of the early Edo period who was a key figure in the early decades of the Tokugawa shogunate.-Origins:The rise of Hotta Masamori through the ranks of the Tokugawa shogunate is a rather miraculous one; his family had a very short history with the Tokugawa family prior to his father...
- Masataka Kobayashi as Toda Ujikane
- Saburo Hayashi as Mizuno KatsushigeMizuno Katsushigewas a daimyo during the late Sengoku Period of Feudal Japan.The son of Mizuno Tadashige, he had in his younger years served Sasa Narimasa, for whom he fought in Toyotomi Hideyoshi's Kyushu Campaign in 1587, Kato Kiyomasa, Konishi Yukinaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu, for whom he fought in in the Siege of...
- Hideo Nakae as Hosokawa TadatoshiHosokawa Tadatoshiwas a Japanese daimyo of the early Edo period, who ruled the Kumamoto Domain. He was a patron of the martial artist Miyamoto Musashi.Tadatoshi's grave is in Kumamoto. His Grandfather was Hosokawa Fujitaka-Gallery:...
- Hideo Shimada as Tachibana Muneshige
- Shintarō Mibu as Nabeshima KatsushigeNabeshima Katsushige' was a Japanese daimyo of the early Edo period. Born to Nabeshima Naoshige, he became lord of Saga-han.-Biography:...
- Mizuho Suzuki as Ogasawara Hōmyō Hidekiyo
- Shigerō Shiroi as Sasaki KojirōSasaki Kojirowas a prominent Japanese swordsman widely considered as a Kensei, born in Fukui Prefecture. He lived during the Sengoku and early Edo periods and is most remembered for his death while battling Miyamoto Musashi in 1612.-History:...
- Naoko Kubo as Yajima no Tsubone
- Kinji Nakamura as Ishida Kazusanokami
- Kenji Kawai as Kamio Bizennokami
- Kōjirō Kawanami as Matsudaira Hayatonoshō
- Yasuhiro Suzuki as Tomita Shuzen
- Masaharu Arikawa as Izaki Heinai
- Masataka Iwao as Yasui Tōbei
- Jun Hamamura as Shigesaemon
- Ryuko Azuma as Shigesaemon's wife
- Hiroshi Inuzuka as Sōgorō
- Katsutoshi Akiyama as Yohei
- Takashi Noguchi as Hikosaku
- Kōjirō Shirakawa as Yonejuro
- Noboru Umezawa as Iga Elder
- Noboru Mitani as Traveling Monk
- Kayoko Shiraishi as (Voice)
- Ai Kanzaki as Otsū
- Yuko Kikuchi as Okō
- Yuko Asuka as Koga Kunoichi
- Chu Takatsuki as Peasant
- Shigeki Nakajima as Peasant
- Akira Akabane as Peasant
- Takaaki Yoshizawa as Peasant
- Zhèng Pú-Líng as Peasant
- Mineko Maruhira as Peasant
- Aoi Nakajima as Peasant Girl
- Carlotta Ikeda as Ghost
- Takeshige Hatanaka as Samurai
- Seizo FukumotoSeizo Fukumotois a Japanese actor.Born February 3, 1943, he entered acting at age 15 in Kyoto, the capital of Japanese cinema. A specialist in film and television jidaigeki set in the Edo period, he most often plays a ronin, but in his hundreds of appearances he has taken nearly every role. His forte is...
as Koga Ninja - Ken Mikata as NohNoh, or - derived from the Sino-Japanese word for "skill" or "talent" - is a major form of classical Japanese musical drama that has been performed since the 14th century. Many characters are masked, with men playing male and female roles. Traditionally, a Noh "performance day" lasts all day and...
Shite - Madoka Mikata as NohNoh, or - derived from the Sino-Japanese word for "skill" or "talent" - is a major form of classical Japanese musical drama that has been performed since the 14th century. Many characters are masked, with men playing male and female roles. Traditionally, a Noh "performance day" lasts all day and...
Kokata - Sojiro Tanida as NohNoh, or - derived from the Sino-Japanese word for "skill" or "talent" - is a major form of classical Japanese musical drama that has been performed since the 14th century. Many characters are masked, with men playing male and female roles. Traditionally, a Noh "performance day" lasts all day and...
Waki - Akira Shigeyama as NohNoh, or - derived from the Sino-Japanese word for "skill" or "talent" - is a major form of classical Japanese musical drama that has been performed since the 14th century. Many characters are masked, with men playing male and female roles. Traditionally, a Noh "performance day" lasts all day and...
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Credits
- Produced by Haruki KadokawaHaruki Kadokawais a Japanese publisher, film producer, director and screenwriter. He was the son of Genyoshi Kadokawa and inherited the position of president of the publishing house Kadokawa Shoten in 1975. Under his guidance, the company soon branched into film production, and by 1994 Kadokawa had produced close...
(executive producer) - Original Music by: Hozan YamamotoHozan YamamotoHōzan Yamamoto is a Japanese shakuhachi player, composer and lecturer....
- Cinematography by: Kiyoshi Hasegawa
- Film Editing by: Isamu Ichida
- Production Design by: Yoshikazu Sano
- Art Direction by: Tokumichi Igawa
- Sound Department: Shigeji Nakayama (sound recordist)
Trivia
- The showdown between Yagyu Jubei and Musashi Miyamoto occurs in a location used a year before in the Fukasaku film Virus.
- Original American Release on home video deleted much of the middle of the movie reducing the running time from 122 minutes to 88 minutes and eliminating many important plot points such as the introduction of Jubei's Father.