The Hidden Blade
Encyclopedia
is a 2004 film, set in 1860s Japan
, directed by Yoji Yamada
. The plot revolves around several samurai
during a time of change in the ruling and class structures of Japan. The film was written by Yamada with Yoshitaka Asama and, like its predecessor The Twilight Samurai
, based on a short story by Shūhei Fujisawa
. The soundtrack is an original composition by Isao Tomita
.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, directed by Yoji Yamada
Yoji Yamada
is a Japanese film director best known for his Otoko wa Tsurai yo series of films and his Samurai Trilogy ....
. The plot revolves around several samurai
Samurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
during a time of change in the ruling and class structures of Japan. The film was written by Yamada with Yoshitaka Asama and, like its predecessor The Twilight Samurai
The Twilight Samurai
The Twilight Samurai or is a 2002 Japanese film directed by Yoji Yamada. Set in mid-19th century Japan, a few years before the Meiji Restoration, it follows the life of Seibei Iguchi, a low-ranking samurai employed as a bureaucrat. Poor, but not destitute, he still manages to lead a content and...
, based on a short story by Shūhei Fujisawa
Shuhei Fujisawa
was a Japanese author. His real name is Tomeji Kosuge . Over fifty of his books were published, including both full-length novels and short story anthologies through the course of his lifetime. The focus of his writing was historical fiction. Before he became an author, he had been a...
. The soundtrack is an original composition by Isao Tomita
Isao Tomita
, often known simply as Tomita, is a Japanese music composer, regarded as one of the pioneers of electronic music and space music, and as one of the most famous producers of analog synthesizer arrangements...
.
Cast
- Masatoshi NagaseMasatoshi NagaseMasatoshi Nagase is a Japanese actor. He is best known in the West for his roles in Friðrik Þór Friðriksson's Cold Fever and Jim Jarmusch's Mystery Train, in Japan for his role as TV's Mike Hama .He has won two Japanese Academy Awards, for Best Supporting Actor and Best Newcomer in 1992...
- Munezo Katagiri - Takako MatsuTakako Matsu, born , is a Japanese actress and pop singer/songwriter born on June 10, 1977 in Tokyo, Japan. The style of her music is often laid-back and relaxing.- Profile :* Interests: Watching movies and stage plays...
- Kie - Hidetaka YoshiokaHidetaka Yoshioka', is a Japanese actor known for his performance in several movies as a child and lately the award-winning TV drama Dr. Koto Shinryojo. He notably played the part of Tora-san's little nephew in the "Otoko wa Tsurai yo" film series, and he appeared in Akira Kurosawa's "Rhapsody in August" and...
- Samon Shimada - Yukiyoshi Ozawa - Yaichiro Hazama
- Tomoko TabataTomoko Tabata-TV:*Watashi No Aozora - Nazuna *Shinsengumi! - Kondo Tsune, Kondo Isami's wife-References:...
- Shino Katagiri - Reiko TakashimaReiko TakashimaReiko Takashima is a Japanese actress.Active in television series, movies, and commercials, her roles have included ninja in jidaigeki such as Abarembō Shōgun and Abare Hasshū Goyō Tabi, the wife Oeyo of the shogun Tokugawa Hidetada, Lady Fujitsubo in a special with characters based on The Tale of...
- Hazama's Wife - Kunie TanakaKunie Tanakais a Japanese actor who has appeared in such films as Akira Kurosawa's Sanjuro and The Bad Sleep Well and Masaki Kobayashi's Kwaidan.He has been nominated for five Japanese Academy Awards, winning the Best Supporting Actor statuette for Gakko in 1993.-Selected filmography:*Minna no Ie aka...
- Katagiri Kanbee - Chieko BaishoChieko Baishois a Japanese actress and singer.In Japan, she is well known for her performance as Sakura in the Otoko wa Tsurai yo series . In addition, she has acted in most films directed by Yōji Yamada since the 1960s...
- Mrs. Katagiri - Min TanakaMin Tanakais a Japanese actor and dancer. He won the award for best supporting actor at the 26th Japan Academy Prize for The Twilight Samurai.-Filmography:* The Twilight Samurai * The Hidden Blade * House of Himiko...
- Kansai Toda - Nenji KobayashiNenji Kobayashiis a Japanese actor. He won the award for best supporting actor at the 23rd Japan Academy Prize for Poppoya.-Filmography:* Captain Ultra * The Doberman Cop * Hokuriku Proxy War * Message from Space...
- Ogata - 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...
- Chief Retainer Hori - Hiroshi Kanbe - Naota
- Sachiko Mitsumoto - Mrs. Iseya
- Nana Saito - Kie's sister, Bun (Info. from "Feature" on Tartan DVD; see External Links below for photo.)
Awards
In addition to sixteen nominations, the film received the following awards:- Award of the Japanese Academy for "Best Art Direction" to Mitsuo Degawa and Yoshinobu Nishioka
- Hochi Film Award for "Best Actress" to Takako MatsuTakako Matsu, born , is a Japanese actress and pop singer/songwriter born on June 10, 1977 in Tokyo, Japan. The style of her music is often laid-back and relaxing.- Profile :* Interests: Watching movies and stage plays...
- Mainichi Film Concours for "Best Supporting Actress" to Tomoko TabataTomoko Tabata-TV:*Watashi No Aozora - Nazuna *Shinsengumi! - Kondo Tsune, Kondo Isami's wife-References:...