忠臣蔵 音無しの剣

Brimming with action while incisively examining the nature of truth, "Rashomon" is perhaps the finest film ever to investigate the philosophy of justice. Through an ingenious use of camera and flashbacks, Kurosawa reveals the complexities of human nature as four people recount different versions of the story of a man's murder and the rape of his wife.

A humble page fathers a child by the daughter of a clan official and is banished. Years later, the child, now a stable boy, is reunited with his father, but feudal codes threaten their happiness. Uchida’s poignant masterpiece condemns the inflexible class system and launches an indictment of values that favor symbolic objects over human life. The film’s focus is on character rather than swordplay, and charged performances - especially child actor Motoharu Ueki - add to the emotional power.

A history drama portraying the confrontation between the indigenous Ainu people living on Japan’s northernmost main island—then called “Ezo” and now known as “Hokkaido”—and the “sisam”, the Ainu word for ethnic Japanese.

A samurai answers a village's request for protection after he falls on hard times. The town needs protection from bandits, so the samurai gathers six others to help him teach the people how to defend themselves, and the villagers provide the soldiers with food.

Bored Hatamoto film #20

Blind traveler Zatoichi is a master swordsman and a masseur with a fondness for gambling on dice games. When he arrives in a village torn apart by warring gangs, he sets out to protect the townspeople.

Set in 900AD and tells the story of a famous female writer of the time, Murasaki Shikibu. Her story begins from the death of her husband, a Japanese noble, then moves on to her recruitment to train the Prince's young 'wives in waiting'. It is dotted throughout and actually composed mainly of one of the fictional stories she wrote, the tale of Genji. Genji is a rich playboy who falls in love and has a son to his stepmother. He falls in love often and has many wives whom are all completely subservient to him.

Genichiro Okugawa is appointed as the head of accounting in a feudal domain and travels with his servant Gonsuke to the country from Edo. Along the way, they are attacked by masked samurai on a mountain road. Genichiro is saved by Sukezaemon Tsuda, the supervisor of public works who was out hunting. Upon arriving in the domain, Genichiro is given a warm welcome by the vassals, who force him to drink heavily and find his subordinates to be rebellious. His proposed fiscal reforms are met with resistance, except by Tsuda who understands Genichiro's intentions. Genichiro marries Matsuo, the daughter of a senior councilor, but soon faces accusations of corruption.

Master director Sadao Nakajima brings to life the adventures of Shohachi, a ronin (masterless samurai) searching for his father's enemy. O-Tama, the star of a light acrobatics hut in the back mountains of Asakusa, falls in love at first sight with a ronin named Shohachi who appears out of nowhere and, impressed by his skills, asks him to become the troupe's bodyguard. Shohachi, who is searching for his father's enemy Hyoto, follows the troupe on their provincial tour and finally finds him. But it seems that his enemy is quite skilled.

A chance encounter on the road leads to the unusual need for a female bodyguard to protect the granddaughter of an old friend of Akiyama Kohei, a wealthy merchant who plans to bypass his son-in-law as head of the company. When Daijiro’s wife Mifuyu takes on the job strange things start to happen, including the brutal slaughter of company employees. With the backing of Lord Tanuma, a chief elder on the ruling council, Kohei, Daijiro, and Mifuyu form a plan to foil the kidnappers plot and save the girl from certain death.

Edo is rocked by the news that a duel to the death is to be held at Takadanobaba, the famed site of a bloody revenge fought by Nakayama Yasubei, who late married into the Ako clan where he was one of the 47 ronin who took vengeance against the vile Lord Kira. This hallowed spot is to host a match between two of the finest swordsmen in Edo. Each is backed by a high ranking direct vassal of the shogun, who had bet their family heirlooms on the outcome. The loser was to commit seppuku and have his clan disbanded. Meanwhile a band of brigands are placing their bets on the fencer who had earlier killed their leader. Can retired master swordsman Akiyama Kohei keep this from becoming a major disaster?