Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
''
jidaigeki
is a genre of film, television, video game, and theatre in Japan. Literally meaning "period dramas", they are most often set during the Edo period of Japanese history, from 1603 to 1868. Some, however, are set much earlier—'' Portrait of H ...
'' (period drama) film directed by
Eiichi Kudo
was a Japanese film director. Kudo directed 30 films between 1956 and 1998. His notable films are '' 13 Assassins'' (1963) and '' The Great Killing'' (1964). He joined the Toei film company in 1952 and made his film director debut with ''Fukak ...
.
Plot
In 1844, the
Tokugawa shogunate
The Tokugawa shogunate (, Japanese 徳川幕府 ''Tokugawa bakufu''), also known as the , was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Tokugawa-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia ...
in Japan is in a period of transition, and one of the high ranking lords, Lord Matsudaira, has become tainted by his dissolute and reprobate misconduct. Many leaders in the governing community of the current government feel that the code of honor, bushido, of the samurai is being disgraced by Matsudaira. His reprobate, egotistical, and feckless lifestyle is disgusting to those who come into close contact with him. After receiving reports, Sir Doi is convinced that Matsudaira represents a severe threat to the entire code of honor for the samurai tradition. Sir Doi decides, because of the severity of Matsudaira's misconduct, to take a blood oath to assassinate the reprobate Lord Matsudaira. He enlists a troop of assassins to swear a similar blood oath to do away with Matsudaira in order to restore his country's wellbeing and code of honor.
Kōtarō Satomi
(born 28 November 1936) is a Japanese actor from the city of Fujinomiya, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. In 1956, he signed with Toei film company. He appears in both contemporary roles and in the historical dramas known as '' jidaigeki''.
Sele ...
as Shinrokurō Shimada
*
Ryōhei Uchida
was a Japanese ultranationalist political theorist, Pan-Asianist, and martial artist, active in the pre-war Empire of Japan.
Biography
Uchida was born in Fukuoka prefecture. He was the son of '' Shinto Muso-ryu'' practitioner Uchida Ryōgorō ...
Satomi Oka
Satomi Oka (Born September 15, 1935, in Takarazuka-Shi, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese actress. She has made over 150 films in her career, including such classics as ''Miyamoto Musashi'' and '' Akō Rōshi''.
While attending Amagasaki H ...
Shingo Yamashiro
was a Japanese television and film actor.
Biography
Yamashiro, who was originally from Kyoto, Japan, was born , but used Shingo Yamashiro as his stage name. He made his film acting debut in 1957.
Yamashiro starred in the television series '' H ...
Ryūji Kita
was a Japanese actor. He appeared in more than 280 films from 1937 to 1972.
Career
Kita started out in the film industry in the scenario department at the Shochiku studios, but moved to Nikkatsu in 1937 and made his acting debut in Tomu Uchida ...
Masao Hori
Masao (written: 正雄, 正夫, 正生, 正男, 正郎, 雅雄, 雅央, 雅夫, 雅勇, 雅男, 昌雄, 昌夫, 昌男, 昌朗, 昌郎, 昌大, 政雄, 政夫, 政男, 政於, 征夫, 優夫, 聖雄, 利生, 将雄, 将夫 or 眞男) is a masculine ...
*
Kinnosuke Takamatsu
was a Japanese actor.
Career
Born in Hakodate, Hokkaido, Takamatsu acted in shinpa theater before joining Makino Film Productions in 1924. He left the studio in 1926 and joined director Teinosuke Kinugasa in the independent production of the av ...
Kanjūrō Arashi
was a Japanese film actor. His nickname was "Arakan." He is famous for playing the role of '' Kurama Tengu'' sereies. He entered the film industry in 1927 and came to fame playing Kurama Tengu, a character in the Bakumatsu era created by Jirō ...
as Saheita Kuranaga
*
Kō Nishimura
was a Japanese actor who appeared in supporting roles in such films as Akira Kurosawa's ''The Bad Sleep Well'' and '' Yojimbo'', Kihachi Okamoto's ''Sword of Doom'', Yoshitaro Nomura's ''Zero Focus'', and Kon Ichikawa's '' The Burmese Harp'' ( ...
Isao Natsuyagi
was a Japanese film actor. He appeared in more than 100 films from 1963 to 2013.
Career
In 1960, Natsuyagi began attending the Bungakuza actors school while attending Keio University. He eventually left Keio before graduating and entered the Ha ...
(uncredited)
Remake
The film was remade in 2010 by
Takashi Miike
is a Japanese film director, film producer and screenwriter. He has directed over one hundred theatrical, video, and television productions since his debut in 1991. His films run through a variety of different genres, and range from violent a ...
. The remake was met with critical acclaim. BFI, in an assessment of the top ten samurai films, compared the remake of the film to the original version stating: "Set in 1844, ''13 Assassins'' follows the '' Seven Samurai'' template, featuring a band of samurais who come together to overthrow a despotic lord for the greater good of society. Miike’s version benefits from a far more generous budget, with a wonderful attention to period sets and costumes and some inventively choreographed fight scenes."'10 great samurai films' by Jasper Shar 18 May 2016. BFI Film Review.