is a 1969

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 Hel ...

manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...

series by

Takao Saito was a Japanese manga artist, although he rejected the term and considered his work gekiga. He was best known for '' Golgo 13'', which has been serialized in ''Big Comic'' since 1968, making it the oldest manga still in publication. ''Golgo ...

. It follows the adventures of three ronin - Jubei (十兵衛), Sunlight (日光), and Moonlight (月光) - who dedicate their lives to hunt down "shadows", the

ninja A or was a covert agent or mercenary in feudal Japan. The functions of a ninja included reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enem ...

spies of 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 ...

Films

The series was later adapted into two live-action films in 1972 Kage Gari and Kage Gari Hoero taiho directed by Toshio Masuda and screenplay by Kaneo Ikegami.

Kage Gari

(June 10, 1972, Runningtime 90minutes) * Yujiro Ishihara as Muroto Jubei *

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,M ...

as Niko (Sunlight) *

Mikio Narita was a Japanese actor. He was most famous for playing villains. He often worked with Kinji Fukasaku. Narita graduated from Haiyuza Theatre Company acting school and joined Daiei Film. His career as a screen actor started in 1963. His film debut ...

as Geiko (Moonlight) *

Ruriko Asaoka , born 2 July 1940 in Xinjing, Manchukuo (now Changchun, Jilin, China), is a Japanese actress. She won the Medal with Purple Ribbon (2002) and Order of the Rising Sun, 4th Class, Gold Rays with Rosette (2011). She married actor Koji Ishizaka in 1 ...

as Chitose *

Isao Tamagawa was a Japanese actor. He appeared in the Japanese film ''Branded to Kill'', as Michihiko Yabuhara: the yakuza boss that hires Hanada and seduces his wife. Upon the discovery that his diamond smuggling operation has been burgled, he employs Hanada ...

as Shouji Sukejuro *

Kōjirō Kusanagi was a Japanese actor. Biography He began acting at the Yoshi Hijikatas theatre Company after dropping out of Nihon University. Kusanagi made his film debut in 1953 in ''Yoake Mae'' directed by Kōzaburō Yoshimura. In 1956, he starred in ''Dar ...

as Jinma Senjuro *

Shinjirō Ehara was a Japanese actor. Ehara joined Toei Company and began his acting career with"Nagurikomi Nijyuohachinin shu". In 1957, he won Elan d'or Award for Newcomer of the Year. He died on 27 September 2022, aged 85. Selected filmography Film *''Jun'a ...

as Kosaka Kurando *

Tetsurō Tamba was a Japanese actor with a career spanning five decades. He is best known in the West for his role in the 1967 James Bond film '' You Only Live Twice'' as Tiger Tanaka. Biography Tamba had a part-time job as an interpreter at Supreme Commande ...

as Tanuma Ogitsugu *Shunsuke Kariya as Koroku *Ryutaro Tatsumi as Makino Zusho

Kage Gari Hoero Taihō

(October 10, 1972, Runningtime 89minutes) * Yujiro Ishihara as Muroto Jubei *

as Sunlight (日光) *

Moonlight (月光) *

as Kage Metsuke *

Mari Shiraki is a Japanese actress. She joined the Nikkatsu studio and appeared in about 100 films at Nikkatsu. Shiraki is well known for her role of Ritsu Nakamura on the ''jidaigeki'' television series '' Hissatsu''. Selected filmography Film * The Naked ...

as Osen * Junko Natsu as Shibatsuji Miya *

Yoshi Katō was a Japanese film actor. He appeared in more than 175 films between 1949 and 1988. He won the award for Best Actor at the 13th Moscow International Film Festival for his role in ''Hometown''. He married the actress Isuzu Yamada in 1950, but ...

as Michinari Shibatsuji *

Kenji Sahara Kenji Sahara (佐原健二 ''Sahara Kenji'') (born 14 May 1932) is a Japanese actor. He was born in Kawasaki City, Kanagawa. His birth name is Masayoshi Kato (加藤正好 ''Katō Masayoshi''). Initially he used the name Tadashi Ishihara befo ...

as Besho Hayato

Other adaptations

*''Kage Gari'' (Television drama in 1983) starring by

Tatsuya Nakadai is a Japanese film actor. He was featured in 11 films directed by Masaki Kobayashi, including ''The Human Condition'' trilogy, wherein he starred as the lead character Kaji, plus ''Harakiri'', ''Samurai Rebellion'' and ''Kwaidan''. Nakadai wor ...

, Directed by Akira Inoue. *''Shin Kage Gari'' (新・影狩り), a new manga series by Kenji Okamura in 2011.

References

External links

*
Saito productionIshihara Yujiro Senka
1969 manga Shogakukan manga 1972 films 1970s Japanese-language films Jidaigeki films Ninja in anime and manga Samurai in anime and manga Takao Saito Toho films 1970s Japanese films {{1970s-Japan-film-stub