is a 1962 Japanese

chambara , also commonly spelled "''chambara''", meaning "sword fighting" films,Hill (2002). denotes the Japanese film genre called samurai cinema in English and is roughly equivalent to Western and swashbuckler films. ''Chanbara'' is a sub-category of ...

film directed by

Kenji Misumi (2 March 1921 – 24 September 1975) was a Japanese film director. He created film series such as ''Lone Wolf and Cub'' and the initial film in the long-running ''Zatoichi'' series, and also directed ''Hanzo the Razor: Sword of Justice'', starri ...

starring Raizo Ichikawa and written by

Kaneto Shindo was a Japanese film director, screenwriter, film producer, and writer, who directed 48 films and wrote scripts for 238. His best known films as a director include '' Children of Hiroshima'', '' The Naked Island'', '' Onibaba'', '' Kuroneko'' a ...

, released by

Daiei Film Daiei Film Co. Ltd. ( Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ''Daiei Eiga Kabushiki Kaisha'') was a Japanese film studio. Founded in 1942 as Dai Nippon Film Co., Ltd., it was one of the major studios during the postwar Golden Age of Japanese cinema, produci ...

. The film is based on one of the novels in the series of Nemuri Kyoshirō, written by

Renzaburō Shibata was a Japanese author and Sinologist. He graduated from Keio University and won the Naoki Prize in 1951 for ''Iesu no Ei'' (lit. ''Descendant of Jesus''). He is famous for ''Nemuri Kyōshirō'', a series of ''jidaigeki'' novels. He also publish ...

Plot

The film opens with

Shiho Fujimura Shiho Fujimura (藤村志保 ''Fujimura Shiho'', 3 January 1939 – 12 June 2025) was a Japanese actress. She was given a Special Prize for her career at the 2008 Yokohama Film Festival. Fujimura died on 12 June 2025, at the age of 86. Filmogr ...

as a female

assassin Assassination is the willful killing, by a sudden, secret, or planned attack, of a personespecially if prominent or important. It may be prompted by political, ideological, religious, financial, or military motives. Assassinations are orde ...

, seeking to kill her lord's mistress for what she sees as the good of her clan. She succeeds, but is punished for her act. She is sentenced to death, but it is her husband ( Shigeru Amachi) who executes her. Attempting to deal with the guilt of his action, he becomes a

monk A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...

and sends their son Shingo ( Raizo Ichikawa) to be fostered by another family. The rest of the film follows the young boy as he grows to become a skilled

swordsman Swordsmanship or sword fighting refers to the skills and techniques used in combat and training with any type of sword. The term is modern, and as such was mainly used to refer to smallsword fencing, but by extension it can also be applied to a ...

. Not knowing much of his true past, Shingo sets out on a three-year journey at the age of 20 as a means of self-discovery. At the end of his journey, he returns home with an incredibly defined and near unbeatable sword style and develops an intimidating presence. He gains notoriety for his skills, but this spurs jealousy and betrayal and his foster family is wiped out by their neighbors. As his foster father dies in Shingo's arms, he passes on the information about his birth. Shingo then sets off to find his father, the monk who killed his mother. When they meet, his father shows him her grave and tells the story from his side, about his mother's execution and the father's life of dedicated solitude that has followed. After leaving his father, Shingo finds employment using his sword skills as the bodyguard of a Shogunate official. Over three years of service, the two develop a father and son relationship. When a local

daimyo were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and nominally to ...

cannot quell a rebellion in his fief, the official must travel there and admonish the daimyo. While in his palace, the official is tricked and assassinated. Realizing that he has failed, Shingo commits

seppuku , also known as , is a form of Japanese ritualistic suicide by disembowelment. It was originally reserved for samurai in their code of honor, but was also practiced by other Japanese people during the Shōwa era (particularly officers near ...

over his master's corpse.

Cast

* Raizo Ichikawa as Takakura Shingo * Masayo Banri * Junichiro Narita *

* Shigeru Amachi * Mayumi Nagisa * Matasaburo Tanba * Teru Tomota *

Eijirō Yanagi (16 September 1895 – 24 April 1984) was a Japanese stage and film actor. He appeared in more than 160 films from 1940 to 1975. Career A graduate of Ikubunkan Junior High School, Tokyo, Yanagi gave his stage debut at the Yutakuza theatre i ...

Production

- Director

- Writer

Film festivals

''Destiny's Son'' has been part of a number of

film festival A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more movie theater, cinemas or screening venues, usually annually and in a single city or region. Some film festivals show films outdoors or online. Films may be of recent ...

s celebrating the Chambara genre, and also the careers of Raizo Ichikawa and

in the last decade.

Legacy

The 2023

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

series ''

Gamera Rebirth ''Gamera Rebirth'' (stylized as ''GAMERA -Rebirth-'') is a Japanese original net animation (ONA) series directed and co-written by Hiroyuki Seshita (:ja:瀬下寛之, jp). Produced by Kadokawa Corporation and animated by ENGI, it is a reboot ...

'' cited the Japanese title of ''Destiny's Son'' as an homage: ''Destiny's Sons producer and

's president

Masaichi Nagata was a Japanese businessman and served as president of Daiei Film. The self-proclaimed creator of Gamera, he produced the kaiju's second film ''Gamera vs. Barugon'', with the remainder of the Gamera#Films, Showa ''Gamera'' films produced instead ...

was one of creators of the titular

kaiju is a Japanese term that is commonly associated with media involving giant monsters. Its widespread contemporary use is credited to ''tokusatsu'' (special effects) director Eiji Tsuburaya and filmmaker Ishirō Honda, who popularized the ''kaiju'' ...

Gamera is a fictional giant monster, or ''kaiju'', that debuted in the Gamera, the Giant Monster, eponymous 1965 Japanese film. The character and the first film were intended to compete with the success of Toho's Godzilla (franchise), ''Godzilla'' ...

References

External links

* * Films directed by Kenji Misumi Japanese drama films 1962 films Daiei Film films 1960s Japanese films {{1960s-Japan-film-stub