is a 1981 Japanese

dark fantasy Dark fantasy, also called fantasy horror, is a subgenre of fantasy literary, artistic, and cinematic works that incorporates disturbing and frightening themes. The term is ambiguously used to describe stories that combine horror fiction, horror ...

film written and directed by

Kinji Fukasaku was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. Known for his "broad range and innovative filmmaking", Fukasaku worked in many different genres and styles, but was best known for his gritty Yakuza film, yakuza films, typified by the Battles With ...

and starring

Sonny Chiba , known internationally as Sonny Chiba, was a Japanese actor and martial artist. Chiba was one of the first actors to achieve stardom through his skills in martial arts, initially in Japan and later to an international audience. Born in Fukuo ...

Kenji Sawada is a Japanese singer, composer, lyricist and actor, best known for being the vocalist for the Japanese rock band The Tigers. Nicknamed because of his self-professed adoration of Julie Andrews, he was born in Tsunoi, Iwami (now part of Totto ...

, and Hiroyuki Sanada. It is based on the novel of the same name by

Futaro Yamada was the pen name of , a Japanese author. He was born in Yabu, Hyogo. In 1947, he wrote a mystery short story and was awarded a prize by the magazine . He was discovered by Edogawa Rampo and became a novelist. He wrote many ninja (忍法帖 ''Nin ...

. The film was nominated for three Awards of the Japanese Academy and won two of them. Sanada won best newcomer of the year and Tokumichi Igawa and Yoshikazu Sano took the award for best art direction. The film was nominated for best sound but did not win the award.

Plot

Following the

Shimabara Rebellion The , also known as the or , was an rebellion, uprising that occurred in the Shimabara Domain of the Tokugawa shogunate in Japan from 17 December 1637 to 15 April 1638. Matsukura Katsuie, the ''daimyō'' of the Shimabara Domain, enforced unpo ...

, Christian rebellion leader Amakusa Shiro is resurrected, and renounces his God for abandoning him and thousands of Christians to be massacred by the Tokugawa regime, swearing vengeance. Gaining the power to resurrect the dead, he tempts, resurrects and recruits the betrayed samurai wife Hosokawa Gracia, unfulfilled legendary swordsman

Miyamoto Musashi , was a Japanese swordsman, strategist, artist, and writer who became renowned through stories of his unique double-bladed swordsmanship and undefeated record in his 62 duels. Miyamoto is considered a ''Kensei (honorary title), kensei'' (swo ...

, and Buddhist monk Hozoin Inshun, who represses his sadistic desires, to join his cause as regret-filled demons. Yagyu Jubei, son of Musashi's desired rival, Yagyu Tajima-no-kami Munenori, arrives at Musashi's cave to seek his teaching, but finds only his empty armor. Additionally, young Iga ninja Kirimaru, a friend of Jubei, is narrowly saved by Shiro and his demons after his village is massacred by the rival Tokugawa-controlled Koga ninja clan. Kirimaru is resurrected and recruited by Shiro for vengeance against the Koga, and the demons taunt the arriving Jubei as they leave. The demons infiltrate the

Tokugawa Shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. The Tokugawa shogunate was established by Tokugawa Ieyasu after victory at the Battle of Sekigahara, ending the civil wars ...

Edo Castle is a flatland castle that was built in 1457 by Ōta Dōkan in Edo, Toshima District, Musashi Province. In modern times it is part of the Tokyo Imperial Palace in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is therefore also known as . Tokugawa Ieyasu established th ...

. Hosokawa seduces Shogun Tokugawa Ietsuna, and the demons assassinate key official Izu-no-kami, Koga leader Genjuro, and Jubei's brother Samon. The terminally-ill Tajima attempts to put a stop to Shiro using a sword forged by exiled swordsmith Muramasa, but succumbs to his illness after successfully killing Inshun. Tajima is resurrected and joins Shiro, tempted by the prospect of challenging his son to a duel; he attacks Jubei as he returns home, and Jubei barely escapes. In a remote shrine, Shiro casts a curse to wither Tokugawa's crops, sparking protests by farmers against the shogunate's taxes. Kirimaru begins to feel affection for a young girl orphaned by the protests, Omitsu. Jubei seeks out Muramasa, and learns that Tajima had commissioned a sword capable of killing demonic spirits. Musashi attacks in search of Jubei, but is driven away after recognising a flute tune played by Otsu, niece of Musashi's abandoned wife. Muramasa, who had adopted Otsu, is convinced by Musashi's attack to forge a similar sword for Jubei. Shiro tempts Kirimaru to seduce Omitsu to complete his descent into evil. Kirimaru attempts to force himself on her, but finds he is unable to go through with it. A watching Jubei ultimately spares the repentant Kirimaru, seeing his latent conscience. Meanwhile, the shogunate holds a lavish hunting party, and a group of angered farmers interrupt the hunt in protest of the high taxes invoked to fund it. Hosokawa and Tajima trick Ietsuna into shooting down the farmers. Muramasa finishes forging Jubei's sword, proclaiming it can even kill God, before passing away from exhaustion. The executed farmers are crucified on a hill, and Shiro incites a bloody riot among the gathered peasants, before rallying them as his army to ride to

Edo Edo (), also romanized as Jedo, Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of Tokyo. Edo, formerly a (castle town) centered on Edo Castle located in Musashi Province, became the '' de facto'' capital of Japan from 1603 as the seat of the Tokugawa shogu ...

and overthrow the Shogun. Kirimaru attempts to escape with Omitsu, but is killed by Shiro. An arriving Jubei swears to avenge Kirimaru, before Musashi challenges Jubei to a duel at Funajima the following morning. Jubei and Otsu confront Musashi at Funajima, and Jubei slays Musashi in their duel. As the peasants' uprising continues to advance on the capital, Hosokawa takes Ietsuna hostage and rampages through Edo Castle with Tajima, setting the castle ablaze. Shiro reveals himself to the Shogun before the insane Hosokawa falls with Ietsuna into the flames. Jubei, his body now warded with Buddhist prayer symbols, arrives and duels Tajima in the burning castle. Jubei's sword is broken, and Tajima is eventually killed with his own Muramasa sword. Shiro appears, offering to let Jubei join him. Jubei refuses, and manages to decapitate Shiro in the ensuing fight. Still living, Shiro takes his severed head, and vows to continue resurrecting as long as humanity exists, before disappearing into the flames.

Cast

as Yagyū Jūbei Mitsuyoshi *

as Amakusa Shirō Tokisada * Tomisaburo Wakayama as Yagyū Tajimanokami Munenori * Ken Ogata as

*Akiko Kana as Hosokawa Gracia / Akechi Tama * Hideo Murota as Priest Hozoin Inshun * Hiroyuki Sanada as Iga no Kirimaru * Tetsuro Tamba as Muramasa * Mikio Narita as Matsudaira Izunokami Nobutsuna *Noboru Matsuhashi as Tokugawa Ietsuna *Jun Ōba as Yagyū Samon Tomonori *Etsuo Shima as Yagyū Matajūrō Munefuyu *Masataka Naruse as Koga Genjūrō *Asao Uchida as Sakai Utanokami Tadayo *

Haruki Kadokawa is a Japanese entrepreneur and filmmaker. He is the son of Genyoshi Kadokawa, the founder of the publishing company Kadokawa Shoten. He took over as president of the company in 1975 after his father's death. He entered the film industry as a pro ...

as Itakura Naizennokami Shigemasa *Gōzō Sōma as Abe Bungonokami Tadaaki *Sen Okamichi as Hotta Bichunokami Masamori *Masataka Kobayashi as Toda Ujikane *Saburo Hayashi as Mizuno Katsushige *Hideo Nakae as Hosokawa Tadatoshi *Hideo Shimada as

Tachibana Muneshige , was a Japanese ''samurai'', known in his youth as Senkumamaru (千熊丸) and alternatively called Tachibana Munetora (立花宗虎 or 立花統虎), during the Azuchi–Momoyama period and an Edo-period ''daimyō''. He was the eldest biol ...

*Shintarō Mibu as Nabeshima Katsushige *

Mizuho Suzuki was a Japanese actor. He was a drop-out of Kyoto University. He died on November 19, 2023, at the age of 96. Filmography Film *'' Yogiri yo Kon'yamo Arigatō'' (1967) *'' Zatoichi the Outlaw'' (1967) *''The Snow Woman'' (1968) *'' The Sands o ...

as Ogasawara Hōmyō Hidekiyo *Shigerō Shiroi as Sasaki Kojirō *Naoko Kubo as Yajima no Tsubone *Kinji Nakamura as Ishida Kazusanokami *Kenji Kawai as Kamio Bizennokami *Yasuhiro Suzuki as Tomita Shuzen *Masaharu Arikawa as Izaki Heinai *Masataka Iwao as Yasui Tōbei *

Jun Hamamura was a Japanese actor. He appeared in more than 130 films between 1938 and 1995. Selected filmography * ''Wolf The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the grey wolf or gray wolf, is a Canis, canine native to Eurasia and Nor ...

as Shigesaemon *Katsutoshi Akiyama as Yohei *Takashi Noguchi as Hikosaku * Kayoko Shiraishi as Hosokawa Gracia (voice) * Seizō Fukumoto as Koga Ninja * Hiroshi Inuzuka as Sōgorō

References

External links

* {{Kinji Fukasaku 1981 films 1981 fantasy films 1981 horror films 1980s dark fantasy films 1980s Japanese films Films about patricide Films based on Japanese novels Films directed by Kinji Fukasaku Films set in the Edo period Films set in Edo Films set in Saga Prefecture Japanese dark fantasy films Jidaigeki films 1980s samurai films Toei Company films Tokyo Shock ja:魔界転生#1981.E5.B9.B4.E7.89.88