Saburô Date

Tokogawa Ieyasu is the ruler of Japan. But one last loose thread must be tied up before his domination is complete — the destruction of the Toyotomi clan, now besieged in Osaka castle. Ieyasu’s ninjas are the only ones who can penetrate the fortress, but unfortunately for Ieyasu, Kirigakure Saizo (Raizo Ichikawa) and his fellow Toyotomi ninja can just as easily get out. As armies of samurai maneuver for battle, the fate of the nation will be decided by a desperate struggle in the dark.Read More »

Synopsis
Based in part on the life of the rakugo artist Beikyo Katsura the 2nd (1860-1904), Song of the Devil is a story about the pursuit for ultimate artistry. This film is based on the novel by Yoshikazu Fujimoto, a screenwriter-turned-novelist who was an apprentice to Yuzo Kawashima. The leading roles of Bakyo and Rokyu are performed by actual rakugo artists.

Bakyo is a talented but unsuccessful rakugo artist. The very successful Rokyu wants to take Bakyo under his wings, but Bakyo refuses, claiming that Rokyu’s rakugo is compromised by the elements of kabuki. But Bakyo changes his mind and determines to learn (or steal) Rokyu’s craft and makes it his own.Read More »

Synopsis:
Fight, Zatoichi, Fight finds our favorite masseur and swordsman once again on the run. This time, he’s being pursued by a ruthless band of samurai who have been hired to kill him. Thinking they’ve got Zatoichi cornered, they instead kill a young woman, who is returning to her husband with her infant son. Ichi, feeling responsible for the woman’s death, resolves to deliver the child safely into the arms of its father.Read More »