FanFare

Down-on-his-luck veteran Tsugumo Hanshiro enters the courtyard of the prosperous House of Iyi. Unemployed, and with no family, he hopes to find a place to commit seppuku and a worthy second to deliver the coup de grace in his suicide ritual. The senior counselor for the Iyi clan questions the ronin's resolve and integrity, suspecting Hanshiro of seeking charity rather than an honorable end. What follows is a pair of interlocking stories which lay bare the difference between honor and respect, and promises to examine the legendary foundations of the Samurai code. [more inside]
posted by pwnguin on Apr 14, 2024 - 3 comments

Driven by a dream of revenge against those who made her an outcast in Edo-period Japan, a young warrior cuts a bloody path toward her destiny. [more inside]
posted by KaizenSoze on Nov 6, 2023 - 24 comments

Trailer. A romantic biopic centering on Oda Nobunaga (Takuya Kimura) and his wife Nohime (Haruka Ayase) spanning 30 years of the Sengoku period. Traces Nobunaga's rise to power and struggle to unify Japan viewed through the lens of a tumultuous relationship. Toei Company's 70th Anniversary film. Streaming on Amazon Prime. [more inside]
posted by okonomichiyaki on Aug 16, 2023 - 1 comment

Toshiro Mifune swaggers and snarls to brilliant comic effect in Kurosawa's tightly paced, beautifully composed "Sanjuro." In this companion piece and sequel to "Yojimbo," jaded samurai Sanjuro helps an idealistic group of young warriors weed out their clan's evil influences, and in the process turns their image of a proper samurai on its ear. [more inside]
posted by mark k on Jun 27, 2023 - 4 comments

A crafty ronin comes to a town divided by two criminal gangs and decides to play them against each other to free the town. [more inside]
posted by MoonOrb on Jun 18, 2018 - 4 comments