Movielogr

Rating: 7.5 stars

Tags

Japan osaka samurai ronin thief princess sword fight katana tku-tv

All movies seen on 12/05/2019

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Kojiro (1967)

Directed by Hiroshi Inagaki

Action | Drama | Romance

Overview

Sasaki Kojiro tells the story of the genius who staked his love, glory, and life on a duel with the supreme master of the sword, Miyamoto Musashi (Tatsuya Nakadai). Oscar winning Hiroshi Inagaki directs this epic motion picture based on Genzo Murakami’s fascinating story. Despite his humble birth, the orphan Sasaki Kojiro (Onoe Kikunosuke) is determined to become the foremost swordsman in all Japan, a title that traditionally belongs to a nobleman. At fencing school, young Kojiro receives the contempt of his classmates because of his superior swordsmanship. When rumors of the upcoming civil war between Toyotomi and Tokugawa clans spread, Kojiro leaves the school and sets out, seizing every opportunity to realize his dream.

Length 152 minutes

Actors

Yôko Tsukasa | Yuriko Hoshi | Keiko Sawai | Mayumi Ôzora | Aiko Mimasu | Tadao Nakamaru | Yoshio Tsuchiya | Chûsha Ichikawa | Akihiko Hirata | Masao Shimizu | Susumu Fujita | Kenjiro Ishiyama | Ryôsuke Kagawa | Tatsuya Mihashi | Isamu Nagato | Tatsuya Nakadai | Kikunosuke Onoe IV

Viewing History (seen 2 times)

Viewing Notes

Day 4 of Yuriko Hoshi week at DKUTV to celebrate what would’ve been her 76th birthday (she passed last year). I love when they do tribute weeks like this bc it often means they will program titles outside the regular kaiju/tokusatsu fare. This week is no exception. Each night this week usually has a drama/chanbara paired with a Godzilla flick that features Hoshi.

Had SASAKI KOJIRO circled bc it was another film I hadn’t seen. Glad I was able to catch the rebroadcast after the game b/c this is a very good film following the life of ronin Kojiro on his journey to become the greatest swordsman in all of Japan during the Edo Period. It kicks off with Kojiro testing his skills against Hyosuke, the brother of Tone (Hoshi), leaving him scarred and forcing Kojiro to go off on his pursuit of greatness. Kojiro (Kikugorô Onoe) is cocky and only cares for his sword and skills. He loves Tone but realizes he cannot be with her and pursue his dream at the same time.

On his path Kojiro gets involved in a variety of situations and with a few different women. He learns of the greatness and reputation of the legendary Musashi Miyamoto (here portrayed by Tatsuya Nakadai but was portrayed by Toshiro Mifune in the Samurai Trilogy). Kojiro’s adventures builds toward the eventual showdown with Musashi. This is essentially a Greek Tragedy. Despite all the woman who come to love Kojiro his only true love is his sword and desire to be the best even if it means his downfall.

Much like the Samurai Trilogy, this is an epic chanbara film with wonderful performances. A broken record here but this is another movie that deserves a good home video release. Especially for Nakadai providing a stoic portrayal of Musashi in his later years. Would love to see a restored release of this movie which is one of the best Hiroshi Inagaki film I’ve seen (along with the Samurai Trilogy). Love the long shot scenes of the sword fights and the general framing of the action and drama. Really emphasizes the emotion of the sequences.

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