Shogun’s Samurai

After making mainly yakuza films until 1976, Fukasaku Kinji began directing historical dramas at the end of the 1970s, including the popular story of the 47 masterless samurai(Chûshingura gaiden. Yotsuya kaidan), whereby he only adhered to historical facts to a limited extent. He not only created Yagyû ichizoku no inbô for the cinema, but also adapted the material as a TV series, which was broadcast in 39 episodes between 1978 and 1979.

After the shôgun dies of poisoning, a succession dispute breaks out between the first-born, who is at the top of the line of succession, and the second-born, whom the father would have preferred as successor. The threads of the intriguing dispute between the brothers are pulled in the background by the Yagyû, a clan of warriors, but the nobility at the court of Kyoto are also pursuing power-political interests.

Film series
Japanese historical films (Jidaigeki) - newly restored classics

Historical dramas(jidaigeki) are among the most popular film genres from Japan. We present works by master directors Misumi Kenji (1921-1975), Fukasaku Kinji (1930-2003) and Shinoda Masahiro (*1931), which have been digitized in recent years in cooperation with the Japan Foundation. The series is complemented by the newly restored classic Rashômon by Kurosawa Akira.

The jidaigeki mostly tell stories of revenge and detective stories or depict the lives of famous swordsmen. Their plot is set in the feudal era, which was characterized by fierce power struggles between the shôgunate and the local lords of various provinces. They are often set in Edo, the military metropolis of the time, but sometimes they also tell of masterless samurai roaming the country and fighting unjust adversaries.

Until the 1960s, jidaigeki made up a significant proportion of mass-produced films in Japan, with kabuki theater initially exerting an important influence. The first actors in jidaigeki usually had stage experience in kabuki, and some of the films were also produced by actors and other influential members of the kabuki theater.