Sword of Doom

The first part of Misumi Kenji's "Passport of the Great Buddha"(Daibosatsu tôge) trilogy is based on the novel series of the same name by Nakazato Kaizan, which was published between 1913 and 1941. The story about the cold-blooded sword master Tsukue Ryûnosuke, set in the late period of the Tokugawa shogunate, was also made into a film by master directors Uchida Tomu (1957) and Okamoto Kihachi (1966).

On the "Pass of the Great Buddha", Tsukue Ryûnosuke, played by the star of the time Ichikawa Raizô, kills a pilgrim, which is discovered shortly afterwards by his granddaughter. A robber takes her into his care and the two travel to Edo. Meanwhile, Ryûnosuke is visited by the wife of a man whom he will kill the next day in a contest. The dead man's brother seeks revenge and bloodthirsty entanglements take their course.

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.