Japanese History Through Film
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- DirectorShirô ToyodaStarsHideyo AmamotoTadao FutamiMasao ImafukuA rebellious Korean artist tests the limits of his sadistic patron, an omnipotent feudal Japanese lord. Yoshihide demands a commission to paint screens of the Hell which he sees the egotistical lord's peasants suffer. Such a public display will challenge the uncaring upper class' obsession with their own personal beauty. With Chinese and Buddhist influences at a peak in 11th century Japan, the daimyo Horikawa wanted a mural of Buddhist paradise. As Yoshihide's ghastly artworks appear to come to life, the painter and his patron's mutual racism also take their toll."Portrait of Hell" Circa 900, the Heian Era. Depicts life in early Japanese history with a focus on early Korean immigration Japan and the hardships/racism faced by many Koreans in daily life.
- DirectorKenji MizoguchiStarsKinuyo TanakaYoshiaki HanayagiKyôko KagawaIn medieval Japan, a compassionate governor is sent into exile. His wife and children try to join him, but are separated, and the children grow up amid suffering and oppression.Circa 1000, the Heian Era. The Heian Era was considered the peak of Japanese classical civilization and the Japanese Imperial Court. This movie depicts the early development of the land owning class which would become Samurai military class and the Daimyo noble class.
- DirectorAkira KurosawaStarsToshirô MifuneMachiko KyôMasayuki MoriThe rape of a bride and the murder of her samurai husband are recalled from the perspectives of a bandit, the bride, the samurai's ghost and a woodcutter.Circa 1180, the Heian Era. Implied to be set during the Genpei war, this movie depicts the destruction and human suffering of the time in a world that seems to be descending into chaos.
- DirectorKaneto ShindôStarsNobuko OtowaJitsuko YoshimuraKei SatôTwo women kill samurai and sell their belongings for a living. While one of them is having an affair with their neighbor, the other woman meets a mysterious samurai wearing a bizarre mask.1336, the Kenmu Restoration. set during a traumatic civil war in 14th century Japan that raged for 50 years, Onibaba depicts the lengths commoners were willing to go to survive in an era of war, famine, disease and greed.
- DirectorMasahiro AndôStarsTomoya NagaseYuri ChinenKôichi YamaderaA swordsman from a strange land is caught in a struggle between morality, righteousness, and devotion as he reluctantly agrees to take a raggedy boy and his dog to a remote, Buddhist temple.Circa 1500 - 1573, the Sengoku Warring States Period. Depicts life during one of the most violent periods of civil war in Japanese history.
- DirectorAkira KurosawaStarsToshirô MifuneMisa UeharaMinoru ChiakiLured by gold, two greedy peasants unknowingly escort a princess and her general across enemy lines.Circa 1500 - 1573, the Sengoku Warring States Period. The Sengoku warring states period was an era of social upheaval and almost 100 years of constant civil war. It has been a popular historical source for Japanese Samurai film (jidaigeki).The Hidden Fortress is considered to be one of the primary influences for Star Wars.
- DirectorAkira KurosawaStarsTatsuya NakadaiAkira TeraoJinpachi NezuIn Medieval Japan, an elderly warlord retires, handing over his empire to his three sons. However, he vastly underestimates how the new-found power will corrupt them and cause them to turn on each other...and him.Circa 1500 - 1573, the Sengoku Warring States Period. Ran is considered to be an exemplary film of the depiction of the true nature of the Sengoku period which pitted brother against brother in ruthless civil war and the chaos of the time.
- DirectorAkira KurosawaStarsToshirô MifuneMinoru ChiakiIsuzu YamadaA war-hardened general, egged on by his ambitious wife, works to fulfill a prophecy that he would become lord of Spider's Web Castle.Circa 1500 - 1573, the Sengoku Warring States Period. With civil war a constant fact of life, treachery, prevarication, and murder were almost daily occurrences during the Sengoku era all of which are depicted in Throne of Blood.
- DirectorAkira KurosawaStarsToshirô MifuneEijirô TônoTatsuya NakadaiA crafty ronin comes to a town divided by two criminal gangs and decides to play them against each other to free the town.Circa 1500 - 1573, the Sengoku Warring States Period. During the Sengoku period, as Daimyo fought each other to the death, numerous ronin, or master-less samurai began to appear across the land. Depicts the life of ronin and bandits in an era of social upheaval.
- DirectorAkira KurosawaStarsToshirô MifuneTatsuya NakadaiKeiju KobayashiA crafty samurai helps a young man and his fellow clansmen trying to save his uncle, who has been framed and imprisoned by a corrupt superintendent.Circa 1500 - 1573, the Sengoku Warring States Period. Sanjuro has many of the same elements featured in "Yojimbo" and there are many symbolic elements of the film related to the Sengoku era such as brutality, violence and death which are all taken for granted during this tumultuous period.
- DirectorKenji MizoguchiStarsMasayuki MoriMachiko KyôKinuyo TanakaA tale of ambition, family, love, and war set in the midst of the Japanese Civil Wars of the sixteenth century.Circa 1568 - 1573, the Azuchi-Momoyama Era. Set at the end of the Sengoku era which saw the transition from almost a 100 years of civil war to a unified country at peace which would come to be known as the Edo period. Ugetsu is set at the pinnacle of the Sengoku civil war and depicts the peasant upheavals of the time as well as the universal greed that was so detrimental as to destroy the human soul.
- DirectorAkira KurosawaStarsTatsuya NakadaiTsutomu YamazakiKen'ichi HagiwaraA petty thief with an utter resemblance to a samurai warlord is hired as the lord's double. When the warlord later dies the thief is forced to take up arms in his place.1575, the Azuchi-Momoyama Era. Depicts the battle of Nagashino one of the last great battles of the Sengoku era. Insight into the lives of the ruling class during the warring states period.
- DirectorAkira KurosawaStarsToshirô MifuneTakashi ShimuraKeiko TsushimaFarmers from a village exploited by bandits hire a veteran samurai for protection, and he gathers six other samurai to join him.1587, the Azuchi-Momoyama Era. Seven Samurai depicts the lives of peasants, bandits, and ronin during the end of the warring states period. Depictions of complete chaos and lawlessness effectively represent the impact of the civil war on the countryside. Towards the end, a omen of times changing indicates the eventual decline of the Samurai class as an era of peace and prosperity approaches and the Samurai become obsolete.
- DirectorHiroshi InagakiStarsToshirô MifuneMariko OkadaRentarô MikuniDepicts the early life of the legendary warrior Musashi Miyamoto; his years as an aspiring warrior, an outlaw and finally a true samurai.Circa 1600 - 1612, the Edo Period. Depicts the life of real-life samurai legend and strategist Musashi Miyamoto who was prominent during the early Edo period. Depictions of the battle of Sekigahara.
- DirectorHiroshi InagakiStarsToshirô MifuneMariko OkadaKôji TsurutaMusashi Miyamoto returns to Kyoto after years of absence. After a series of fights against the Yoshioka School, he challenges its master to a duel.Circa 1600 - 1612, the Edo Period. Second film depicting the life of real-life samurai legend and strategist Musashi Miyamoto. Depicts several of Musashi's historic duels. Musashi is said to of fought in 60 duels and was never defeated.
- DirectorHiroshi InagakiStarsToshirô MifuneMariko OkadaKôji TsurutaMusashi Miyamoto is challenged to a duel by a confident swordsman Sasaki Kojiro. He agrees to fight him in a year's time.Circa 1600 - 1612, the Edo Period. Final film depicting the life of real-life samurai legend and strategist Musashi Miyamoto. Depicts one of the greatest Musashi duels in which he defeated Sasaki Kojiro.
- StarsRichard ChamberlainToshirô MifuneYôko ShimadaAn English navigator becomes both a player and pawn in the complex political games in feudal Japan.Circa 1600 - 1620, the Edo Period. Miniseries based on the real life historical character William Adams who would become the most influential foreigner in Japan during the Edo era and a key advisor to the shogun after shipwrecking off the shore of Japan.
- DirectorAkira KurosawaStarsToshirô MifuneIsuzu YamadaKyôko KagawaIn a Japanese slum, various residents play out their lives, dreaming of better things or settling for their lot. Among them is a man who pines for a young woman but is stymied by her deceptive family."The Lower Depths" - Circa 1600's, the Edo Period. Depicts the status and everyday lives of commoners and peasants in the newly unified and peaceful Edo Japan.
- DirectorMasahiro ShinodaStarsHiroshi AoyamaJun HamamuraOsamu HitomiThe legendary samurai Sasuke Sarutobi gets caught in a web of political intrigue, deception and espionage during the early 17th century.Circa 1614, the Edo Period. Set shortly before the Siege of Osaka, Samurai Spy follows the lives of spies operating in Edo Japan given rise to the years of civil war and upheaval.
- DirectorTen ShimoyamaStarsYukie NakamaJoe OdagiriTomoka KurotaniStar-crossed lovers must fight on opposing sides in a battle that will determine the next Shogun.1614, the Edo Period. Insight and depictions into life under the ruler and founder of Edo Japan, Tokugawa Shogunate. Depictions of ninja's operating in 17th century Japan.
- DirectorKinji FukasakuStarsKinnosuke NakamuraShin'ichi ChibaHiroki MatsukataAfter the Tokugawa shogun's death by poisoning, his sons Iemitsu and Tadanaga compete for the shogunate, dividing the land into warring factions. Iemitsu's mentor, betrays all to secure Iemitsu's power, leading to widespread conflict.1624, the Edo Period. Depicts the lives of Samurai during the early Edo era and the coming era of seclusion and isolation.
- DirectorMasaki KobayashiStarsTatsuya NakadaiAkira IshihamaShima IwashitaWhen a ronin requesting seppuku at a feudal lord's palace is told of the brutal suicide of another ronin who previously visited, he reveals how their pasts are intertwined - and in doing so challenges the clan's integrity.1630, the Edo Period. A critical depiction on the Samurai code and the ritual act of harakiri or ritual suicide. Representations of the emerging Feudal system in Japan in the early 17th century and the hypocrisy of the Daimyo class.
- DirectorKenji MizoguchiStarsKinuyo TanakaTsukie MatsuuraIchirô SugaiFollows a woman's fight and survival amid the vicissitudes of life and the cruelty of society.1686, the Edo Period. Based on the novel The Life of an Anomorous Woman, the film explores themes such as gender issues and the role of women in society during the floating world cultural movement. This period in Japanese history saw increased urbanization of the land and a growing cultural movement fueled by Japan's rapidly growing middle class
- DirectorSadao YamanakaStarsChôjûrô KawarasakiKan'emon NakamuraTsuruzô NakamuraThe lives of two slum neighbors, one of a happy-go-lucky gambler and the other of a poor ronin, converge when the two get involved with the affairs of a powerful samurai official and his gangsters.Circa early 1700's, the Edo Period. Depicts life in the cramped slums of Edo (today Tokyo), which was at the time the largest city in the world with over 1 million people. Presents a harsh critique of the social and political conditions of the time.
- DirectorKenji MizoguchiStarsChôjûrô KawarasakiYoshizaburo ArashiUtaemon IchikawaThe legendary Forty-seven ronin plot to avenge the death of their lord, Asano Naganori, by killing Kira Yoshinaka, a shogunate official responsible for Asano being forced to commit seppuku.1701, the Edo Period. Fictional story of a group of 47 ronin who seek vengeance for the death of their lord at the hands of another treacherous lord. Insight into the lives of Samurai and Daimyo lords during the Edo period.
