The Hidden Blade - Japanese Samurai Movie

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Ranked #624 in Movies & TV, #16,071 overall

Yamada Yoji's Samurai Trilogy, second film

From director Yamada Yoji (The Twilight Samurai) comes The Hidden Blade (a.k.a. Kakushi Ken Oni no Tsume), another loving depiction of the bygone days of samurai heroism. Nagase Masatoshi (Shark Skin Man & Peach Hip Girl, Pistol Opera) stars as a samurai, whose adherence to his code of honor is tested by the forces around him. It is mid-nineteenth century Japan, and the way of the samurai is fading, as Western influences and corruption are slowly taking hold in Japan.

Summary 

Hidden Blade photo 12Original title: Kakushi Ken Oni No Tsume
Country: Japan
Year: 2004
Genre: Drama, Romance
International MPAA: R (USA)
IMDB Rating: 7.7/10
Language: Japanese
Runtime: 132 min
Company: Shouchiku Co.

samurai duty
vs.
friendship

fight a duel to the death
with the best friend

Plot 

Hidden Blade photo 05During the westernization of Japan's political and military methods, Katagiri is struggling to adapt to the situation. After Hazama, one of his best friends, left for Edo to seek his fortune, and another friend married his sister; Katagiri is living with his elderly mother and the devoted servant-girl Kie.

Secretly wishing that Kie would stay with him, Katagiri is deeply affected by her decision to marry a prosperous oil seller. The years pass and Katagiri is now witnessing his mother dying alongside the age of the sword.

One day, Katagari crosses paths with Kie and, to his surprise, she doesn't seem to be living the happy life she had expected. While Katagiri is trying to get Kie out of the grips of her villainous and abusive family, he is told that Hazama, his old friend, was arrested for plotting against the clan leaders and the clan also suspects Katagiri because of his connection with him.

Cast 

Director:
Yamada Yoji as director

(Hint: hover on image for cast info, images are also clickable)
Actors and actresses:
Nagase MasatoshiMatsu TakakoOzawa YukiyoshiYoshioka Hidetaka
Tanaka MinTabata TomokoOgata KenKobayashi Nenji

Yamada Yoji's samurai trilogy 

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featured lens The Hidden Blade - Japanese Samurai Movie

From director Yamada Yoji (The Twilight Samurai) comes The Hidden Blade (a.k.a. Kakushi Ken Oni no Tsume), another loving depiction of the bygone days of samurai heroism. Nagase Masatoshi (Shark Skin Man & Peach Hip Girl, Pistol Opera) stars as a sam...

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Renowned director Yamada Yoji brings his acclaimed samurai trilogy to a beautiful close with Love and Honor (a.k.a. Bushi no Ichibun). Like Twilight Samurai and Hidden Blade, Love and Honor is based on the works of Fujisawa Shuhei, and the story foll...

Curious facts 

Did you know that..

  • Hidden Blade photo 04Director Yamada Yoji, popular for his series "It's Tough Being a Man" ("Otoko Wa Tsurai Yo") which started in 1969 and is the world's longest theatrical film series about a bad luck lovelorn peddler named Tora San, has won innumerable awards for his work.

  • The Hidden Blade movie is the second movie in Yamada Yoji's samurai trilogy. The first one was The Twilight Samurai.

  • As well as the first film The Hidden Blade is based on Shuhei Fujisawa novels. It combines short stories of "Oni no Tsume (The Devil's Claw)" from Fujisawa's "Kakushi Ken (Hidden Sword)" series of unconventional 'swordfighter' tales, with story of forbidden love "Yuki Akari (The Gleam of the Snow)".

  • Hidden Blade photo 08Shuhei Fujisawa is one of Japan's most revered authors of samurai fictionis. Over fifty of his books were published with circulation about 23 millions copies, including both full-length novels and short story anthologies through the course of his lifetime. In 1973, Shuhei received the Naoki Award for Ansatsu No Nenrin (Annals of Assassination), establishing himself as a leading author of period stories. He would go on to win six further prestigious literary awards.

  • The production reunited many of "The Twilight Samurai" staff. Director Yamada again shared credit with Yoshitaka Asama on the script, cinematography by Mutsuo Naganuma. Art director is Mitsuo Degawa, lighting by Gen Nakaoka and Kazuko Kurosawa (dauther of famous Akira Kurosawa) designed the costumes. Music was provided by the legendary Isao Tomita.

  • Hidden Blade photo 17The Hidden Blade movie was nominated for Japan Academy Awards in 11 categories and won the Best Art Direction (Mitsuo Degawa, Yoshinobu Nishioka) in 2005 year. Same year Yoji Yamada was nominated for Golden Berlin Bear on Berlin International Film Festival. And in 2004 Takako Matsu won Hochi Film Award in category Best Actress.

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