Chiezō Kataoka
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Obōzu Tengu (Tengu Priest) (1962)
Directed by Yasushi Sasaki The title refers to the protagonist’s nickname. Based on the novel by Kan Shimozawa, this is fairly formulaic stuff in terms of plot. Nevertheless it offers a number of things that make it worth a watch.… Continue reading
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Shinsengumi-Fest!
Lots going on this month. It’s my birthday month, for starters. July in Japan is very festive too. Folks have all sorts of seasonal festivals they can attend. There’s Tanabata on the 7th of July, marking the reunion of Orihime… Continue reading
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Yoto monogatari: Hana no Yoshiwara hyakunin giri (The Tale of the Demonic Sword: The Hundred-Man Killing Spree in Yoshiwara / Hero of the Red-Light District / Killing in Yoshiwara) (1960)
Directed by Tomu Uchida I’m back! Let’s celebrate by reviewing a film I swore I wouldn’t watch again because it was too upsetting. Toei didn’t release it on DVD until this year. Why the heck did it take so long?… Continue reading
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Jūsan-nin no shikaku (13 Assassins) (1963)
Directed by Eiichi Kudo To my astonishment 13 Assassins currently has four reviews on IMDb. I’m sorry but that’s just wrong. A classic movie deserves better than four paltry reviews. One of the purposes of my blog is to introduce… Continue reading
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Real Men Wear Eyeliner
A casual viewer of Japanese period dramas might wonder what to make of some scenes. The men wear makeup, and they are sometimes depicted weeping openly. What’s going on? Let’s deal with the makeup first. This doesn’t faze me because… Continue reading
Ukiyo-e Owl 