Directed by Masahiro Shinoda • 1965 • Japan
Starring Koji Takahashi, Eiji Okada, Tetsuro Tanba
Years of warfare end in a Japan unified under the Tokugawa shogunate, and samurai spy Sasuke Sarutobi, tired of conflict, longs for peace. When a high-ranking spy named Tatewaki Koriyama defects from the shogun to a rival clan, however, the world of swordsmen is thrown into turmoil. After Sasuke is unwittingly drawn into the conflict, he tracks Tatewaki, while a mysterious, white-hooded figure seems to hunt them both. By tale’s end, no one is who they seemed to be, and the truth is far more personal than anyone suspected. Director Masahiro Shinoda’s SAMURAI SPY, filled with clan intrigue, ninja spies, and multiple double crosses, marks a bold stylistic departure from swordplay film convention.
Up Next in Samurai
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Kill!
Directed by Kihachi Okamoto • 1968 • Japan
Starring Tatsuya Nakadai, Etsushi Takahashi, Yuriko HoshiIn this pitch-black action comedy by Kihachi Okamoto, a pair of down-on-their-luck swordsmen arrive in a dusty, windblown town, where they become involved in a local clan dispute. One, previously...
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Adventures of Zatoichi
ZATOICHI #9
Directed by Kimiyoshi Yasuda • 1964 • JapanThe blind swordsman wanders into a town to celebrate the New Year. There, he befriends a young woman whose father has gone missing; as he tries to help her find him, he becomes entangled in a web of corruption and a series of tragic twists ...
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Zatoichi’s Flashing Sword
ZATOICHI #7
Directed by Kazuo Ikehiro • 1964 • JapanThe blind swordsman is shot and nursed back to health by kind strangers. He soon discovers that his saviors are caught between sparring crime lords; bound by honor, Zatoichi stays to ensure their safety. Along the way, we learn more about the ...
