Samurai Vendetta

Samurai Vendetta
Distributed by	Daiei
Release date	1959
Country	Japan
Language	Japanese

Samurai Vendetta (薄桜記 or 'Hakuoki') is a 1959 Japanese Chambara film directed by Kazuo Mori starring Raizo Ichikawa and Shintaro Katsu, originally released by the Daiei Motion Picture Company. It is seen as a depiction of the early years of Samurai Horibe Yasubei, who was one of the "Forty-seven Ronin". The film is also known as Chronicle of Pale Cherry Blossoms, a poetic reference to the Forty-seven Ronin.

Plot

The film features Raizo Ichikawa as Tange Tanzen, and Shintaro Katsu as Yasubei Nakayama (later in life known as Yasubei Horibe), and opens with Yasubei simultaneously dueling several members of a rival school of samurai. Yasubei deftly beats his opponents, but is expelled from his school as a result so as not to create enmity between the two schools. As a similar act of goodwill, the opposing school expels their best swordsman, Tange Tanzen. After his expulsion, Tange comes across Chiharu, who at the time is under attack by feral dogs. Tange protects Chiharu (a member of the Uesagi Clan), however, the act carries with it the penalty of death due to the current Shogun's affinity for dogs. Yasubei is able to help cover up Tange's act, but only as a way to become closer to Chiharu. It is because of his hidden affection for Chiharu that Yasubei attempts to align himself with the Uesagi clan.

Yasubei's act to align himself with the Uesagi clan is seen as an act of betrayal by his previous school, and several samurai are sent after him. Tange, still feeling indebted to Yasubei because of the feral dogs, fights off Yasubei's would be assassins. Through watching Tange, Yasubei is able to ascertain that Tange may very well be his equal in sword fighting. Meanwhile Chiharu's family pressures her to take on one of her two suitors, and she chooses Tange. A heartbroken Yasubei then changes his alignment to the Asano clan, and walks away from the two over the same bridge where Tange had just come to his defense.

On Hinamatsuri, Chiharu is seen showering affection on a doll that represents Tange, who is currently away in Kyoto. Chiharu is then kidnapped by the same attackers that Tange had defended Yasubei from and is raped. Tange is unable to prevent this, and as a result the dynamic between his wife and him changes. Chiharu feeling dishonored pleads that Tange kill her; Tange ignores the request and still wants to protect her, but does not show as much attention to her as before. Eventually, Tange divorces Chiharu and resigns his post to become a ronin and hunt down the five men who brought about his current circumstances. Despite Tange's attempts to remain respectful to Chiharu's family through everything, Chiharu's brother is infuriated with Tange and cuts off his right arm. After healing, Tange becomes a street performer, challenging anyone that would face the one armed swordsman, in the hopes that the men he sought would participate.

Tange's chance for vengeance arrives, and three of the men Tange sought participate in a duel, and even though Tange is able to kill two of the five, he is shot in the leg in the process and Chiharu takes him into emergency care. The remaining three men seeking to strike Tange while he is at his most vulnerable, challenge Tange to a "fair" duel, bringing several other samurai to fight with them against the one-armed, shot in the leg Tange. Tange is able to defend himself in what can be called Raizo Ichikawa's most definitive one-against-all scenes next to his performance in the film Betrayal. Due to Tange's injuries, he is unable to participate in the assault on the Uesagi mansion by the 47 Ronin (including Yasubei) and the story closes with their final march.

Cast

• Raizo Ichikawa as Tange Tenzen
• Shintaro Katsu as Yasubei Nakayama
• Chitose Maki as Chiharu
• Ryosuke Kagawa as Reiko Fujiwara

Production

• Kazuo Mori - Director
• Kosuke Gomi - Writer
• Daisuke Itō - Writer

Film Festivals

Samurai Vendetta has been part of a number of film festivals celebrating the Chambara genre, and also careers of Raizo Ichikawa and Shintaro Katsu in the last decade.

Samurai Vendetta will be featured in the upcoming Japan Society of New York's film festival celebrating the Chambara genre during the winter 2009-2010 season.

Remake

Samurai Vendetta would be remade a short time later after Raizo Ichikawa's death, starring Hiroki Matsukata in the roll previously portrayed by Ichikawa. The remake was called Broken Swords.

External links

• Hakuoki (1959) at the Internet Movie Database.
• 薄桜記 (1959) Template:Ja icon at the Japanese Movie Database.