is a 1927 black and white Japanese silent film with benshi

Benshi

were Japanese performers who provided live narration for silent films . Benshi are sometimes also called or .-Role of the benshi:...

 accompaniment directed by Sentaro Shirai. This is a significant and rare film in that it depicts the tragic fate of a Christian lord who fought for his faith in the Edo period

Edo period

The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....

. Especially noteworthy are the final scenes in which Utaemon Ichikawa

Utaemon Ichikawa

was a Japanese film actor famous for starring roles in jidaigeki from the 1920s to the 1960s. Trained in kabuki from childhood, he made his film debut in 1925 at Makino Film Productions under Shōzō Makino. Quickly gaining popularity, he followed the example of Makino stars such as Tsumasaburō Bandō...

takes on his enemy with a gash in his forehead and a wild, unkempt mane.