is a 1968

1968 in film

The year 1968 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* October 30 - The film The Lion in Winter, starring Katharine Hepburn, debuts.* November 1 - The MPAA's film rating system is introduced.-Top grossing films :- Awards :...

 Japanese horror film, directed by Kaneto Shindō

Kaneto Shindo

, Hiroshima, Japan) is a Japanese film director and screenwriter. His best known films include Children of Hiroshima, The Naked Island, Onibaba, Kuroneko and A Last Note.Shindō has often made films dealing with Hiroshima or the atomic bomb...

. The title means "Black Cat" in English. It was placed in competition at the 1968 Cannes Film Festival

1968 Cannes Film Festival

The 21st Cannes Film Festival was held on May 10 - 24, 1968, before being cancelled due to the turmoil of May 1968 in France.Peter Lennon's documentary Rocky Road To Dublin was to be the final film screened at the festival...

, but the festival was cancelled due to the events of May 1968 in France.

Plot

In the Sengoku period

Sengoku period

The or Warring States period in Japanese history was a time of social upheaval, political intrigue, and nearly constant military conflict that lasted roughly from the middle of the 15th century to the beginning of the 17th century. The name "Sengoku" was adopted by Japanese historians in reference...

, a woman and her daughter are raped and murdered by soldiers during a time of civil war. Afterwards, a series of samurai

Samurai

is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...

 returning from the war through that area are found mysteriously dead with their throats torn out. The governor calls in a wild and fierce young hero to quell what is evidently an Onryō ghost. He encounters the two beautiful women in an eerie, beautiful scene. After spiritual purification

Ritual purification

Ritual purification is a feature of many religions. The aim of these rituals is to remove specifically defined uncleanliness prior to a particular type of activity, and especially prior to the worship of a deity...

, he meets the demon in a thrilling fight.

Cast

• Kichiemon Nakamura
  Nakamura Kichiemon II
  is a Japanese actor, kabuki performer and costume designer. He is a so-called Living National Treasure.Nakamura Kichiemon is a formal kabuki stage name. The actor's grandfather first appeared using the name in 1897; and Nakamura Kichiemon I continued to use this name until his death...
  
  : Gintoki
• Nobuko Otowa
  Nobuko Otowa
  Nobuko Otowa was a Japanese film actress. She appeared in 134 films between 1950 and 1994. She was married to film director Kaneto Shindō...
  
  : Yone (Mother)
• Kiwako Taichi
  Kiwako Taichi
  was a Japanese film actress. She appeared in 20 films between 1967 and 1985.-Selected filmography:* Kuroneko * Fire Festival -External links:...
  
  : Shige (Daughter-in-Law)
• Kei Sato: Raiko
• Taiji Tonoyama: A Farmer
• Rokko Toura: A Samurai
• Hideo Kanze
  Hideo Kanze
  was a Japanese actor and director, who specialized in the Noh form of musical drama.He was the second son of Tetsunojo Kanze VII, a descendent of Kan'ami and Zeami Motokiyo, who founded the Noh movement in the 14th century. Trained alongside his brothers by his father and grandfather, Kanze made...
  
  : Mikado
• Hideaki Esumi:
• Masashi Oki: