The 47 Ronin
Encyclopedia
is a 1941/1942 black-and-white two-part jidaigeki
Japanese film
directed by Kenji Mizoguchi
.
The first part was originally released in Japan
just prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor
. The film was directed by Kenji Mizoguchi
, and adapted from the play by Seika Mayama. The film chronicles the end of the lives of the Forty-seven Ronin
, which has become a (historically based) legend in Japanese history. The film was released initially in Japan in 1941, and not until much later (1960s - 1970s) in the West.
Jidaigeki
is a genre of film, television, and theatre in Japan. The name means "period drama" and is usually the Edo period of Japanese history, from 1603 to 1868. Some, however, are set much earlier—Portrait of Hell, for example, is set during the late Heian period—and the early Meiji era is also a popular...
Japanese film
Cinema of Japan
The has a history that spans more than 100 years. Japan has one of the oldest and largest film industries in the world – as of 2009 the fourth largest by number of feature films produced. Movies have been produced in Japan since 1897, when the first foreign cameramen arrived...
directed by Kenji Mizoguchi
Kenji Mizoguchi
Kenji Mizoguchi was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. His film Ugetsu won the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival, and appeared in the Sight & Sound Critics' Top Ten Poll in 1962 and 1972. Mizoguchi is renowned for his mastery of the long take and mise-en-scène...
.
The first part was originally released in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
just prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
. The film was directed by Kenji Mizoguchi
Kenji Mizoguchi
Kenji Mizoguchi was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. His film Ugetsu won the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival, and appeared in the Sight & Sound Critics' Top Ten Poll in 1962 and 1972. Mizoguchi is renowned for his mastery of the long take and mise-en-scène...
, and adapted from the play by Seika Mayama. The film chronicles the end of the lives of the Forty-seven Ronin
Forty-seven Ronin
The revenge of the , also known as the Forty-seven Samurai, the Akō vendetta, or the took place in Japan at the start of the 18th century...
, which has become a (historically based) legend in Japanese history. The film was released initially in Japan in 1941, and not until much later (1960s - 1970s) in the West.
Cast
Actors in the film include:- Chojuro Kawarasaki as Ōishi Kuranosuke (Ōishi YoshioOishi Yoshiowas the chamberlain of the Akō Domain in Harima Province , Japan . He is known as the leader of the Forty-seven Ronin in their 1702 vendetta and thus the hero of the Chūshingura...
) - Kanemon Nakamura as Sukeimon Tomimori
- Kunitaro Kawarazaki as Isogai Jurozaemon
- Yoshizaburo Arashi as daimyo Asano NaganoriAsano Naganoriwas the daimyo of the Akō Domain in Japan . His title was Takumi no Kami . He is known as the person who triggered a series of incidents retold in a story known as Chushingura, one of the favourite themes of kabuki, joruri and Japanese books and films.He was born in Edo as the eldest son of Asano...
- Daisuke KatōDaisuke Katôwas a Japanese actor who appeared in over 150 films, including Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai , Rashomon, Yojimbo , and Ikiru, and Hiroshi Inagaki's Samurai Trilogy and Chushingura.-Filmography:* Bloody Spear at Mount Fuji...
as Fuwa Kazuemon - Tokusaburo Arashi(?) 嵐徳三郎 as 奥野将監
- Ryū Ōkōchi 大河内龍 as 奥田孫兵衛
- Isamu KosugiIsamu Kosugiwas a Japanese actor and film director.-Career:Born in Ishinomaki in Miyagi Prefecture, Kosugi first studied at the Nihon Eiga Haiyū Gakkō before joining the Nikkatsu studio in 1925...
小杉勇 as 多門伝八郎 - Masao Shimizu 清水将夫 as 加藤越中守
- Utaemon IchikawaUtaemon Ichikawawas 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...
市川右太衛門 as Tokugawa Tsunatoyo - Seizaburō Kawazu as Lord Etchumori Hosokawa
- Mantoyo Mimasu as Kira Kozukenosuke
- Mitsuko Miura as Yosenin, Lady Asano, Asano's wife
- Mieko Takamine as Omino, Isogai's fiancee
See also
- The Loyal 47 RoninThe Loyal 47 Roninis a 1958 color Jidaigeki Japanese film directed by Kunio Watanabe.- Cast :* Kazuo Hasegawa as Ōishi Kuranosuke * Shintarō Katsu as Genzō Akagaki* Kōji Tsuruta as Kin'emon Okano* Raizō Ichikawa as Takuminokami Asano...
(忠臣蔵 Chushingura) - 1958 film Kunio Watanabe - Chushingura: Hana no Maki, Yuki no Maki - 1962 color film directed by Hiroshi InagakiHiroshi Inagakiwas a Japanese filmmaker most known for the Academy Award-winning Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto, which he directed in 1954.-Career:Born in Tokyo as the son of a shinpa actor, Inagaki appeared on stage in his childhood before joining the Nikkatsu studio as an actor in 1922...
- DaichūshinguraDaichushingurais a television dramatization of the events of the Forty-seven Ronin. The first episode aired on January 5, 1971, and the 52nd and final episode appeared on December 28 of the same year. The NET network broadcast it in the Tuesday evening 9:00–9:56 prime-time slot in Japan.The series featured an...
(大忠臣蔵, Daichūshingura) - 1971 television dramatization - The Fall of Ako CastleThe Fall of Ako Castleis a 1978 Japanese historical martial arts period film, directed by Kinji Fukasaku. It depicts the story of the Forty-seven Ronin...
(赤穂城断絶, Akō-jō danzetsu) (aka Swords Of Vengeance) - 1978 film by Kinji FukasakuKinji Fukasakuwas a Japanese film actor, screenwriter, and best known as a celebrated and innovative filmmaker. He was born in Mito, Ibaraki, Japan, and died in Tokyo, from prostate cancer... - Matsu no ŌrōkaMatsu no OrokaThe was part of Edo Castle. The name derives from the painted shōji that were decorated with motifs of pine trees ....
- List of historical drama films of Asia