Same concept, slightly different genre!
Jushichinin no ninja / 十七人の忍者 / Seventeen Ninja (1963)
Director: Hasegawa Yasuto
Cast: Kotaro Satomi, Otomo Ryutaro, Konoe Jushiro, Azuma Chiyonosuke, Matsukata Hiroki
Summary:
A band of ninja led by Jingoza (Otomo), must steal a scroll detailing Tokugawa Tadanaga’s plot to take the throne. However, they must deal with ninja master Saiga Magokuro (Konoe), who must protect the scroll, and Tadanaga, at all costs.
The Good Stuff:
– 17 + 1 ninja. The more ninjas the better?
– A bunch of cool ninja moves and gadgets, though not as many as the Shinobi no mono series
– Azuma plays a Tokugawa once again. I wonder why.
The Best Stuff:
– Otomo, Kotaro, Konoe. That’s a pretty cool lineup.
– Revisionist history / hypothetical possible history movies are always interesting
—
Ninjutsu gozen-jiai / 忍術御前試合 / Torawakamaru (1957)
Director: Sawashima Tadashi
Cast: Arima Koji, Fushimi Sentaro, Hori Masao, Ôkôchi Denjirô, Tsukigata Ryonosuke
Summary:
Ninja clans fight with each other. Yes, that’s about it. By the way, this is a kiddie film.
The Good Stuff:
– Magic? I guess some people like that
The Best Stuff:
– Some nice swordfights and creative ideas, that will later be realized in the sort of the same but not quite the same (actually I’ve no idea why I’m making this comparison other than the presence of a giant frog and snakedragonthing) movie, Kairyu daikessen
– You don’t need a brain or an attention span to enjoy this film yay!
—
Ninja hicho fukuro no shiro / 忍者秘著梟の城 / Castle of Owls (1963)
Director: Kudo Eiichi
Cast: Otomo Ryutaro, Ohki Minoru, Kawarazaki Choichiro, Takichiho Hizaru, Mishima Masao
Summary:
The Iga ninjas are a dying breed as Toyotomi’s rule allows Japan to experience some peace. Juzo, an Iga ninja who had vowed revenge for the death of his family, is hired by a rich weapons merchant to assassinate Toyotomi, restarting his quest for blood. In his way are rival ninja, and his once best friend who has decided to become a government vassal.
The Good Stuff:
– Lots of ninja action, with jumps, tumbling and lots of thrown sharpthingies
The Best Stuff:
– Kudo is known for having very well shot movies, and this is no exception
– Great use of depth of field in forests
– Distanced shots of fights
– That low angle with the candles in the temple–you’ll see
—
Ninja gari / 忍者狩り / Ninja Hunt (1964)
Director: Yamauchi Tetsuya
Cast: Konoe Jushiro, Yamashiro Shingo, Sato Kei, Tamura Takahiro
Summary:
The Gamo clan hire Wadakura, Shinzo, Hachi and Yajiro to protect their clan from the Koga ninja and their Shogunate masters. As the Gamo clan daimyo nears death, the Shogunate sends a letter to allow a legitimate heir to succeed him. The shogunate, however, also sends their ninjas to destroy the proclamation to allow them to abolish the clan. The four ninja hunters, who once belonged to clans that suffered similar fates, will stop at nothing to get revenge on the Koga and their leader, Yami-no-Kurando.
The Good Stuff:
– Konoe is so evil even as the protagonist
– Interesting and realistic (that is, not overly cool) final battle
The Best Stuff:
– Quite a bit of blood and brutality
– Cheezy synthy soundtrack surprisingly works!
– Lots of plots and counterplots
—
Yoja no maden / 妖蛇の魔殿 / Ninja’s Weapon (1956)
Director: Matsuda Sadatsugu
Cast: Kataoka Chiezo, Tsukigata Ryonosuke, Yamagata Isao, Hasegawa Yumiko
Summary:
Ogata Taromaru’s family is slain by the corrupt and evil Sarashina Danjo. For 10 years he trains to become a ninja, and finally sets out to extract his revenge on those that have harmed his family. On the way, he meets a youth named Tsukikage Hamanosuke, who also bears a grudge against Danjo. On their travel together they also meet Orochimaru, a mysterious ninja who seems interested in their affairs. They head for Kyoto, where Danjo now resides, to get revenge.
The Good Stuff:
– Matsuda Sadatsugu is a reliable name for chambara and action movies
– Straight up action film unencumbered by a complicated plot
– Fights are more samurai than ninja
The Best Stuff:
– A somewhat (I stress somewhat) youthful Kataoka Chiezo playing a 22 year old is HILARIOUS
– Possibly one of Yamagata Isao’s most hilarious death faces (he dies a lot you know)
3 comments
Comments feed for this article
07/09/2010 at 2:53 am
5 Random Lesser-Known Ninja Movies 01 (via some words some places) « The Couch Potato Gets A Sword
[…] 5 Random Lesser-Known Ninja Movies 01 (via some words some places) Same concept, slightly different genre! Jushichinin no ninja / 十七人の忍者 / Seventeen Ninja (1963) Director: Hasegawa Yasuto Cast: Kotaro Satomi, Otomo Ryutaro, Konoe Jushiro, Azuma Chiyonosuke, Matsukata Hiroki Summary: A band of ninja led by Jingoza (Otomo), must steal a scroll detailing Tokugawa Tadanaga's p … Read More […]
08/19/2010 at 8:19 pm
Selina
Sorry for the random posting on your blog, but I’m searching for info on a ninja movie and having trouble finding anything. I don’t have much to go on. I saw it once on television about 5 years ago, it seemed semi-recent at the time. I can’t even remember it’s nationality, but one of the defining things about it were that when the ninja’s were crawling in peoples ceilings, they would squeak to pretend they were mice as cover. Any ideas? Thank you!
01/04/2011 at 9:37 pm
artie
Kinnosuke Takamatsu was really good in this movie
http://www.japansugoi.com/wordpress/ninjutsu-gozen-jiai-1957-ninja-samurai-movie/