Temposuikoden
Bloody River
- Release Date
- May, 13th, 1958
- Running Time
- 103 min
- Genre
- Feature
- Color
- -
- Screening Format
- -
[ Directed by ]
[ Cast ]
[ Staff ]
- WATANABE Kunio ── Screenplay
- SUZUKI Hyogo ── Screenplay
- MOTOYAMA Daisei ── Screenplay
[ Production Company ]
SHOCHIKU
[ Distributor (Japan) ]
SHOCHIKU
[ Story ]
In the middle of the 19th century, Sukegoro of Iioka, and Shigezo of Sasagawa, are gambling bosses whose territories in the Kashima district, divided by the River Tone are competing to increase their influence. The Sukegoro, old established, and in league with a corrupt local magistrate, Uneshiro Seki, is an officially organized police organization but unpopular because of its oppressive methods towards the people. In contrast the newly-established Shigezo group supports the weak against the strong and has become popular.
Shigezo decides to assemble gambling bosses from all over Japan for a gambling meeting and to donate all revenue to repair the famous Kashima Shrine.
However, Sukegoro, in order to do away with his rival asks Seki, the magistrate, to frustrate Shigezo's plan and in return for the favor offers to try to kidnap a courtesan and give her to him. The courtesan, Yachigusa, is in love with Shosuke, one of Shigezo's men, and narrowly escapes captures through the help of a swordsman named Miki Hirate. Hirate once the right-hand man of a great swordsman who has expelled him through his drinking habits, is now a consumptive and has left his sweetheart, Tone, to throw in his lot with the gamblers.
After failing in the attempt to kidnap Yachigusa, Sukegoro tries to provoke Shigezo without success, the gambling affair is conducted peacefully and successfully, and Shigezo's fame is enhanced. When Sukegoro arrests one of Shigezo's followers on the excuse that he is an ex-convict, and orders his men to attack the gambling house where Shosuke acts as the host, the latter, unable to see through the plot, single-handedly attacks Sukegoro's headquarters and is killed.
When Shigezo hears that Sukegoro has invaded the town of Sasaoka which is in his territory he decides to fight it out with the enemy on the banks of the Tone River. A bloody conflict ensues but this is terminated by order of the wise and influential lord, Echizenno Kami Mizuno who sentences Sukegoro and the magistrate Seki to terms of imprisonment, and hands over the police authority to Shigezo. And so the story ends happily and spring comes in full measure to the people of Kashima.
【Quoted from Unijapan Film Quarterly 1958 1.1】
[ Contact (International) ]
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