Shinobi no mono
A Band of Assassins
- Release Date
- December, 1st, 1962
- Running Time
- 105 min
- Genre
- Feature
- Color
- Monochrome
- Screening Format
- -,HDCAM SR
- Screen Size
- Cinema Scope (1:2.35)
[ Directed by ]
[ Cast ]
[ Staff ]
- TAKAIWA Hajime ── Screenplay
- MURAYAMA Tomoyoshi ── Original Story
- WATANABE Chumei ── Music
[ Production Company ]
DAIEI
[ Distributor (Japan) ]
DAIEI
[ Story ]
In the 1570's there were many martial artists expert in the occult, including Goemon Ishikawa, grouped under two leaders, Sandayu Momochi and Nagato Fujibayashi, who lived in two different forts.
General Nobunaga Oda had almost unified the country but those who practiced the occult and believed their art originated from Buddhism were against him.
Sandayu Momochi and Nagato Fujibayashi order their men to kill the General, but the would-be assassins are caught by Oda's men and killed. Goemon Ishikawa is not sent on the assassination mission but Sandayu makes him his personal assistant, and to help his young wife Inone, who falls in love with him.
When Goemon and Inone are surprised by Hata, the maid, who is
also in love with Goemon, he tries to run away from the fort, while Inone follows him and falls into a well to her death. Goemon is caught by Sandayu, who orders him to go to Kyoto and kill Oda if he would be spared from being put to death.
Goemon shadows Oda to Sakai where he is anxious to buy guns from Portugal. Here he meets a prostitute named Maki, and decides to marry her. After being saved from police by Hata, the maid at Momochi Fort, learns from her that an arrow was found in Inone's body and that his father was murdered by Sandayu for his formula for making gunpowder.
When Goemon tells Sandayu that he is going to renounce occultism Sandayu tries to kill him but he escapes, and leads a quiet life with Maki.
While away from his hut, he is stopped by Sandayu who tells him that Yozo, his henchman, is ready to kill Maki, unless he leaves instantly for Azuchi, General Oda's new headquarters.
At Azuchi Goemon makes a small hole in the ceiling of Oda's bedroom and drops a silk string containing poison into the general's mouth. But Oda does not die and is soon on his way to lga, determined to exterminate the occultists. Goemon hurries back to lga, to find both forts burned down, and when he finds the body of Sandayu he recognizes it as being also that of Nagato Fujibayashi. Now that his two in one
master is dead, Goemon is finally free to enjoy peace with Maki.
【Quoted from the database of Kadokawa Corporation】
【Quoted from Unijapan Film Quarterly 1963 6.2】
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