Chambara Television
Posted: Sat Sep 19, 2015 12:00 -0700
Not too long after I started reading Usagi Yojimbo, I started looking for similar material in comics (Lone Wolf & Cub), books (Shogun, Musashi, etc), and films (Seven Samurai, Yojimbo, Sword of Doom, etc) because I was interested in seeing the sources which influenced Stan Sakai, but also because I was really intrigued by the setting and culture. In the years since I started reading Usagi yojimbo, I have accumulated a nice collection of jidai geki and chambara films on DVD, as well as quite a few television series. This genre of films was extremely popular up to the late 60's, which was when television started to become more common and the genre quickly made the jump to that medium. During the 70's and 80's, the samurai flourished on Japanese television, with some series spanning multiple decades and actually running over a thousand episodes.
This is just a brief introduction to some of the series which are available in whole or in part with English subtitles.
TOSHIRO MIFUNE
Ronin in the Wilderness / Ronin of the Wasteland (Koya no Surronin) 1972
Continuing the tradition of the Yojimbo movies, Mifune Toshiro stars as Toge Kujuro, a wandering ronin searching for his own fame and happiness. With a sense of justice, he travels the countryside, with his motley collection of outcasts - a pistol-carrying ronin, a two-bit con artist and woman seeking revenge, following close behind, unwittingly righting wrongs and protectin the common man. Eleven episodes with subtitles.
Five Freelance Samurai (Gonin no Nobushi) 1968
In 1560, during the Warring States Era in Japan, a master swordsman returns to his place of birth on a mission to take revenge for the brutal slaughter of his family by the most ambitious warlord in the region. Mifune Toshiro stars in this powerful TV series as the leader of a group of “Nobushi” (Freelance Samurai) who travel about the country righting wrongs and standing up for those oppressed by the unscrupulous leaders who each want to rule the entire nation. Produced by and starring the peerless Mifune Toshiro! Four episodes with subtitles.
Ronin in a Lawless Town (Muhougai no Suronin) 1976
A wildly unusual story set in the earliest days of the Meiji era. The story centers around a gathering place called The Mermaid Saloon, where scantily clad pearl divers put on a show while two residents of the inn upstairs fight corruption and evil while Japan goes through major changes in order to deal with the world at large. The port city of Yokohama is filled with Western influences as well as money hungry military officers work hand in hand with corrupt merchants in trying to take over the town. The only people who stand in their way are Mr. Dandy (Mifune), a samurai of the old school, complete with sword and kimono and Chidori Gennosuke (Wakabayashi) who carries a pistol and dresses in Western garb (looking much like Bat Masterson as portrayed by Gene Barry in the old US television series). Chidori is suspected of being a government spy, and Mr. D is a man of mystery as well. Surrounded by a number of regulars, this is an exciting series with many twists and turns. Nine episodes with subtitles.
Epic Chushingura (Daichushingura) 1971
A television dramatization of the events of the 47 Ronin. The first episode aired on January 5, 1971, and the 52nd and final episode appeared on December 28 of the same year. The series featured an all-star cast. The central actor was MIFUNE Toshiro, who portrayed Oishi Kuranosuke. The co-lead in the production (and Oishi's main adversary) Uesugi clan's chief councilor Chisaka Hyobu was played by the great TANBA Tetsuro. Many actors appeared as guest stars in only a few episodes. Among them were many known to audiences outside of Japan. These included: NAKAMURA Kinnosuke as Wakisaka Awaiji-no-kami, SHIMURA Takashi, and superstar KATSU Shintaro as Tawaraboshi Genba (the role that Mifune played in the 1962 Inagaki film).
Episodes 1-52 on 26 DVDs tell the story in its most accurate and artistic way. Each episode has the quality of a full motion picture with intricate stories and heart-stopping action as the leader of the group Oishi Kuranosuke must contend not only with the plots and machinations of the vile Lord Kira and the central government, but he faces much discord from within as the younger members fail to understand the true meaning of what they must accomplish. Similar to a Taiga Drama in the year-long format of 52 episodes, this series is much more than that. Powerful beyind compare, available for the first time ever in its entirety! fifty two episodes with subtitles.
This is just a brief introduction to some of the series which are available in whole or in part with English subtitles.
TOSHIRO MIFUNE
Ronin in the Wilderness / Ronin of the Wasteland (Koya no Surronin) 1972
Continuing the tradition of the Yojimbo movies, Mifune Toshiro stars as Toge Kujuro, a wandering ronin searching for his own fame and happiness. With a sense of justice, he travels the countryside, with his motley collection of outcasts - a pistol-carrying ronin, a two-bit con artist and woman seeking revenge, following close behind, unwittingly righting wrongs and protectin the common man. Eleven episodes with subtitles.
Five Freelance Samurai (Gonin no Nobushi) 1968
In 1560, during the Warring States Era in Japan, a master swordsman returns to his place of birth on a mission to take revenge for the brutal slaughter of his family by the most ambitious warlord in the region. Mifune Toshiro stars in this powerful TV series as the leader of a group of “Nobushi” (Freelance Samurai) who travel about the country righting wrongs and standing up for those oppressed by the unscrupulous leaders who each want to rule the entire nation. Produced by and starring the peerless Mifune Toshiro! Four episodes with subtitles.
Ronin in a Lawless Town (Muhougai no Suronin) 1976
A wildly unusual story set in the earliest days of the Meiji era. The story centers around a gathering place called The Mermaid Saloon, where scantily clad pearl divers put on a show while two residents of the inn upstairs fight corruption and evil while Japan goes through major changes in order to deal with the world at large. The port city of Yokohama is filled with Western influences as well as money hungry military officers work hand in hand with corrupt merchants in trying to take over the town. The only people who stand in their way are Mr. Dandy (Mifune), a samurai of the old school, complete with sword and kimono and Chidori Gennosuke (Wakabayashi) who carries a pistol and dresses in Western garb (looking much like Bat Masterson as portrayed by Gene Barry in the old US television series). Chidori is suspected of being a government spy, and Mr. D is a man of mystery as well. Surrounded by a number of regulars, this is an exciting series with many twists and turns. Nine episodes with subtitles.
Epic Chushingura (Daichushingura) 1971
A television dramatization of the events of the 47 Ronin. The first episode aired on January 5, 1971, and the 52nd and final episode appeared on December 28 of the same year. The series featured an all-star cast. The central actor was MIFUNE Toshiro, who portrayed Oishi Kuranosuke. The co-lead in the production (and Oishi's main adversary) Uesugi clan's chief councilor Chisaka Hyobu was played by the great TANBA Tetsuro. Many actors appeared as guest stars in only a few episodes. Among them were many known to audiences outside of Japan. These included: NAKAMURA Kinnosuke as Wakisaka Awaiji-no-kami, SHIMURA Takashi, and superstar KATSU Shintaro as Tawaraboshi Genba (the role that Mifune played in the 1962 Inagaki film).
Episodes 1-52 on 26 DVDs tell the story in its most accurate and artistic way. Each episode has the quality of a full motion picture with intricate stories and heart-stopping action as the leader of the group Oishi Kuranosuke must contend not only with the plots and machinations of the vile Lord Kira and the central government, but he faces much discord from within as the younger members fail to understand the true meaning of what they must accomplish. Similar to a Taiga Drama in the year-long format of 52 episodes, this series is much more than that. Powerful beyind compare, available for the first time ever in its entirety! fifty two episodes with subtitles.
