10 classic samurai films to watch

Samurai stories, an essential genre of the Japanese film industry since its inception, are enjoying a global resurgence lately.

The hugely successful historical series from FX and Disney Shogunproduced by and starring veteran Japanese actor Hiroyuki Sanada, it became the most awarded drama in Emmy history last month, winning in more categories in a single year than any other show in TV history. The series, a pictorial drama about the power struggle at the dawn of Japan's Edo period, has also become Disney+ and Hulu's most globally watched show ever.

Despite ShogunAfter the phenomenal success of , however, fans – and Disney content executives – will have to wait a while to hear more. Shogun was renewed for two more seasons, but the first season was based on James Clavell's best-selling 1975 novel, and the show's story arc ended right where the author's book ends. Forex and ShogunCo-creators Justin Marks and Rachel Kondo are taking a considerable risk by extending the franchise's story without any pre-existing pop-classical material to rely on — and getting another 10 episodes written, shot and ready for release could take many months. if not years (production is estimated to begin in the summer of 2025).

Luckily for the ardent fans Shogun to the cunning machinations of Japanese feudal lords, swordsmen, concubines and ladies-in-waiting, the source of samurai fiction that inspired Shogun and Clavell's book is very profound indeed. Samurai television and cinema, referred to as jidaigeki in Japanese (which translates as “period drama”), spans several subgenres and dates back over 100 years, marking the so-called golden age of Japanese cinema: the post-war period of the 1950s and 1960s, when a notable number of masterpieces were created.

To help the tide Shogun the fans are finished, The Hollywood journalist asked Tokyo International Film Festival artistic director Shozo Ichiyama to select 10 of his favorite samurai films from across the history of cinema. Ichiyama, a first-rate movie buff who says he watches about 700 films every year, is also a veteran film producer and visiting professor at the Tokyo University of the Arts. His recommendations are in alphabetical order and listed below. Good vision.

13 Assassins by Eiichi Kudo (1963)

“This is a masterpiece of the Toei Group costume dramas of the 1970s – and one that influenced the opening film of the Tokyo International Film Festival this year, Eleven rebelssays Ichiyama. 13 Assassins is set in 1844 during the Tokugawa shogunate, the end of the period following the lightly fictionalized events depicted on FX Shogun – and follows a troupe of assassins who vow to kill a dissolute Lord whose selfish and reckless conduct is bringing dishonor to the samurai class' code of honor of bushido. The story later received a critically acclaimed remake by contemporary director Takashi Miike in 2010.

Hero of the red light district by Tomu Uchida (1960)

Says Ichiyama: “A work by a master of period drama, Tomu Uchida, starring the great star Kataoka Chiezo and depicting a tragedy that takes place in the fascinating setting of Yoshiwara.” The film tells the story of a successful textile trader who is unable to find a wife due to a disfiguring birthmark on his face. When he meets an enslaved street prostitute who treats him kindly, he falls in love and vows to free and marry her, leading to his tragic downfall.

Humanity and paper balloons by Sadao Yamanaka (1937)

“This is the last work of the brilliant director Sadao Yamanaka, who died at the age of 29 during World War II,” according to Ichiyama. “The lives of various people intersect in a tenement.” A jidaigeki classic enjoyed in Japan, the film depicts the harsh realities of life under the shogunate. It is believed to have upset the country's imperial government upon his release, potentially leading to Yamanaka's assignment to the battlefront in China – where he died – as punishment for his anti-patriotic feelings. Even today, almost 90 years after its release, the film contains sharp social criticism while being an undeniably entertaining film.

Kenki by Kenji Misumi (1965)

“A play set in a beautiful rural landscape depicting the tragedy of a kind-hearted man who is groomed to become a hitman by Ichikawa Raizo, a great star of period dramas.” Misumi's work is quite well known internationally thanks to his creation of the Lone wolf and cub film series and the long-running jidaigeki saga about the blind swordsman Zatoichi. A saga of rise and fall, Kenki tells the story of a man who goes from peaceful flower growing to much darker exploits after mastering a special sword fighting technique.

Daimajin (aka Majin, monster of terror) by Kimiyoshi Yasuda (1966)

“A masterpiece of period drama inspired by the legend of the Golem,” says Ichiyama. “Its cruel depictions traumatized many children when it was published.” Part jidaiki, part tokusatsu (a genre of live-action Japanese film that relies heavily on practical special effects — Godzilla being the most famous example), Daimajin tells the story of an angry spirit (the eponymous Daimajin) sealed inside a huge ancient statue, who comes to life to help the surviving children of a slain lord.

Peony lantern by Satsuo Yamamoto (1968)

A luminous and deeply disturbing adaptation of a classic ghost story, this gothic drama set in samurai times depicts the consequences of falling in love and fraternizing with the dead (i.e., no sword can save you). The lesson here is that samurai cinema can also be disturbing beyond compare. Says Ichiyama: “A work representative of many ghost stories set in the Edo period. The ghosts floating in the air are terrifying.”

Red Lion by Kihachi Okamoto (1969)

“As Eleven banditsthis is a samurai classic that depicts the last stand of people who are tricked and deceived during the wars of the Meiji Restoration. The film stars the incomparable Toshiro Mifune, who even wears a huge, fluffy red wig, as a samurai who becomes a pawn in a political power struggle when he is sent to his hometown to announce the latest cuts emperor's taxes.

Samurai Rebellion by Masaki Kobayashi (1967)

“A true masterpiece representative of dark period dramas depicting the absurdity of feudal society,” says Ichiyama. Another Mifune protagonist: has there ever been such a bold actor? (Hint: no) — this Criterion Collection staple tells the story of a quiet swordsman forced to finally stand up to the vile injustices of his Lord. One of the undisputed greats of the golden age of Japanese cinema, Kobayashi's other beloved works include the masterpiece Samurai Harakiri (1962), epic trilogy The human condition and the deeply influential horror anthology Kwaidan (1964).

Singing lovebirds by Masahiro Makino (1939)

“A representative work of the jidaigeki musical comedy, which was produced in large numbers in the past but has since become rare.” As is well known, Makino made this fascinating film in just two weeks, when the star of another film he was shooting came down with appendicitis. The film features Takashi Shimura, best known as Akira Kurosawa's lead samurai Seven Samurai, in a sung part. Imagine a lighthearted romantic comedy set in the brutal world of feudal Japan, complete with umbrella-swinging ballet.

Throne of Blood by Akira Kurosawa (1957)

“Even though I'm aware of it Seven Samurai is the masterpiece often chosen for such lists, of which I recommend this adaptation Macbeth as the work of my representative Kurosawa,” says Ichiyama. Despite being transposed into an entirely new cultural context, Kurosawa's film – with Mifune as the bloodthirsty Macbeth, or his Japanese analogue, the samurai warrior Taketoki Washizu – is widely considered among the greatest film adaptations of Shakespeare's work (including, according to the late, great literary critic Harold Bloom, who called it “the most successful film version”).