The Ghost of Oiwa (1961) review

THE GHOST OF OIWA 1961

Wakayama Tomisaburo (Tamiya Iemon), Fujishiro Yoshiko (Oiwa), Sakuramachi Hiroko (Osode), Jushiro Konoe (Naosuke), Sawamura Tosho (Yomoshichi), Mihara Yumiko (Oume), Fushimi Sentaro (Kohei), Atsushi Watanabe (Takuetsu)

Directed by Kato Tai

The Short Version: Toei's production of Japan's iconic tale of the macabre really goes for the throat in this unrelenting movie from obscure, but talented director, Kato Tai. His nominally faithful version features what is easily one of the most repulsive interpretations of Iemon put to film. Uncompromisingly brutal, flashes of gore intensify one of the unsung examples of vintage Japanese goosebumpers. If you are a fan of elder European horror, THE GHOST OF OIWA is an eye-opening alternative.

Iemon, a barbarous, destitute samurai is searching for his wife, Oiwa, who left him after he killed a man. Along with his greedy friend, Naosuke, the two vow to kill her father if he refuses to let her come back. Longing for the sister, Osode, Naosuke likewise plots to kill Yomoshichi, Osode's betrothed. The two men eventually realize their evil ambitions and feign a promise to avenge their deaths. A year passes and Oiwa has become ill after giving birth. Having lost interest in her, still poor and desiring money, Iemon sees opportunity when the well-off Ito family moves in next door. Having been entranced by Iemon since bumping into him on the street a year prior, Ito Kahei's beautiful daughter, Oume, wishes to be married to him. Both Iemon and the Ito family conspire to do away with Oiwa so he and Oume can marry. With so many lives unjustly felled, vengeful ghosts return to torture Iemon for his inhuman crimes.

Those who only know Wakayama as Ogami Itto, the Shogun Decapitator of the LONE WOLF films (SHOGUN ASSASSIN [1980]), should seek out this intensely faithful rendering of the oft-rendered play, Yotsuya Kaidan. Interestingly enough, Wakayama had already played the immoral Iemon once before in Masaki Mori's YOTSUYA KAIDAN from 1956. Unlike Hasegawa Kazuo's unnaturally good-natured Iemon in Misumi Kenji's same-titled interpretation for Daiei, Wakayama's second portrayal of the duplicitous ronin is so vile, it makes Shigero Amachi's venomous portrayal of Iemon in Nobuo Nakagawa's TOKAIDO YOTSUYA KAIDAN (1959) look cartoonish in comparison.

Wakayama owns the film from the first frame to the last. He plays the character with such an evaporated sense of humanity, one becomes transfixed to see the level of cruelty he'll resort to next. He murders assorted innocents without batting an eye; beats and berates Oiwa; pawns items needed to keep their baby safe; and he concocts an elaborate scheme to kill his wife and frame-up whoever is within distance. The definition of low life scum, there's not enough synonyms to accurately describe the famed actor's surly depiction of Iemon; and he's not alone in his murder plot...

Unlike other film versions of Tsuruya Nanboku's kabuki spooker, the character of Naosuke (Toshiro Konoe; also listed as Jushiro) is given more screen time. The medicine peddler's obsession with Osode is given greater emphasis; and despite being a murderer, there are a few fleeting moments that actor Konoe enables the viewer to momentarily forget his crimes. However, while Iemon just gets more devilish as the film progresses, Naosuke ultimately redeems himself. The reliance on their unholy partnership and the depths to which they sink is one of the scripting choices that makes this adaptation such a gripping piece of celluloid.

The catalog of characters seen in Misumi's deeply plotted version are either missing in Kato's film or reduced in narrative significance. The villainy is focused primarily on Iemon and Naosuke. Both of them devise an initial conspiracy to get their filthy clutches on two women--Iemon with his wife who left him after he committed a murder; and Naosuke with Oiwa's sister, Osode, whom he's lusted after for years. Iemon vows to reclaim Oiwa, citing he'll "never find a woman with such a beautiful body". Naturally, Iemon doesn't really mean this at all. He wants what he wants--and when he tires of it, he casts it aside when his attention is caught elsewhere. For the moment, he tries to persuade Oiwa's father, Samon, to coerce her return, but if that doesn't work, he has no qualms about killing the old man.

 

While this is going on, Naosuke learns Osode has been sold as an indentured servant to a brothel, but under the stipulation she won't be entertaining the clientele, so to speak. Of course, it's not long before that condition becomes null and void. Osode's fiance, Yomoshichi, is enraged by this. He intends to spend one evening with her before going off on some unspecified venture; presumably the same Yomoshichi of the wildly popular play, Kanadehon Chushingura (47 Ronin; which was often intermixed with Yatsuya Kaidan for the stage back in the day). He does so, but not before he and his friend insult Naosuke and run him off. This sets up a scenario that enables both Iemon and Naosuke to literally kill two birds with one stone.

 

Having gotten what both men wanted, Iemon and Naosuke vow, in front of Oiwa, Osode, and the corpse of Samon, her father, to avenge the old man's death--which neither will be doing since they are the killers. A year passes and Iemon and Oiwa have a child. It's at this point Iemon grows weary of Oiwa, noting that, since she's had their child, she no longer appeals to him; so it's time to get rid of her--much like you'd throw away your trash. But how to do it? 

Meanwhile, Osode, still mourning the apparent loss of Yomoshichi, steadfastly refuses to consummate her relationship with the sexually repressed Naosuke. So, even though both these despicable men have accomplished what they set out to do, they're as miserable now as they were from the start. Despite still being dirt-poor, Iemon's status as a manipulative, evil son of a bitch is about to have its bar raised. Once the much more comfortably living Ito family move in next door, opportunity soon comes knocking. From here, things turn even more disturbing and grotesque.

 

While there are some alterations, director Kato Tai's script is very faithful to the source material. One of the film's highlights is the protracted poisoning sequence. Lasting for what seems an eternity, Kato squeezes every drop of dread and horror out of it that he can. Unlike other silver screen adaptations, this cataclysmic scene plays with only the subtlest of musical accompaniment--maximizing its effectiveness. Further, Oiwa's facial disfigurement plays out familiarly, but in totally different fashion. The horror displayed is more stomach-churning than shocking. The makeup appliance is arguably the grisliest of all the mutilations of Oiwa's face in the numerous film versions. That Fujishiro Yoshiko's performance is so tortured throughout, her acting, as well as that of Wakayama, only reinforces the tragedy and human savagery, the black-hearted callousness present in the movie. But it gets even worse!

If you're familiar with the play, you know what comes next. Iemon wishes to be rid of his wife--permanently--though he can't simply divorce her over a mangled face. He needs to kill her, and quickly surmises the easiest way to do that is to frame her for adultery. To do this, he beats up, then forces Takuetsu, the old man who runs the brothel, to rape his wife. Oiwa dies after accidentally stabbing herself in the throat and Iemon intends to run his sword through Takuetsu. Begging for his life, Takuetsu reminds Iemon of Kohei, a neighbor he caught stealing medicine for his sickly mother, is still locked away in his cellar. Now possessing an alibi, Iemon then nails the two corpses to each side of a wooden frame and, along with Takuetsu, dumps them in the river.

 

The last 30 minutes (the film runs 94 minutes) is chock full of ghoulish camera trickery and spattered blood as the ghosts of Oiwa and Kohei return to drive Iemon even more insane than he already is. He ends up at a mountain hermitage where a group of monks attempt to provide the madman sanctuary from the vengeful spirits. But ghosts aren't all that are in pursuit of Iemon. Before the settling of accounts, there's one final twist. 

As faithful as the overall film is, the finale of THE GHOST OF OIWA follows suit with previous incarnations by deviating from the play, dropping an incestuous revelation, but retaining the sword duel that closes the other films.

 

The comb is once more significant as an instrument of death and revenge. Handed down from their mother, Oiwa uses it to try and make herself pretty before confronting the Ito family. As the scene unfolds, the opposite happens. The comb then acts as something of a truth receptacle. Its reappearance causes a horrified Takuetsu to confess his involvement and Naosuke to his crimes.

Just as the comb is an important accoutrement in this story, so is the use of a mirror. The classic scene where Oiwa sees her reflection has a bit of a spin added to it. In between her agonizing ordeal after taking the poison, we see the younger, beautiful Oume admiring herself in a mirror, anticipating her wedding day with Iemon. This contrasts with Oiwa staring at her deformed countenance in the mirror as she desperately tries to make herself beautiful.

Lacking the color carnage of Nobuo Nakagawa's famous rendition, Kato strikes an extremely visceral chord with the monochrome medium, garnering many benefits from its use. There are numerous instances of photographic brilliance spread throughout, but the B/W format gets an enormous amount of mileage during the last reel. The revenge is more expansive, and, especially during the last few minutes, gets a little too chaotic with the duel at the hermitage suffering slightly from some choppy editing. 

Takahashi Nakaba's music is subdued even if the violence is not. The lack of musical cues is an asset to Kato Tai's movie; but when it's required, it's effective.

 

Fans of this story should most certainly seek this version out. Those with a fondness for vintage B/W horror, particularly of the European variety, will likely find favor with Kato's film. The tone is so bleak and oppressive, this production from Toei would make a fabulously macabre comparative piece paired with Shin-Toho's TOKAIDO YOTSUYA KAIDAN (1959). Kato, a director known mainly for Yakuza movies, shows an incredible power in conveying horror with his low camera angles and prolonged scenes of despair and cruelty. THE GHOST OF OIWA (1961) should have a much bigger audience than it does.

Shokin Kubi: Isshun Hachi-nin Giri (1972) review

SHOKIN KUBI: ISSHUN HACHI-NIN GIRI 1972 aka BOUNTY HUNTER 3: EIGHT MEN TO KILL

Wakayama Tomisaburo (Shikoro Ichibei), Oki Minoru (Kanoke Tatsu), Amachi Shigeru (Azami Yajuro), Kato Sayoko (Tendo), Kawamura Maki (Omon), Endo Tatsuo (Hirutoku), Imai Kenji (Yashi Okami), Naito Taketoshi (Noro Jinnai), Uchida Asao (Hotta Bungo), Minami Toshiaki (husband with pregnant wife)

Directed by Ozawa Shigehiro

The Short Version: The director who started it all returns to close out the trilogy with a convoluted, and very violent tale of greed with a touch of revenge. A shipment of government gold has been stolen and Shikoro is hired to find it within five days before Edo's economy collapses; but it's a complicated matter as the gold has passed through a multitude of hands. The wide array of characters -- some of which are unnecessary -- is mildly confusing at times, but it's a fun journey picking over the various allegiances and double-crosses. The humor that dotted the previous entries has left the building, however. The somber tone and shocker ending may leave a sour taste in the mouths of some viewers, but the versatility of Wakayama makes for a satisfying chaser.

***WARNING! This review contains nudity***

Shikoro Ichibei undertakes the task of retrieving a half ton of government gold stolen by Yasha Okami. Used to mint currency in Edo, the longer it remains missing, the greater the threat to Edo's already unstable economy. He has five days to find it leading up to a solar eclipse. Along the way, he encounters numerous shady characters who either had the gold stolen from them, or are looking for it themselves. Among this clutch of self-serving individuals is a ruthless ex-secret service agent who will stop at nothing to lay his hands on the consignment of coins. 

The director known around the world for his ultra violent THE STREET FIGHTER (1974-1977) trilogy, returns to finish what he started with the last entry in the vastly entertaining BOUNTY HUNTER series starring Wakayama Tomisaburo. Three years had passed since the release of GONIN NO SHOKIN KASEGI (1969), a film that, while notably spectacular, deviated from the formula present in Ozawa's introductory film. With his return, some of the elements missing from part two resurface for the third, and final round.

Whereas SHOKIN KASEGI bore an historical template with which to introduce its charismatic bounty hunter spy, the second movie went for a straightforward western approach with relentless, bloody action -- totally abandoning Shikoro's spy  nuances. This final film is somewhere in the middle. It's not as bombastic as part two, nor does it possess any of the humor that enlivened either previous picture. The amount of action is likewise streamlined. SHOKIN KUBI is more rich in its characterizations, motivations, and depiction of mans innate greed. Nearly every character lusts after money, or uses sex to get more of it. The screenplay by Takada Koji (who worked on the previous pictures) and Honda Tatsuo makes this the running theme of the film.

Ozawa's movie is also far more bitter when compared with its two predecessors. Even with fewer fight scenes, the violence is ratcheted up a notch; and the ending is downbeat to put it mildly. There are a few gory scenes with arms and heads cut off, but there's also a scene (two, actually) where a man's stomach is cut open to remove gold he swallowed. One of these takes place in Shikoro's clinic (it sets the plot in motion), and the other occurs at the Koshu Mines where the film winds down before the climactic settling of accounts. This brought to mind the similar scene from DJANGO KILL... IF YOU LIVE, SHOOT! (1967), but minus the extreme cynicism of a town full of bloodthirsty "normal" folks.

Wakayama again plays Shikoro with a treasure chest full of charm and brutish intensity. Unlike the previous two movies, he goes it alone this time out. His lover Kagero from the earlier films wasn't written into the script, nor is there mention of her. The only returning character is Shikoro's female helper at his clinic, Chie. The sidekicks he had in parts 1 and 2 carries over to the third chapter, but it's a different actor and character type. Hirutoku is a filthy, hunchbacked mute Buraku who, according to one characters description, brings death wherever he goes; this holds true especially when he's accompanying Shikoro. Our bounty hunter does meet up with other assorted characters, but none are loyal to anyone outside of their own interests. Virtually no one is trustworthy here.

Omon (see above) is the type of woman who is self-absorbed and whose only care in life is money. She's the type of woman that uses her body, and men to her advantage. Upon her run-in with Shikoro, his sexual prowess wows her to the extent she's willing to stick with him a bit longer than the average male she leeches off of.

Aside from our devout bounty hunter, there are two other honorable female characters, but for different reasons between them. One is Tendo, a very young woman seeking revenge for her brothers death -- the one who initially took the gold in the first place. She is among the robbers, but little is learned about the gang. Both Tendo and Yasha Okami have righteous qualities about them, but we learn little else. 

The other is the wife of the man who ends up with all the money (see above). She's the representation of the classic dutiful wife. She loves her husband and makes an offer to the devious Omon that she'll tell her where the gold is so long as she leaves her husband alone. However, if you've seen the movie, her loyalty reaps no benefits.

With so few morally righteous persons on hand, Shikoro's emotional, philanthropic side is given more exposure. It was always there (you see a lot of it in the second film), but this third movie pushes it further. There's a bit of political subtext inserted here about how Shikoro's clinic is self-funded. His helper, Chie, makes the remark the government should be funding such establishments for the sick and the old. This is meant to slight the governments flimsy handling of taxpayer dollars, and their bewilderment as to how to run an economy; that, by leaving a government in control of the lives of the people, they know more about destroying than creating. This message is one that rings very true in our current economic climate. 

Veering away from his flat top and comb-over hairstyles of the previous two movies, Wakayama sports a perm for the last. His ladies man attitude (absent in part two) is carried over to this movie, as are his surgeon skills that played an important role in expanding the character in  GONIN NO SHOKIN KASEGI (THE FORT OF DEATH). The two scenes of him performing civic duties are played strikingly different. The first is delivering a baby; and the second is to remove gold from a slaves stomach. The former is played for mild laughs (the only such instance in the picture), and the latter is played serious, and grueling to watch. Kanoke tells him to not sew the man up, but Shikoro refuses claiming it's against his profession. 

SHOKIN KUBI is arguably the most successful entry in relaying the sort of man Shikoro really is. The first film showed him to have multiple facets to his personality -- playful, nonchalant, impertinent, and very serious. The first sequel abandoned much of that in favor of depicting him as this stern, unsmiling, yet always in control benefactor of the people. His utter disdain for government shone through occasionally, but he makes this abundantly clear throughout this second sequel. His role as Shikoro Ichibei -- particularly in this movie -- is likely among his best performances.

Of all the duplicitous characters, the most despicable would have to be Azami Yajuro, played with villainous zest by Amachi Shigeru. A former Secret Service agent, he, too, is after the gold, and doesn't care who he uses, or who dies to get his hands on it. Near the beginning when the Chief Elder and the Finance Commissioner are giving Shikoro the details of his mission, he asks why they didn't send the Shogun's Secret Police. The Commissioners response is they were all killed in the process. It's never stated, but it's reasonable to assume Yajuro was responsible for killing them all. 

Amachi was an actor of some repute in Japan having starred in a number of well known and classic films. Among his credits are Nobuo Nakagawa's THE GHOST OF YOTSUYA (1959) and JIGOKU (1960), Misumi Kenji's THE TALE OF ZATOICHI (1962), and in one of Paul Naschy's best productions,  THE BEAST AND THE MAGIC SWORD (1983). In 1985, while planning a new production, he suffered a Subarachnoid Hemorrhage (bleeding between the brain and the thin tissue that covers it) and died in hospital at 54 years of age.

The music of Sakarai Hideaki bridges its Japanese and European inspirations. The results are adequate to this reviewers ears, but nothing as impressive, or boisterous as the sounds emanating from Yagi Masao's compostions from SHOKIN KASEGI (1969). The cues here have a melancholic effect for the most part. 

Doi Junnosuke's fight choreography isn't as prominent, nor as exciting as Ueno Ryzo's from the first two pictures, but there's some variety in the action sequences; such as a jailbreak and subsequent chase, and the duel leading into the solar eclipse. The finality of the last duel is accentuated by the moon passing away from the sun -- light returns as death comes to the villain. This moment brings a false sense of assurance, though. It's not over yet, and the actual ending is anything but upbeat. 

With the trilogy wrapped up, this wasn't the end of Shikoro Ichibei. In 1975 a television series premiered about his exploits. The film series is unique with each film standing out in its own way. SHOKIN KUBI is the least interesting in the action department, but it excels past the others when expanding on its title hero, making him a man of the people more than the previous two pictures did. Fans of Wakayama and the director should be very satisfied with this samurai trifecta. Director Ozawa will always be recognized for his three Sonny Chiba outings, but his beginning and ending entries in this astonishingly entertaining trilogy are arguably worthier pictures, if not deserving of equal attention and merit.

You can buy the DVD, or the box set HERE and HERE.