One of the great stories from Japan’s rich history comes to life in this true tale of the bloody showdown between two rival yakuza gangs in the 1840’s. The battle between Boss Sukegoro of Iioka and Boss Shigezo of Sasagawa has been portrayed many times, most notably in the first Zatoichi film, where the blind man befriends the tubercular ronin Hirate Miki, before cutting him down in one of the great duels in cinema history. This all-star extravaganza pulls out all the stops, with appearances by virtually all of the great actors and actresses from Toei’s studio at the time. Ichikawa Utaemon’s portrayal of the kind-hearted, noble yakuza boss Shigezo of Sasagawa contrasts sharply with the devious Sukegoro of Iioka. Corrupt as he may have been, his men were all willing to give up their lives for him.
Credits
A Spectacular Showdown Cast
| Name |
Character |
|
Kinnosuke Nakamura
He was 26, 64 years old when he died
|
as Sunosaki no Masakichi |
|
Hiromi Hanazono
She was 18, now 84 years old
|
|
|
Tomisaburo Wakayama
He was 29, 62 years old when he died
|
|
|
Chiyonosuke Azuma
He was 32, 74 years old when he died
|
as Kiyotaki no Sakichi |
|
Kōtarō Satomi
He was 22, now 88 years old
|
|
|
Utaemon Ichikawa
He was 51, 92 years old when he died
|
as Sasagawa no Shigezo |
|
Chiezō Kataoka
He was 55, 80 years old when he died
|
as Chuji Kunisada |
|
Satomi Oka
She was 23, now 89 years old
|
|
|
Keiko Okawa
She was 22, now 88 years old
|
|
|
Hashizo Okawa
He was 29, 55 years old when he died
|
as Nadare no Iwamatsu |
A Spectacular Showdown Crew
| Name |
Department |
|
Hajime Takaiwa as Screenplay. He was 48 (89) years old when He died
|
Writing |
|
Yasushi Sasaki as Director. He was 50 (85) years old when He died
|
Directing |
|
Hiroshi Ookawa as Executive Producer. He was 62 (74) years old when He died
|
Production |
