The Hidden Blade
| The Hidden Blade | |
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DVD cover
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| Directed by | Yōji Yamada |
| Produced by | Hiroshi Fukazawa |
| Written by |
Yoshitaka Asama Yōji Yamada Shūhei Fujisawa (story) |
| Starring |
Masatoshi Nagase Takako Matsu Yukiyoshi Ozawa |
| Music by | Isao Tomita |
| Cinematography | Mutsuo Naganuma |
| Edited by | Iwao Ishii |
| Distributed by | Shochiku |
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Release date
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Running time
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132 minutes |
| Country | Japan |
| Language | Japanese |
| Box office | $8,043,781 |
The Hidden Blade (隠し剣 鬼の爪 Kakushi ken: Oni no tsume?, literally "Hidden Blade: Oni's Claw") is a 2004 film, set in 1860s Japan, directed by Yoji Yamada. The plot revolves around several samurai during a time of change in the ruling and class structures of Japan. The film was written by Yamada with Yoshitaka Asama and, like its predecessor The Twilight Samurai, based on a short story by Shūhei Fujisawa. The soundtrack is an original composition by Isao Tomita.
The film takes place in Japan in the 1860s, a time of cultural assimilation. Two samurai, Munezo Katagiri (Masatoshi Nagase) and Samon Shimada (Hidetaka Yoshioka), bid farewell to their friend, Yaichiro Hazama (Yukiyoshi Ozawa), who is to serve in Edo (present-day Tokyo) under the shogunate of that region. Though the position is desirable, Katagiri voices his concern that a man of Yaichiro’s character is likely to run into trouble. His doubts are assured when the married Yaichiro expresses an intention to indulge in Edo’s sensual pleasures while stationed there.
During dinner that evening, Katagiri’s mother reminds Samon of the financial hardships the family has endured since the death of her husband (who committed ritual suicide after a construction job gone wrong). She desires a match between Samon and Shino (Tomoko Tabata), Katagiri’s sister. Also present is Kie (Takako Matsu), the Katagiri’s housekeeper, who is schooled in etiquette and literacy. In a voiceover, Katagiri hints at an affection for Kie, but then mentions that around the same time Shino married Samon, Kie married a man of the merchant class and left the Katagiri household.
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