Samurai Reincarnation (1981)
"Makai tenshô" (original title)

The villain is called Amakusa SHIRO Tokaisada. He is actually based on a real christian samurai. The movie was one of the inspirations for the game called 'Samurai Shodown' (actual spelling)

Director:

Kinji Fukasaku

Writers:

Kinji Fukasaku, Tatsuo Nogami,

Stars:

Sonny Chiba, Kenji Sawada, Akiko Kana

2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Sonny Chiba	...	Jubei Yagyu (as Shinichi Chiba)
Kenji Sawada	...	Shiro Amakusa
Akiko Kana	...	Hosokawa Gracia
Ken Ogata	...	Musashi Miyamoto
Hiroyuki Sanada	...	Kirimaru Iga
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Yûko Asuka	...	Koga Kunoichi
Seizô Fukumoto	...	Koga Ninja
Jun Hamamura	...	Shigesaemon
Hiroshi Inuzuka	...	Shugoro
Masataka Iwao	...	Yasui Tobei
Ai Kanzaki	...	Otsuu
Naoko Kubo	...	Yajima no tsubone
Noboru Matsuhashi	...	Ietsuna Tokugawa
Noboru Mitani	...	Monk
Hideo Murota	...	Priest Inshun Hozoin

Storyline

After surviving the slaughter of many Christians 350 years ago, a samurai denounces God for ignoring the pleas of believers. He sells his soul to Satan and receives the power to resurrect the dead to join him in a murderous rampage. He is Shito: he brings to life a woman who was abused by her husband, two swordsmen who want to prove their skill, and a young man yearning for love. Shito leads them in attacks on people powerless in the face of such spirits. It's up to Jubei, the son of one of the resurrected swordsmen, to seek out a maker of swords who can fashion him with a weapon that will kill the undead. Showdowns loom.

---

Plot Keywords:

samurai | sword | showdown | undead | redemption | 

---

Genres:

Action | Fantasy | Horror

---

Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

6 June 1981 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Samurai Reincarnation

Company Credits

Production Co:

Kadokawa Haruki Jimusho, Toei Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

122 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Shiro Amakusa: The Tokugawa Shogunate is now about to end.

---

Connections

Remade as Makai tenshô (2003)

User Reviews

Exceptional

Samurai Reincarnation is my favorite film. Every aspect of this movie caters directly to my taste. And although my taste is often for the bizarre, this movie is almost always held together by great acting. The story, if you can get passed the totally strange (yet contextually wonderful) opening, is completely engrossing to anyone interested in Japanese myths, history, culture, or just really great ghost stories. Aesthetically, Samurai Reincarnation is masterly crafted. From a battlefield filled with mountains of corpses to the elaborate interior of the shogun's palace, each setting perfectly sets the stage for the story to unfold. The costumes are all beautifully designed as well. Of course, the sword fights! With characters such as the sword fighting legend Miyamoto Musashi and Jubei Yagyu, it would only be appropriate to include sword fights of the highest caliber. And that's exactly what you'll find! Everything in the movie comes together as the complete package for me, and even though it might not end up being your favorite movie, give this one a chance if anything I wrote about above interests you; it won't disappoint!

Oh, GREAT MUSIC TOO!