Ninja, a Band of Assassins (1962)

Ishikawa Goemon (Ichikawa Raizo), a talented young ninja, becomes ensnared in a twisted scheme to assassinate Oda Nobunaga, an evil warlord bent on ruling feudal Japan with an iron fist. ... See full summary »

Director:

Satsuo Yamamoto

Writers:

Tomoyoshi Murayama (novel), Hajime Takaiwa

Stars:

Raizô Ichikawa, Shiho Fujimura, Yûnosuke Itô

2 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Raizô Ichikawa	...	Ishikawa Goemon
Shiho Fujimura	...	Maki
Yûnosuke Itô	...	Sandayû Momochi
Katsuhiko Kobayashi	...	Nobuo Oda
Tomisaburô Wakayama	...	Oda Nobunaga (as Jô Kenzaburô)
Yôko Uraji	...	Hinona
Reiko Fujiwara	...	Hata
Chitose Maki	...	Tamo
Kyôko Kishida	...	Inone
Takeshi Katô
Kô Nishimura	...	Kizaru
Yutaka Nakamura
Kuniichi Takami	...	Kôtarô
Toshio Chiba
Sônosuke Sawamura

Storyline

Ishikawa Goemon (Ichikawa Raizo), a talented young ninja, becomes ensnared in a twisted scheme to assassinate Oda Nobunaga, an evil warlord bent on ruling feudal Japan with an iron fist. Deceit, treachery, and entire gangs of enemy ninja lurk around every corner as Goemon travels the countryside to complete his task, win back his honor, and save his skin!

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Plot Keywords:

ninja | ichikawa goemon | jidai geki | well | secret room | 

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Genres:

Action | Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

1 December 1962 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Ninja 1

Company Credits

Production Co:

Daiei Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This movie was seen in Japan in 1963 by author Roald Dahl, from which he got several ideas for the writing of the screenplay to the James Bond movie You Only Live Twice (1967). The scene where Goemon attempts to assassinate Nobunaga with poison was referred to in "You Only Live Twice" and "Grosse Pointe Blank". Several scenes shows Nobunaga petting his cats. This is also done by the villain Blofeld in "You Only Live Twice".

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Quotes

Kotaro: Goemon, what does a ninja live for?
[Continues]
Kotaro: Starting as a innocent toddler, he must endure hard training in ninjutsu... then he's sent to serve some warlord in the east or some daimyo in the west... and does so knowing that his life is always at risk. If he is captured, he must endure exquisite tortures, and yet not divulge the truth. Rather than disclose his name, he will intently seek death instead. When escape is no longer possible...
Ishikawa Goemon: [Goemon continues] "He will burn his face with fire... ...

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Connections

Followed by Shinobi No Mono 3: Resurrection (1963)

User Reviews

A Nutshell Review: The Ninjas

I suppose many of us would have loved the romanticism associated with ninjas, with their famed skills of invisibility, swordsmanship, cunning and a whole host of weaponry and gadgets that add to their element of surprise. If you'd think you know a lot of their modus operandi, then perhaps The Ninjas, aka Shinobi No Mono, would contribute to that wealth of knowledge, and at the same time dispel some of the myths and stories that add to the stature of these masked assassins.

If you'd wonder what a ninja does when out of his mask, then the film would have painted a rather mundane picture of the practicing ninjas, who hone their skills in enclaves, and frankly look no more like your usual Samurais, except sans status, and honing their skills ala rebels in hiding at their fortified base, and being skilled assassins for hire to Samurais who need someone to do their dirty work for them (yes, even back then you can outsource your dirty laundry), as they themselves are bounded by the honor code of bushido.

The movie doesn't waste time in building up a proper background, but throws you thick into the action. With characters loosely adapted from history, you have Oda Nobunaga, a ruthless warlord on rampaging victories across Japan in an effort to unify the country. Needless to say such aggression doesn't sit well with the able bodied, and 2 clans of ninjas are pitted against each other to see who can carry out a successful mission to stop the warlord. The story centers upon Goemon (Raizo Ichikawa), an up and coming, though ambitious and impatient ninja, who is recognized and granted a promotion (to the back office, away from the battlefield, as an accountant!) but in a moment of lustful folly, becomes the pawn of his master Sandayu (Yunosuke Ito), pledging his life to his master's bidding.

So begins Goemon's mission, which includes a ruining of his reputation, and committing acts which defy even the ninja's code of conduct (yes there is one!). In fact, we learn and observe many rules and regulations of ninja-dom, what with the need to disfigure oneself prior to death, and how torture must be endured and death always an option. All these get interpreted through Goemon's ultimate shame in living with his guilt, up until he meets a prostitute called Maki (Shiho Fujimura), who gives him new cause to live, setting the stage for the truth of his double-headed master to be revealed.

Shinobi No Mono was credited as the first film to popularize the ninja series of films, and had relatively low key special effects, decided to root itself in more realistic elements, rather than have things like tunnelling through sand dunes, and blink and you miss puffing of smoke. Secret passages, booby traps, poison and darts still remain staple, but don't expect any fancy swordplay as targets get dispatched rather quickly. If you're looking for a climatic ending, then you'll likely be sorely disappointed, as everything goes into a big shebang, lacking in any mano-a-mano opportunities.

That said, this film is still rather enjoyable for its shedding of light on these mysterious group who operate in the shadows, and it's not always they have to dress up in black for their operations. It'll look rather dated, but somewhat a refreshing change from current films in its presentation sans the easy way out using tons of computer aided imagery.