Shogun's Samurai

130 minutesCountryJapanLanguageJapanese

Shogun's Samurai, known in Japan as The Yagyu Clan Conspiracy (Japanese: 柳生一族の陰謀, Hepburn: Yagyū Ichizoku no Inbō), is a 1978 Japanese historical martial arts period film directed and co-written by Kinji Fukasaku.^[1] The film is the first of two unrelated Fukasaku films to star Shinichi "Sonny" Chiba as Jūbei Mitsuyoshi Yagyū, the other being Samurai Reincarnation.

The film was adapted into a 39-episode TV series, The Yagyu Conspiracy (1978–1979), and two TV film remakes were released in 2008 and 2020.

^[2] In 1624, shogun Tokugawa Hidetada of the Tokugawa shogunate died at Edo Castle. Komuro Kihei, his taster, kills himself, leading to suspicion the shogun was poisoned. Hidetada's oldest son, Iemitsu, was heir, but his father disliked his appearance and stammer and preferred his second son, Tadanaga, who was bright, handsome, and admired. Hidetada's widow, Oeyo, influenced ministers such as the lord of Owari, Chief Chamberlain Doi, and Councillor Sakai, to back Tadanaga; Chamberlain Matsudaira and Lady Kasuga, leader of the harem, back Iemitsu. Scheming nobles Sanjo Saneeda and Karasuma Ayamaro hope for the government's downfall.

Ninjas hired by Doi enter the tomb and remove Hidetada's heart, but it is stolen by Akane, daughter of Yagyu, Iemitsu's fencing instructor. Yagyu determines Hidetada was poisoned and confronts Matsudaira and Kasuga. Matsudaira admits his guilt to Iemitsu, and Yagyu explains Kihei used arsenic.

Lovers Hayate and Mon become Negoro fighters reclaiming their homeland in Yamato Province, taken 20 years earlier. They receive a request, ostensibly from Tadanaga, for aid. Jubei returns as they agree, and helps them kill Koga ninja spies. Doi tells Tadanaga his father was poisoned by Iemitsu's retainers, but Matsudaira and Kasuga deny it and Iemitsu refuses to allow a post mortem. Tadanaga invites his mother to move to his estate in Suruga. Akane and her brothers meet their brother Jubei and Negoro fighters at the Tama River outside Edo. Yagyu asks Sagenta, Negoro leader, to let Mon work for him.

Doi resigns, citing illness. Iemitsu makes Matsudaira Chief Chamberlain and Yagyu Inspector General and reshuffles his cabinet to fight his brother's potential coup attempt. Nobles in Kyoto stay neutral. Bekki Shōzaemon, commander of Suruga, removes Negoro banners. Lord Date in Sendai offers his daughter in marriage to Tadanaga while Doi helps Tadanaga win lords' support. Ogasawara Genshinsai, a famous fighter, offers help in exchange for becoming fencing instructor.

The Negoro and Yagyu siblings attack Doi, but Ayamaro stops them and kills one of Yagyu's sons. Yagyu sends the female Mon to work in Kasuga's harem to guard Iemitsu. Genshinsai challenges Yagyu, who declines because he is the prince's fencing instructor, then draws his sword and cuts through the wall where Jubei is hiding, blinding his eye. Jubei also injures Genshinsai's hand before fleeing. Genshinsai seeks old apprentice Yukinojo, who performs kabuki. Yukinojo dresses as a handmaiden and attacks Iemitsu. Mon blocks the assault but is injured. Hayate brings her medicine.

The Yagyu siblings and Negoro attack Tadanaga on Minobu Road. Sagenta and Akane are killed. Yagyu sends Jubei to Kyoto to eliminate the nobles. Jubei kills Ayamaro. Saneeda meets Yagyu, who accuses him of seeking to weaken the Tokugawa and restore imperial control.

Iemitsu plans to apologize to the emperor to become shogun, but Tadanaga tries to reach the emperor first. Rifles are sent to the Negoro to attack Iemitsu at Kisei River, but they find the litter empty and are fired upon. Amano Gyobu kills envoy Sanjo but is left for dead. Tadanaga realizes it was a trap, so turns back.

Iemitsu writes to the lords denouncing Tadanaga for the attack. They side with Iemitsu, even Lord Date, who cancels the marriage. Iemitsu has Lord Ando occupy Sunpu Castle on Tadanaga's estate. Tadanaga decides to surrender to spare his men, but retainer Bekki refuses, charges Ando and is killed. Tadanaga surrenders and is exiled to Takasaki. Jubei becomes a ronin.

Okuni visits the lord of Owari at Nagoya Castle to dance. Sanza, blinded in the attack on Iemitsu, explains the attack was a trick on Iemitsu's behalf and the Negoro were never working for Tadanaga. Yagyu brings Iemitsu's orders that Tadanaka performs seppuku. Most Negoro are slaughtered by imperial soldiers. Sanza kills Okuni at her request. Genshinsai challenges Yagyu but is killed. Yubei finds the slaughtered Negoro, including his children, and Hayate and Mon explain the soldiers were led by traitor Matajuro.

Iemitsu becomes shogun. He tells his dead father he has no regrets and reassures Yagyu the Yagyu Shikage school will continue. Jubei beheads Iemitsu, then severs Yagyu's right hand. Yagyu wanders away holding the head.

Actor	Role
Kinnosuke Yorozuya	Tajima-no-kami Yagyū Munenori
Shinichi Chiba	Yagyū Jūbei Mitsuyoshi
Hiroki Matsukata	Tokugawa Iemitsu
Teruhiko Saigō	Tokugawa Tadanaga
Reiko Ohara	Izumo no Okuni
Yoshio Harada	Nagoya Sanzaburō
Etsuko Shihomi	Yagyū Akane
Nobuo Kaneko	Kujō Michifusa
Kentaro Kudo	Matajūrō Yagyū Munefuyu
Jirō Yabuki	Yagyū Samon Taira-no-Tomonori
Hideo Murota	Negoro Sagenta
Hiroyuki Sanada	Hayate
Mayumi Asano	Man
Ichirō Nakatani	Amano Gyōbu
Tetsuro Tamba	Ogasawara Genshinsai
Etsushi Takahashi	Izu-no-kami Matsudaira Nobutsuna
Isao Natsuyagi	Bekki Shōzaemon
Mikio Narita	Karasuma Ayamaro
Sanae Nakahara	Lady Kasuga
Nobuo Kaneko	Kanpaku Kujō Michifusa
Shinsuke Ashida	Oi-no-kami Doi Toshikatsu
Isuzu Yamada	Oeyo
Toshirō Mifune	Owari Dainagon Tokugawa Yoshinao

In May 2022, Discotek Media announced they licensed the film in North America under their new Nihon Nights imprint.^[3] They released it on Blu-ray on September 27, 2022 as Shogun's Samurai: The Yagyu Clan Conspiracy.

The film received five Japan Academy Prize nominations, including best actor (Kinnosuke Yorozuya), best art direction (Norimichi Ikawa), best film, best screenplay (Kinji Fukasaku, Tatsuo Nogami, Hirō Matsuda), and best supporting actor (Shinichi Chiba).^[4]

The film was adapted into a teleplay called The Yagyu Conspiracy which was broadcast by Kansai Telecasting Corporation for 39 one-hour TV episodes from 1978 to 1979.^[5] A TV movie remake starring Takaya Kamikawa as Jūbei and Hiroki Matsukata as Munenori aired on TV Asahi on September 28, 2008. A second TV movie remake starring Kōtarō Yoshida as Munenori and Junpei Mizobata as Jūbei aired on NHK BS Premium on April 11, 2020.^[6]

• Shogun's Samurai at IMDb
• Trailer for Shogun's Samurai on YouTube