Kagebôshi: The Shadow Avenger

1959 1h 25m JA

🤯

10.0

MASTERPIECE

★10.0TMDB · 1

ActionHistory

Synopsis

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For the poor, Edo is Hell on Earth, starving under the rule of Tanuma Okitsugi, corrupt councilor to the shogun. But the courageous vagabond called “Kageboshi” (Shadow Avenger), will fight for the common folk, robbing the rich so the people will have rice. Tanuma’s henchmen will hire an evil swordsman to pose as Kageboshi, starting a wave of murder, kidnapping and robbery, searching for two antique sword-guards that will reveal the hiding place of a fortune in buried gold. But who will claim the gold? The poor of Edo, or the conniving Tanuma? Only Kageboshi’s flashing sword, tearing through Tanuma’s bloodthirsty minions, can forestall his wicked schemes.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Kanjūrō Arashi
Ryūzaburō Nakamura
Kinuko Obata
Jūzaburō Akechi
Ureo Egawa
Hikosaburo Kataoka
Noriko Kitazawa
Junko Ikeuchi

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Nobuo Nakagawa
Writers: Rokuhei Susukita, Jiro Fujishima, Yoshihiro Ishikawa
Languages: Japanese
Countries: Japan

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

85 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

67 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Nobuo Nakagawa, shot by Tadashi Nishimoto. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Rokurō Hara. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Shin Nagata shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Kanjūrō Arashi and Ryūzaburō Nakamura and Kinuko Obata carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt5146510 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 1 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Nobuo Nakagawa directs. Tadashi Nishimoto behind the camera. Rokurō Hara scores. Shin Nagata cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

185 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
267 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Directed by Nobuo Nakagawa, shot by Tadashi Nishimoto. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Rokurō Hara. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Shin Nagata shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Kanjūrō Arashi and Ryūzaburō Nakamura and Kinuko Obata carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt5146510 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 1 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.