A kabuki actor's face is his weapon—and his prison—in this gorgeous, bonkers 1954 revenge epic.
The first part of an entertaining historical drama depicting the eventful story of the revenge of an actor with a strange fate, with a variety of characters and exciting developments.
Acting
Chiyonosuke Azuma's dual performance as actor and infiltrator is genuinely unhinged.
Cinematography
Eye-melting Eastmancolor that makes every frame look like a feverish ukiyo-e print.
Costume
The onnagatto transformation sequences are pure visual sugar rush.
Director
Toshikazu Kono
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This adaptation of Otokichi Mikuni's popular serial helped cement the 'onnagatta avenger' archetype in postwar Japanese cinema, blending traditional kabuki conventions with Hollywood-influenced melodrama pacing.
Director Toshikazu Kono allegedly shot both parts simultaneously in just 18 days—a schedule so brutal that lead actor Azuma collapsed twice from exhaustion during the female transformation scenes.
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