The boozy mercenary of the title, based on the actual historical figure of Naoyuki Ban (1567-1615), attempts to rid a haunted castle of spooks.
Direction
Kataoka's rapid-fire gag delivery still lands.
Production
Surviving print shows early anime's scrappy ambition.
Director
Yoshitaro Kataoka
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Tanuki in Japanese folklore are shapeshifting tricksters, often portrayed as comedic drunks—Danemon's opponents wink at this tradition.
Director Yoshitaro Kataoka was a leftist filmmaker whose animation career was cut short by wartime government pressure; this surviving short is a rare glimpse of his anarchic style.
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