Set in Osaka's Shinsekai, the film depicts the lives of Ayumu Tobita (Hidekazu Akai), who makes a living as a shogi gambler (shinken-shi), and Ryuzo Kayama (Masaya Kato) who aims to become a professional player.
Acting
Hidekazu Akai's weathered stillness—he IS the smoky room.
Direction
Sakamoto makes shogi matches feel like knife fights.
Production
Shinsekai as character: neon decay and stubborn pride.
Director
Junji Sakamoto
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Shinken-shi were real underground figures in postwar Osaka—professional gamblers who lived outside both yakuza and legitimate society. The film captures a dying subculture.
Tomisaburō Wakayama, the legendary Zatoichi actor, plays against type as a broken former master. It was one of his final roles; he died the following year.
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