A ronin actor moonlights as detective while solving the case of seven vanished beauties.
The first work in the series "Cases of An Actor in Disguise" starring Kokichi Takada, based on the original work of Tatsuro Jinde. Kasumi Ippei is a popular ronin actor, and when he is not on stage he is investigating intricate crimes, in this film Ippei will solve the abduction of seven beautiful young girls.
Acting
Takada's dual swagger—stage hero and streetwise sleuth.
Costume
Elaborate disguises that would make a kabuki wardrobe jealous.
Director
Toshikazu Kono
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This launched a nine-film franchise blending kabuki theatrics with detective pulp, essentially inventing Japan's 'actor-detective' subgenre decades before Hollywood tried the same with The Pink Panther.
Director Toshikazu Kono was primarily a cinematographer, which explains the unusually dynamic camera movement for 1961 Japanese B-pictures.
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