Yakuza storytellers, corrupt theatre bosses, and Joe Shishido's cheeks — Taisho-era chaos awaits.
It is the end of the Taisho era (1912-1926), and at the Hanazuki-tei theatre in Asakusa, the famous performance of storyteller Koiso Kikuji and performer Kataoka Koshin is reaching its climax when the Tawaraya family interferes... This is an entertaining action film bursting with righteousness and humanity, centred on men who try to live righteously against a corrupt boss who preys on the performers.
Direction
Masuda blends theatre spectacle with street-level brutality.
Acting
Kobayashi's righteous storyteller energy is magnetic.
Production
Taisho-era Asakusa recreated in gloriously detailed sets.
Director
Toshio Masuda
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Rakugo storytelling was experiencing a golden age in Taisho-era Asakusa; the film treats this dying art with genuine reverence while wrapping it in exploitation packaging.
Joe Shishido's surgically-altered cheekbones (done in 1957 to look more Western) were already iconic by 1969, making his casting as a yakuza enforcer a meta-commentary on artificial performance.
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