Member Gaijin84 Posted January 3, 2017 Member Share Posted January 3, 2017 I haven't seen a lot of information on this series in English, so I thought I'd just post a quick synopsis of each episode and a break down of the main actors/actresses in each one. It will be an ongoing process as I find more information and are able to identify the people involved. Hope people find it interesting and are inspired to watch it, and please feel free to correct me on any problems or let me know of additional information that I can add (actor identification). As a side note, there were 27 episodes originally in the series, but the 2nd episode was eliminated from the DVD releases. I was able to find a copy of it on YouTube, albeit in Italian, but the actors involved and the plot is easily discernible. So although the episodes listed may appear to be out of order, they are actually as originally released on TV. The main actors are: Yorozuya Kinnosuke (萬屋錦之介) as Ogami IttoKazutaka Nishikawa (西川和孝) as Ogami Daigoro Koji Takahashi (高橋幸治) as Yagyu Retsudo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Gaijin84 Posted January 3, 2017 Author Member Share Posted January 3, 2017 Episode 1 - My Son and My Sword for Hire (子貸し腕貸しつかまつる) [directed by Terou Ishii] Ogami Itto is hired by a brothel woman who wants to take revenge on a deputy lord that killed her husband and had her raped on her wedding night. In order to get to the lord, Itto must get past his two main henchmen, one who uses a pair of pistols (Junai) and the other who is a master of the staff (Geki). Totally outnumbered, Itto is willing to use any trick in the book, no matter how underhanded, to complete the contract. Kiwako Taichi (太地喜和子) as Usuginu Eiji Okada (岡田英次) as Deputy Lord Kenmotsu Sugito Miyoko Akaza (赤座美代子) as Osen Nobuo Kawai (川合伸旺) as Stick User Geki Furizue Hiroshi Tanaka (田中浩) as Pistol Junai Matsuk Hideo Kidokoro (城所英夫) as Genza Hikichi, the Lord Deputy's second in charge Jiro Okazaki (岡崎二朗) as Yashichi Shindo, Usuginu's husband. Hyoma Katagiri, leader of a rebel group Brothel owner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Gaijin84 Posted January 4, 2017 Author Member Share Posted January 4, 2017 Episode 2 - Street Performer Oyuki aka Oyuki of the Gomune (乞胸お雪) [directed by Kazuo Ikehiro] {based on the manga chapter "Performer"} Itto comes across Oyuki, a tattooed female bodyguard who has left her position and is wreaking havoc within a corrupt lord's territory. She is the daughter of a small village's leader, and has been trained/brainwashed by a high-ranking sword master. She decides to confront her teacher with the help of Itto. This is the same story that made up a majority of the fourth entry in the movie series, "Baby Cart in Peril." Yuko Katagiri (片桐夕子) as Oyuki Asao Uchida (内田朝雄) as Oyuki's father Akira Hamada (浜田晃) as the lord Takeshi Kato (加藤武) as Oyuki's master Masao Imafuku (今福将雄) as the tattoo artist Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Gaijin84 Posted January 4, 2017 Author Member Share Posted January 4, 2017 Here is the episode (in Italian) but seemingly uncut (nudity) Lone Wolf and Cub TV Episode 2 It's a shame that this was cut from the DVD releases, it has some of the best sword fights I've seen. Very fast and efficient. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Gaijin84 Posted January 4, 2017 Author Member Share Posted January 4, 2017 Episode 3 - Fangs of the Wolf (鳥に翼 獣に牙) [directed by Kazuo Ikehiro] {based on the manga chapter "Wings to the Bird, Fangs to the Beast"} Looking for a hot spring, Lone Wolf and Cub arrive in a town that has been taken over by a group of ronin who are terrorizing all the citizens. He has his sword taken from him and is housed with a group of travelers that are stuck in the town. While there, a sadistic throwing knife-wielding ronin makes Itto publicly sleep with a prostitute in order to save her life. It turns out that a majority of the travelers are a posse that are there to take out the ronin, but they decide to band together to eliminate Itto and collect the reward that is on his head. The story here is the same as the one that appears in the first film, Sword of Vengeance. Rin'ichi Yamamoto (山本麟一) as Nyudo Sera, leader of the ronin Yukie Kagawa (賀川雪絵) as Osen the prostitute Renji Ishibashi (石橋蓮司) as Monnosuke Izumi Sotaro Ibuki (伊吹聡太朗) as Sakon Shigarami, ronin Kenji Todoroli (轟謙二) as Ikkaku Shiasu, Eto clan head Makoto Miyajima (宮島誠) as Jinza Shimotsuki, Eto clan member Ryuji Yoshida (吉田柳児) as Jyosui Minazuki, Eto clan member Ginji of Keima, Eto clan member Sakae Umezu (梅津栄) as Tatsunoichi the blind masseuse Rō Ose (小瀬朗) as Kinpachi, the monkey trainer Ukyo Jyuro, Eto clan member Tanba Samidare, Eto clan member Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Gaijin84 Posted January 6, 2017 Author Member Share Posted January 6, 2017 Episode 4 - Ikkoku-Bashi Bridge (一石橋) [directed by Makito Takai] {based on the manga chapter "One Stone Bridge"} Itto is ambushed by Yagyu assassins in a roadside cottage and manages to prevail with the sacrifice of a fellow traveler. Unfortunately Itto is poisoned in the process, and takes refuge in a primitive shelter along the road. Daigoro is forced to care for his father by getting food and water from the nearby river. A passing lord and his wife notice Daigoro and try and help him, but the Yagyu arrive and again attempt to kill Itto to no avail. Still sick, he travels alone to find the wife of the man that helped him at the ambush, leaving Daigoro to fend for himself. The lord and his wife take Daigoro in to help them deal emotionally with the earlier death of their own son. Itto finds himself in the middle of an escalating conflict while Daigoro resists becoming attached to his new "family." Akira Nagoya (名古屋章) as the Lord Oribe Kagami Junko Maya (真屋順子) as Miyo, the lord's wife Shuntaro Emi (江見俊太郎) as Hyogo Iwane, Yagyu clan assassin Masaaki Yana (簗正昭) as Seikichi Maya Kitajima (北島マヤ) as Ofumi, Seikichi's wife Michio Kida (木田三千雄) as Yahei, the lord's assistant Shozo Inagaki (稲垣昭三) as Ryohan the doctor Kiku the maid Minoru Hirano as Kijuro Hayashido, a police officer Shizuo Chujo (中条静夫) as Shuma Kamiya, senior police officer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Gaijin84 Posted January 6, 2017 Author Member Share Posted January 6, 2017 Episode 5 - Highway of Assassins aka Assassin's Path (刺客街道) [directed by Minoru Matsushima] {based on the manga chapter "Tidings of the Geese"} Itto is hired by the Hotta clan, whose leader has been declared insane by the government in order to silence his protestations about rampant corruption. Because he continues to speak out, his clan members are afraid the Yagyu will be sent in to assassinate Lord Hotta before long. This sets up the "origin story" for Itto and Daigoro Ogami and how they came to their current situation. Itto accepts the Hotta clan's job and promptly dispatches of the Yagyu clan assassins cross his path. The majority of the story is the same flashback that appears in the first in the film series, Sword of Vengeance. Kōji Takahashi (高橋幸治) as Retsudo Yagyu Noboyuki Katsube (勝部演之) as Kurando Yagyu Rumi Matsumoto (松本留美) as Ogami Azami Yoshiro Aoki (青木義朗) as Bizen no kami Yagyu Genya Nagai (永井玄哉) as Senior Hotta clan member Goro Tarumi (垂水悟郎) as Ichirobee Ando, Hotta clan member Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Gaijin84 Posted January 6, 2017 Author Member Share Posted January 6, 2017 Episode 6 - The Lowly Maid (お末無情) [directed by Terou Ishii] {based on the manga chapter "Tragic O-Sue"} In the middle of a blizzard, Itto and Daigoro witness a man get shot in the middle of an open field. Fearing they'd be seen finishing him off, the group responsible flees and Itto is able to rescue the man and his daughter and bring him back to an abandoned house. Running a fever, a weakened Itto removes the bullet from the man and Daigoro goes to get him medicine from the nearest town. Jinzaemon Taura and his daughter Mine implore Itto to kill the man responsible for him being shot, Tanomo Takizawa, who is looking to eliminate Jinzaemon and assume his chief retainer position. Daigoro runs into issues on his return trip, first with a cruel loan shark who deals in human trafficking and then when Lord Takizawa's bratty son accuses him of stealing a kite. Things come to a head when Daigoro is locked up by the Takizawa family and Itto accepts the Taura's proposal, hunting down Takizawa and his clan. Kayo Matsuo (松尾嘉代) as Mine Taura Nobuo Nakamura (中村伸郎) as Jinzaemon Taura Eriko Ishikawa (石川えり子) as Omatsu Kyuzo Kawabe (川辺久造) as Tanomo Takizawa Chieko Murata (村田知栄子) as Lady Omura Masatoshi Nishiwaki (西脇政敏) as Shinnosuke Takizawa Ryuji Hirota (廣田龍治) as Shindo, Takizawa's guard Saburo Hiromatsu (弘松三郎) as Ukyo Aikawa, Takizawa's guard Sachiko Kozuki (上月左知子) as Kanae, Takizawa's wife Shiro Otsuji (大辻司朗) as Takichi the loan shark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Gaijin84 Posted January 6, 2017 Author Member Share Posted January 6, 2017 Episode 7 - Amya and Anema {aka Maiden and Tramp} (あんにゃとあねま) [directed by Makito Takai] {based on the manga chapter "The Virgin and the Whore"} Daigoro befriends a young girl that has been sold into prostitution under the Kigoroshi yakuza. After she accidentally kills her recruiter, she escapes with the help of Itto but is eventually tracked down by the clan. Itto decides to take the punishment for her and then confronts the clan's female leader with his actual mission. This story also makes up a portion of the third Lone Wolf and Cub film, Baby Cart to Hades. Yuko Hama (浜木綿子) as Torizo, head of the Kogarashi clan Keiko Takeshita (竹下景子) as Omatsu Takanobu Hozumi (穂積隆信) as Monkumatsu, Omatsu's recruiter Teruo Matsuyama (松山照夫) as Government Official Goro Fukuchi (福地悟朗) as Yahei, Onui's father Katsue Doi (土井かつえ) as Onui Keiko Aikawa (相川圭子) as Osaki Iwao Dan (団巌) as Risaburo, Kogarashi member Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Gaijin84 Posted January 10, 2017 Author Member Share Posted January 10, 2017 Episode 8 - The Guns of Sakai (堺筒) [directed by Shoten Matsuo] [based on the manga chapter of the same name} The Yagyu clan, realizing Itto's ability, starts to test guns in order to gain an upper hand. They covertly hire Itto to kill Shichirobei Enokiya, a government-paid gun maker from Sakai who they accuse of selling guns to unauthorized buyers. Itto senses a trap but accepts the job in order to get more information. It turns out that Shichirobei is developing an automatic rifle and local Osaka rivals want the plans to themselves. Before Itto dispatches of Shichirobei, he allows him to pass the plans to a disciple who in turn develops the gun for Itto after he finds out he is marked for death as well. The confrontation between the Osaka officials and Itto with his newly completed machine gun has predictable results. Asao Koike (小池朝雄) as Shichirobei Enokiya Toru Emori (江守徹) as Tohtaro, Shichirobei's disciple Sally Mei (サリー・メイ) as Okinu Hiroshi Kondo (近藤宏) as Geki Inoue Hitoshi Takagi (高木均) as Chozaemon Hiroyuki Nishimoto (西本裕行) as Momozo, Shichirobei's disciple Shoichiro Maruoka (丸岡将一郎) as Kokichi, Shichirobei's disciple Yagyu clan official Yagyu clan official Masao Takamatsu (高松政雄) as rival gun maker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Gaijin84 Posted January 10, 2017 Author Member Share Posted January 10, 2017 Takuma's informative post Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Gaijin84 Posted January 10, 2017 Author Member Share Posted January 10, 2017 Episode 9 - Kanjyo Style {aka The Castle Wall Attack} (干城殺陣) [directed by Tokuzo Tanaka] As seems to occur more often, Itto is attacked at random in order to test his prowess and reputation. This time it is by members of the Iwakidaira clan, determined to ward off an intrusion by the Kuze region into their territory. Itto is hired to kill Kuze's Lord Yamashironokami as well as all followers of the Kurokuwa clan, a shadow organization that does the dirty work for the Shogun when needed. Itto accomplishes his initial task rather easily, but runs into trouble later dispatching of the Kurokuwa members. A moment of weakness on Itto's part for his ever filial son Diagoro leads to a potentially disastrous situation. Jun Negami (根上淳) as the leader of the Iwakidaira clan Jūkei Fujioka (藤岡重慶) as Hanroku, leader of the Kurokuwa Mari Shiraki (白木万理) as the woman who befriends Daigoro Hojo Jutaro (北城寿太郎) as Lord Yamashironokami Takashi Totsuka (戸塚孝) as Kurokuwa lieutenant Kurokuwa lieutenant Hajime Kimura (木村元) as Kurokuwa squad leader Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Gaijin84 Posted January 12, 2017 Author Member Share Posted January 12, 2017 Episode 10 - Six Realms of Hell {aka Six Roads to Infinity} (六道無辺) [directed by Shoten Matsuo] In one of the best episodes so far, more of the backstory to the Ogami/Yagyu clan feud is revealed. Having defeated the Kurokuwa plot, the Yagyu clan members confront Retsudo and plead to attack Itto in force to end his massacres. Retsudo refuses, saying only a select few can defeat Itto, namely himself and his son Gunbei who is currently on a mission assassinating Tokugawa rivals in the north. Upon Gunbei's return, we get a flashback to Itto and his original duel years before to decide who would become the Shogun's executioner. Through a deft manuever and a breach of protocol, Itto claims the position, earning the wrath of the entire Yagyu clan. Itto also earns the trust of one of the Shogun's top lords, Suwa Matsudaira, who is investigating the Yagyu clan and their increasing quest for power within the shogunate. Meanwhile, Retsudo manages to have the duel between his Yagyu Shinkage-ryu and Itto's Suio-ryu staged again, this time with devastating results. We flash forward to Gunbei returning from the north and challenging Itto again while Retsudo watches from a distance. Essential viewing for a clearer picture of the conflict between Itto and Retsudo. Kōji Nanbara (南原宏治) as Gunbei Yagyu and Gorouza Toda Mizuho Suzuki (鈴木瑞穂) as Lord Suwa Matsudaira Akira Kume (久米明) as Lord Abe Akira Nagoya (名古屋章) as Ozumi Iwane The Shogun Seiji Endo (遠藤征慈) as Koroku Horio, Yagyu member Jo Kurashima (倉島襄) as Takayama, Yagyu member Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Gaijin84 Posted January 12, 2017 Author Member Share Posted January 12, 2017 Episode 11 - Baby Cart at the River Styx (三途の川の乳母車) [directed by Minoru Matsushima] {based on the manga chapter of the same name} Itto is hired to assassinate a corrupt lord's successor and is subsequently thrust into the middle of a feud between Yakuza clans. Itto crosses paths with and aides Okoh, the female head of the Bunji Clan of Kasugai. In true Romeo and Juliet fashion, Okoh is the daughter of Otozo, head of the rival Misaka Clan. Both her husband and son were killed by a drifter that associated himself with the Misaka, and thus a war between the two clans began. Ihei Kishimoda, the regional lord who has been embezzling, plans on using the yakuza's war as a backdrop for Itto kill Lord Masanoshin Atobe, who is investigating Ihei and will be taking over administration duties in the area. Once Itto learns of the true story behind the killings, he sets into motion his own plan to punish the ones who are ultimately responsible. Although using the same title and featuring a brief appearance by three assassin brothers similar to the film, there is no relation between this episode and the second Lone Wolf & Cub movie. The star of the episode, Yōko Nogiwa, was married to Sonny Chiba for 22 years before they separated in 1994. She is the mother of actress/stunt woman Juri Manase. Yōko Nogiwa (野際陽子) as Okoh Tokue Hanasawa (花沢徳衛) as Otozo, Okoh's father Kei Taguchi (田口計) as Lord Ihei Kishimoda Katsuhiko Kobayashi (小林勝彦) as Gennosuke Nakane Satoshi Sasaki (佐々木敏) as Jyukichi, Otozo clan lieutenant Hideaki [Eimei] Esumi (江角英明) as Nisuke Mitsuyo Kamei (亀井光代) as Okei, Kishimoda's mistress Makoto Roppongi (六本木誠人) as Hangoro, Kasugai lieutenant Ryuji Hirota (廣田龍治) as Masanoshin Atobe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Gaijin84 Posted January 13, 2017 Author Member Share Posted January 13, 2017 Episode 12 - Gambling Barker {aka Deer Hunters} (鹿追い) [directed by Michiyoshi Doi] {based on the manga chapter "Deer Chaser"} A quintet of barkers (a group whose job it is to lure wealthy marks into fake gambling dens) happen across Itto's path and decide to use his assignment as part of their scam. Itto has been hired to assassinate a local official, but the hire itself is a scam by a splinter group of Yagyu members to lure Itto and kill him. He leaves Daigoro at a local temple while he climbs a mountain in order to reach the meeting spot. Meanwhile, since one of the barker members is a disgraced former samurai, they send him (along with Daigoro) to impersonate Itto and collect the 500 ryo bounty. The samurai, Munenori Shiba, is a devout follower of the Bushido code, even to the extent that he killed his own son in order to teach a young lord a lesson in manners. Due to his deep respect for Itto's ability, he goes somewhat insane and decides that he will become Lone Wolf and Cub and carry out the assassination as planned. After finishing, he plans to kill Itto and embark on the road to hell in his place. Anyone who gets in his way is subject to death. Tetsurō Sagawa (瑳川哲朗) as Munenori Shiba Masahiko Arima (有馬昌彦) as Hisaroku, leader of the barkers Keiko Yumi (弓恵子) as Okane Tenjin, Hisaroku's daughter Hachiro Misumi (三角八郎) as Hanji Mashirano, barker member Hiroto Kimura (木村博人) as Inosuke, barker member Eiji Karasawa (柄沢英二) as Lord Kuroda Koichi Hayashi (林孝一) as Lord Makimura Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Gaijin84 Posted January 13, 2017 Author Member Share Posted January 13, 2017 Episode 13 - Ochiyo's Boat (お千代舟) [directed by Yukio Toda] Itto is contracted to kill Lord Daigaku Uesugi by his own right hand man. Uesugi is generally deemed as having gone insane by his followers, killing both men and women at will after he has become bored of them. One of the few men to escape Uesugi's sword is a former samurai named Tougo Hayase. He had come to the aid of Ochiyo, the daughter of a boatman who had accidentally doused Uesugi with water and was about to be killed. Instead, Hayase stood in her place and was beaten severely and stripped of his title. Ochiyo feels responsible for Hayase's fate and takes care of him as he obsesses about building a bridge over the Omono River, an unpredictable waterway that often disrupts provincial trade. Itto gains a bit of luck when Lord Uesugi is scheduled to travel through the area and Hayase is determined to present the blueprint for the bridge and gain back his title and reputation. Reiko Ohara (大原麗子) as Ochiyo Shinjiro Ehara (江原真二郎) as Tougo Hayase Toshiaki Nishizawa (西沢利明) as Lord Daigaku Uesugi Masanobu Okubo (大久保正信) as Gensaku, head boatman Tadashi Yoshizumi (代志住正) as Mosuke, boatman Teishiro Nishijima (西島悌四郎) as Mondo Yamashita, Lord Uesugi's main adjutant fisherman Fumie Kitahara (北原文枝) as scornful woman in town Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Gaijin84 Posted January 13, 2017 Author Member Share Posted January 13, 2017 Episode 14 - Article 79 {aka No Betrayal} (御定書七十九条) [directed by Minoru Matsushima] {pickpocket story absed on the manga chapter "Penal Code Article Seventy-Nine"} In a province known for it's silk production, one store is using murder to eliminate their rivals and dominate the trade. The daughter of one of the merchants escapes the massacre and goes into hiding with a local Buddhist priest, who in turn hires Itto to protect her. She insists instead that Itto kill the men responsible for her parent's death. Taking the job, Itto puts into place a complicated and risky strategy to draw out the perpetrators. In the meantime Daigoro goes to a festival and is drawn into a search for a famous woman pickpocket who is thought to be in their midst. When Daigoro is used to hide stolen goods, the sense of duty and honor instilled by Itto prevents him from turning in the thief no matter what the consequences. The pickpocket side story is part of the plot for the 5th film, Baby Cart in the Land of Demons. Sanae Kitabayashi (北林早苗) as the pickpocket "Oyoh of seven alterations" Isao Tamagawa (玉川伊佐男) as Officer Senzo Shinnoji Ken Sudo (須藤健) as Kichibei, head of the Uedaya silk house .jpg Kuniyasu Atsumi (渥見国泰) as Priest Manzen Takashi Toyama (外山高士) as Superintendent Gennoshin Shimoyama Takako Yagi (八木孝子) as Osae Koichi Uenoyama (上野山功一) as Magohachi Fuwa Yasushi Inayoshi (稲吉靖司) as Tomekichi, Oyoh's cronie Shoyu Sanyutei (三遊亭笑遊) as Hanroku Koetsu Ohmiya (大宮幸悦) as Yaichi, Kichibei's assistant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Gaijin84 Posted January 17, 2017 Author Member Share Posted January 17, 2017 Episode 15 - North to South, East to West (北から南 西から東) [directed by Michiyoshi Doi] Itto is hired by the head of the Tanimura clan to kill his son-in-law, Lord Wakai, who has been taken captive by the government in order to extract information about the clan's secret gold mine. Unfortunately, the group tasked with getting the information is not ashamed to use any means to accomplish their goal, including capturing and torturing Wakai's son. Itto must make the decision to complete his contract or imperil the young boy's life. Shobun Inoue (井上昭文) as Junai Kuchiki Akitake Kōno (河野秋武) as Naizen Kato, head of the Tanimura Clan Akiko Mori (森秋子) as Shizu Isao Hashimoto (橋本功) as Lord Hanbei Wakai Gorô Kataoka (片岡五郎) as Mondo Kurokawa Mantyou Tsuji (辻萬長) as Inoue, Junai Kukichi's guard Junai Kukichi's 2nd guard Nagisa Koyama (小山渚) as Kotaro, Wakai's and Shizu's son Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Gaijin84 Posted January 17, 2017 Author Member Share Posted January 17, 2017 Episode 16 - Night of Fangs (牙の夜) [directed by Minoru Matsushima] {very loosely based on the manga chapter "Night Stalker"} Another conflict involving a secret goldmine is the basis for this episode, as Itto is hired to root out assassins that are said to be targeting a favorite woman of the Shogun. The assassin's plan is to kill the aforementioned Tsubone Ayano and cause an investigation of the territory's Iizuka Clan, allowing the government to discover and gain control of their secret mine. Unfortunately for the "village ninjas," Daigoro witnesses the attempt and must escape being killed himself in order to alert the head of the clan to the plot. Chiyonosuke Azuma (東千代之介) as Kikuma Toyama Tatsuo Terashima (寺島達夫) as Lord Jinnai Waku Tokinosuke Nakamura (中村時之介) as Yanoshin Ujiie Hijiri Matsuki (松木聖) as Shiho Shinnosuke Ogata (尾型伸之介) as assassin Iori Mizuno (also served as fight choreographer for the series) Mineko Morita (森田峰子) as Tsubone Ayano Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Gaijin84 Posted January 18, 2017 Author Member Share Posted January 18, 2017 Episode 17 - Cloud Dragon, Wind Tiger (雲龍風虎) [directed by Michiyoshi Doi] {based on the manga chapter of the same name} Shogen Makabe is a former samurai that has taken residence near the site of his former Lord's execution at the hands of Itto. Refusing to leave the area he considers sacred, the local Takagaki clan has started to have conflicts with Makabe and are both losing face and men at an alarming rate. At the same time there is a group of men that are looking to rid the Takagaki clan of Makabe for their own career advancement. Itto is hired to deal with him once and for all, but must come to grips with killing someone that so thoroughly encapsulates the principles of Bushido. Goro Mutsu (睦五郎) as Shogen Makabe Takaaki Watanabe (渡辺高光) as Shinpachi Hyodou Mayumi Nagisa (渚まゆみ) as Okyo Shinnosuke Ogata (尾型伸之介) as Geki Tomoe Senzo Hashimoto (橋本仙三) as Matazo Kobori Ryuji Hirota (廣田龍治) as Yagi Ryuichi Nagashima (長島隆一) as Kanbe Yoshida Shoji Nakayama (中山昭二) as Lord Ukyonosuke Arima Mayumi Nagisa is also a famous singer and has a very raspy and low, distinctive voice - she was in Kinji Fukasaku's Street Mobster as Bunta Sugawara's ill-fated girlfriend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Gaijin84 Posted January 19, 2017 Author Member Share Posted January 19, 2017 Episode 18 - Executioner {Headhunter} Asaemon (首斬り朝右衛門) [directed by Tokuzo Tanaka] {loosely based on the manga chapter of the same name} There were two key positions in the shogun's government that samurai held, the official executioner (Itto) and the sword tester, Asaemon Yamada. Again looking to punish Itto for his betrayal, government officials hire Asaemon to find and kill him, feeling that Asaemon is one of the sole remaining samurai that have the skill to accomplish the job. Before he can locate Itto though, Asaemon is attacked by Yagyu clan members and suffers an arm wound. Sensing an opportunity to get rid of Itto and Asaemon in one fell swoop, Retsudo sends a former Yagyu assassin's widow to heal Asaemon back to full health in order to duel Itto and potentially kill him. The widow eventually comes to respect both samurai and realizes she is being used, but it may be too late to save either of them. Gō Wakabayashi (若林豪) as Asaemon Yamada Mako Midori (緑魔子) as Lady Mayumi Toyama Kōji Mitsui (三井弘次) as priest Osho Jonen Yoshihiro Nakadai (中台祥浩) as Lord Touminokami Kanou Kiro Abe (阿部希郎) as Lord Bungonokami Mizuno Chikako Kaga (加賀ちか子) as Hatsuse, Asaemon's wife Asaemon Yamada is the subject of Kazuo Koike and artist Goseki Kojima's manga Samurai Executioner, which started it's run in 1972, a couple years after the Lone Wolf and Cub manga began. Both manga are set during the Tokugawa Shogunate and the characters of Itto and Asaemon cross paths in one chapter from the Lone Wolf series. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Gaijin84 Posted January 19, 2017 Author Member Share Posted January 19, 2017 Episode 19 - Meager Lives {Half Mat, One Mat, Two and a Half Go of Rice} (半畳壱畳貮合半) [directed by Tokuzo Tanaka] {based on the manga chapter of the same name} Itto is attacked by the Yagyu clan as he is relaxing near a river, and Daigoro slips into the water and is carried downstream. Luckily, he is rescued by a former samurai and his wife and Itto is shortly reunited with his son. The ronin, Sakon Sashino, has given up his ideals and instead lives a carefree life as a street performer and beggar. His wife has other plans though, as she begs him to avenge her father's death at the hands of a man she shunned in the past. Only after a series of incidents does Itto decide to intervene and settle the matter. Isamu Nagato (長門勇) as Sakon Sashino Kazuko Yoshiyuki (吉行和子) as Chie Sashino Koreharu Hisatomi (久富惟晴) as Genba Tadara Itusei Jyo (城一世) as Ikunosin Yamazawa Makoto Matsuzaki (松崎真) as Kumazo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Gaijin84 Posted January 20, 2017 Author Member Share Posted January 20, 2017 Episode 20 - 8 Gate Attack Formation (八門遁甲の陣) [directed by Shintaro Shofue] {loosely based on the manga chapter "Eight Gates of Deceit"} If there is one thing that can be said about Ogami Itto, he sticks to his rules. When caught between two parties that want to hire him, Itto goes with the one that can afford the 500 ryo, even though they are clearly the antagonists and the morally corrupt side of a conflict with poor, oppressed farmers. Nanshuu Ide, head of the ruling clan has other ideas though, using the presence of Itto as a reason to massacre the farmers and then later dispose of him to eliminate the sole witness. After initial plots to kill Itto fail, Ide uses his mistresses's female samurai group and their 8 Gate Attack Formation to bring him down. Easier said than done. Hisashi Yokomori (横森久) as Nanshuu Ide Ryoko Takagi (高樹蓉子) as Orin Tokie Hidari (左時枝) as Okou Kumi Hayase (早瀬久美) as Omiyo Yasuhiko Shibata (柴田侊彦) as Wasuke Jun Hamamura (浜村純) as Cheif Retainer Genba Saruwatari Eri Kanuma (鹿沼えり) as a female samurai Reiko Asou (麻生れい子) as the 7th Gate Hiroshi Yoriyama (寄山弘) as a villager Ten Nakajima (中島元) as a villager Sadao Nakawa (名川貞郎) as a villager The female samurai and their 8 Gate Attack Formation are introduced and dispatched in a somewhat similar fashion to the female ninja in the Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart at the River Styx film. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Gaijin84 Posted January 20, 2017 Author Member Share Posted January 20, 2017 Episode 21 - Chrysanthemum Inn (残菊の宿) [directed by Shintaro Sofue] {based on the manga chapter "Inn of the Last Chrysanthemum"} While traveling along a well-trafficked road, Itto senses and intervenes in an attempted assassination. The sister of a murdered man, Yunoshin Fujieda, is looking for revenge on Lady Omaki, a woman that had Fujieda killed in order to advance her own standing in marriage. With the sister not having the 500 ryo to pay for the contract, Itto stays in the background while the drama plays itself out, only revealing himself when Lady Omaki attends a local chrysanthemum festival and leaves herself vulnerable. Miyoko Akaza (赤座美代子) as Oichi Rie Yokoyama (横山リエ) as Lady Omaki Kotaro Hatsue (杉江廣太郎) as Gennbo Watanabe Kaori Taniguchi (谷口香) as Sawa Ren Yamamoto (山本廉) as Lord Kudo Tetsuya Kaji (梶哲也) as Echigoya Tadao Futami (二見忠男) as Harukichi the Innkeeper Haruno Pi-chiku (晴乃ピーチク) as Sanji Miki Masaki (真咲美岐) as Lord Kudo's wife Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Gaijin84 Posted January 24, 2017 Author Member Share Posted January 24, 2017 Episode 22 - Freelance Samurai {The Crossing Guard} (渡り徒士) [directed by Keiichi Ozawa] {based on the manga chapter "The Frozen Crane"} In a vein similar to the classic story Rashomon, Itto happens upon a complicated situation in which he must listen to two sides of a story and base his actions accordingly. A woman whose husband was killed has been searching for his killer, given permission to seek revenge for seven years by her ruling lord. Running out of time, she and her late husband's brother kill a samurai and plant evidence to show that he was the original culprit, thus avoiding the legal dissolving of her clan. Unfortunately for her, the actual man responsible shows up, and she is caught between revealing her own scheme and actually getting the revenge she supposedly was seeking. Both sides implore Itto to see their side and back them with investigators. It turns out that Itto was in the area for a different reason altogether, and the circumstances start to collide. Tadao Nakamura (中丸忠雄) as Kanbei Kawazu Kazuko Inano (稲野和子) as Tsuru Masahiko Kameya (亀谷雅彦) as Shingo Watanabe Shoki Fukae (深江章喜) as Genjuro Akama Matasaburo Niwa (丹羽又三郎) as the investigating officer Minoru Uchida (内田稔) as Yunoshin Watanabe Tadashi Minamikawa (南川直) as Takeuchi Ryohei Ōhigashi (大東良平) as Nakamura Gīti Kuchiki (杉義一) as Tanaka Yoshiro Taki (滝義朗) as Kimura Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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