This subversive period film features a hotheaded young samurai, Kurodo, who threatens to commit harakiri in response to the humiliation meted out to his family by the Shogun. The film critiques the inhumanity of feudal obligations, and Uchida’s direction slyly satirizes the contemporary cinematic audience, whose taste for onscreen bloodshed is mirrored in a crowd gathering to watch the protagonist’s planned suicide. The Master Spearman is imbued with Uchida’s characteristic blend of dark humor and stylized action, and Ryutaro Otomo gives an admirable performance in the lead.
Credits
The Master Spearman Cast
| Name |
Character |
|
Eitaro Ozawa
He was 51, 79 years old when he died
|
as Ieyasu Tokugawa |
|
Hiromi Hanazono
She was 19, now 83 years old
|
as Umeme |
|
Fujio Suga
He was 40, 78 years old when he died
|
|
|
Chiezō Kataoka
He was 57, 80 years old when he died
|
as Toshinaga Maeda |
|
Eijirō Tōno
He was 53, 87 years old when he died
|
|
|
Isao Yamagata
He was 44, 80 years old when he died
|
as Mitsunari Ishida |
|
Hisao Toake
He was 51, 77 years old when he died
|
|
|
Masao Oda
He was 52, 65 years old when he died
|
as Kichibei |
|
Ryosuke Kagawa
He was 63, 90 years old when he died
|
|
|
Shin Tokudaiji
He was 49, 84 years old when he died
|
|
|
Chikage Awashima
She was 36, 87 years old when she died
|
as Sakon Murayama |
|
Ryūtarō Ōtomo
He was 48, 73 years old when he died
|
as Takasada Tomita |
The Master Spearman Crew
| Name |
Department |
|
Masato Ide as Screenplay. He was 40 (69) years old when He died
|
Writing |
|
Tomu Uchida as Director. He was 62 (72) years old when He died
|
Directing |
|
Hiroshi Ookawa as Producer. He was 63 (74) years old when He died
|
Production |
