News

The success of “The Tale of Zatoichi” was surprising for many, including those at the Daiei Film studio, who wasted no time in green-lighting a fast-tracked follow-up to the film. Sure enough, a mere six months later, “The Tale of Zatoichi Continues” was released. This trend of urgent follow-ups would go on to continue throughout the production of the Zatoichi series, with as many as four films often releasing in a year and several in various stages of production at the same time.

Still remorseful from killing Hirate, the man he thought he could grow to be friends with but regrettably found on the wrong side of the feudal war in the first film, Zatoichi decides to visit his grave to mark a year of the warrior’s passing, a journey that is going to prove a lot easier said than done, for hot on his heels...

Probably Yukio Mishima’s best known acting part, “Afraid to Die (aka Man of the Biting Wind) is a lesser known Yakuza film, that eventually led the Nobel Prize nominee to write the novella “Star”, based on his experiences starring in the movie. On the occasion of the English translation of the novella, Japan Society is screening the film Friday, May 10.

The film revolves around Takeo Asahina, who is released from prison as the story begins, after serving a few years for stabbing a sub-boss of a rival Yakuza clan, Sagara. With a murder attempt aimed at him just before his release, Takeo is forced to go into hiding, ending up in an old cinema the family is running. Despite the fact that the whole Sagara gang and an asthmatic killer-for-hire are on his heels, Takeo continues his criminal endeavors with his lawyer-degree associate Aikawa, under the instructions of the clan’s uncle Gohei.