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July 9, 2005
Sword of Doom (1966)
Sword of Doom is a 1965 film staring Tatsuya Nakadai as the samurai Tsukue Ryunosuke. The Japanese title, Daibosatsu touge, referes to the mountain pass somewhere between Kyoto and Edo where an earlier pilgrim had buried a statue of the buddha at the top of the pass, thereby shedding good fortunes to villagers on both sides of the order. In the opening scene, a pilgrim stops to pray for buddha to speed him to the next world, a wish unexpectedly granted by a passing Tsukue.
The film follows the Tsukue, the pilgrims granddaughter, her rescuer, and several others to a final, brutal episode where the samurai is battles scores of attackers. The film stops with the battle still in progress.
The story is based on a novel by Kaizan Nakazato, Daikatsu Touge : dai-ippen kougen itto-ryuu (1935) and serves as the basis for Ichikawa Rouzo's Trilogy - Satan's Sword (Daibosatsu Toge), The Dragon God (Ryujin no Maki), and The Final Chapter (Kanketsu Hen).
Posted by sjc at July 9, 2005 2:24 PM
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