Hiroyuki Sanada 真田広之 The Abe Clan 1995 阿部一族 Matashichiro Emoto [Song Tournament by Ilan Eshkeri}

This 1995 television film is a period drama which comes originally from the 1913 short story “Abe ichizoku” by Mori Ōgai. The story is set in the Tokugawa Period, and tells a story of personal honor and loyalty to duty. I won’t retell it here, since I am not an expert, but I can say that the film was very well directed. The characterization and acting was incredible, so well done that I felt fully invested in the characters, despite the fact that there were no subtitles (I watched, the DVD director’s cut of the film) and Japanese is still very weak.

As always thank you to the writers, director, cast, and crew for a fantastic film, and thank you to Mr. Sanada for his hard work as well as the inspiration behind making these videos.

Directed by Kinji Fukasaku
Starring
Tsutomu Yamazaki
Kōichi Satō
Hiroyuki Sanada

The music is “Tournament” by Ilan Eshkeri, originally from the soundtrack of the 2013 film 47 Ronin