Shiozaki is the head clerk in Kofu, but is set on returning to Edo. He sends the harsh bribes of rice collected from the peasants to the shogunate's council of elders in Edo. Okatsu, adopted daughter of the Koga Sword Style, is raped, on top of getting her father killed, by Shiozaki. She suffers the personal disgrace then persues Shiozaki to Edo... Avoiding sentimentalism, the film successfully plays out the hard-boiled revenge, maximizing the charm of the emotionally liberated Miyazono. The wide panoramas as well as the vivid action are effective. Long shots of the two-story brothel taken from a bird's-eye-view as characters mill about are a highlight. Wakayama Tomisaburo's dynamic sword battle is another sight to behold. Second in the "action period-drama" series, this film stars Miyazono Junko Toei brought up as the next Fuji Junko. It was intended to be as popular as Fuji's "Scarlet Peony Dragon" series, but was discontinued by the third film, "Okatsu's Criminal Journey" (1969), directed also by Nakagawa.
Production + World Sales: Toei Company Ltd.
Screenplay: Takada Koji
Cinematographer: Iimura Masahiko
Art Direction: Eno Shin-ichi
Composer: Kawabe Koichi
Sound: Hirokami Masuhiro
Editor: Nagasawa Kaki
Cast: Miyazono Junko, Oshida Reiko, Nishimura Ko, Kondo
Format, screen ratio: 35mm, 1:2.35, Color
Running time: 89 minutes, 24 frames/sec.
Language: Japanese
Print Source: National Film Center, The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo
Foto: ©Toei
