Shohei Hino , Kiichi Nakai, Mayu Tsuruta , Riona Haduki, Shima Iwashita,
Takaya Kamikawa .
This satirical spin on the ninja genre from veteran director Masahiro
Shinoda opens in 1581 with the invasion of Iga, a "hidden land,"
by Oda, a rampaging warlord. 50,000 troops sweep through Iga --
a province already developing as a center for ninja arts -- slaughtering
everyone and everything in their path. Among the few to survive
is a ninja by the name of Juzo (Kiichi Nakai). Ten years later,
when a new warlord, Toyotomi (Mako Iwamatsu), has taken power, Juzo
is sought out by his former master to kill the tyrant, who is busy
making plans to invade Korea and Ming-dynasty China. As Juzo embarks
on his mission, he enters into a game of mutual complicity with
the enigmatic Kohagi (Mayu Tsuruta), a spy for Toyotomi who nearly
kills and then seduces the ninja. When Juzo finally does arrive
at Toyotomi's castle, he meets Kazama (Takaya Kamikawa), another
Iga ninja, who wants to stop Juzo so that he can get enough credibility
to become a legitimate samurai.
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