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is a
genre Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other f ...
of
film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmospher ...
,
television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...
,
video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This feedba ...
, and
theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perfor ...
in
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...
. Literally meaning "
period drama A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romance film, romances, adventure f ...
s", they are most often set during the
Edo period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was character ...
of Japanese history, from 1603 to 1868. Some, however, are set much earlier—'' Portrait of Hell'', for example, is set during the late
Heian period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kanmu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means "peace" in Japan ...
—and the early
Meiji era The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization ...
is also a popular setting. ''Jidaigeki'' show the lives of the
samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They ...
, farmers, craftsmen, and merchants of their time. ''Jidaigeki'' films are sometimes referred to as chambara movies, a word meaning "sword fight", though chambara is more accurately a subgenre of ''jidaigeki''. ''Jidaigeki'' rely on an established set of
dramatic conventions Dramatic conventions are the specific actions and techniques the actor, writer or director has employed to create a desired dramatic effect/style. A ''dramatic convention'' is a set of rules which both the audience and actors are familiar with a ...
including the use of makeup, language, catchphrases, and plotlines.


Types

Many ''jidaigeki'' take place in
Edo Edo ( ja, , , "bay-entrance" or "estuary"), also romanized as Jedo, Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of Tokyo. Edo, formerly a ''jōkamachi'' (castle town) centered on Edo Castle located in Musashi Province, became the ''de facto'' capital of ...
, the military capital. Others show the adventures of people wandering from place to place. The long-running television series '' Zenigata Heiji'' and '' Abarenbō Shōgun'' typify the Edo ''jidaigeki''. '' Mito Kōmon'', the fictitious story of the travels of the historical ''
daimyō were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast, hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and nominall ...
'' Tokugawa Mitsukuni, and the '' Zatoichi'' movies and television series, exemplify the traveling style. Another way to categorize ''jidaigeki'' is according to the social status of the principal characters. The title character of ''Abarenbō Shōgun'' is
Tokugawa Yoshimune was the eighth '' shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, ruling from 1716 until his abdication in 1745. He was the son of Tokugawa Mitsusada, the grandson of Tokugawa Yorinobu, and the great-grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Lineage Yoshi ...
, the eighth Tokugawa ''
shōgun , officially , was the title of the military dictators of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, though during part of the Kamaku ...
''. The head of the samurai class, Yoshimune assumes the disguise of a low-ranking hatamoto, a samurai in the service of the shogun. Similarly, Mito Kōmon is the retired vice-shogun, masquerading as a merchant. In contrast, the coin-throwing Heiji of ''Zenigata Heiji'' is a
commoner A commoner, also known as the ''common man'', ''commoners'', the ''common people'' or the ''masses'', was in earlier use an ordinary person in a community or nation who did not have any significant social status, especially a member of neither ...
, working for the police, while Ichi (the title character of '' Zatoichi''), a blind masseur, is an outcast, as were many disabled people in that era. In fact, masseurs, who typically were at the bottom of the professional food chain, was one of the few vocational positions available to the blind in that era. ''Gokenin Zankurō'' is a samurai but, due to his low rank and income, he has to work extra jobs that higher-ranking samurai were unaccustomed to doing. Whether the lead role is samurai or commoner, ''jidaigeki'' usually reach a climax in an immense sword fight just before the end. The title character of a series always wins, whether using a sword or a '' jutte'' (the device police used to trap, and sometimes to bend or break, an opponent's sword).


Sengoku-jidai

Sengoku-jidai (
Warring States The Warring States period () was an era in ancient Chinese history characterized by warfare, as well as bureaucratic and military reforms and consolidation. It followed the Spring and Autumn period and concluded with the Qin wars of conquest ...
era setting) is a Japanese
genre Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other f ...
that has been used as the setting for
novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itself ...
s,
film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmospher ...
s,
video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This feedba ...
s,
anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...
and
manga Manga ( Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is ...
. It bears some parallels with the Western;
Akira Kurosawa was a Japanese filmmaker and painter who directed thirty films in a career spanning over five decades. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema. Kurosawa displayed a bold, dyna ...
's ''
Seven Samurai is a 1954 Japanese epic samurai drama film co-written, edited, and directed by Akira Kurosawa. The story takes place in 1586 during the Sengoku period of Japanese history. It follows the story of a village of desperate farmers who hire sev ...
'', for example, was remade in a Western setting as '' The Magnificent Seven''.


Roles

Among the characters in ''jidaigeki'' are a parade of people with occupations unfamiliar to modern Japanese and especially to foreigners. Here are a few:


Warriors

The warrior class included samurai, hereditary members in the military service of a ''daimyō'' or the ''shōgun'', who was a samurai himself. ''
Rōnin A ''rōnin'' ( ; ja, 浪人, , meaning 'drifter' or 'wanderer') was a samurai without a lord or master during the feudal period of Japan (1185–1868). A samurai became masterless upon the death of his master or after the loss of his master' ...
'', samurai without masters, were also warriors, and like samurai, wore two swords, but they were without inherited employment or status. ''Bugeisha'' were men, or in some stories women, who aimed to perfect their martial arts, often by traveling throughout the country. ''
Ninja A or was a covert agent or mercenary in feudal Japan. The functions of a ninja included reconnaissance, espionage, infiltration, deception, ambush, bodyguarding and their fighting skills in martial arts, including ninjutsu.Kawakami, pp. 2 ...
'' were the secret service, specializing in stealth, the use of disguises, explosives, and concealed weapons.


Craftsmen

Craftsmen in ''jidaigeki'' included metalworkers (often abducted to mint counterfeit coins), bucket-makers, carpenters and plasterers, and makers of woodblock prints for art or newspapers.


Merchants

In addition to the owners of businesses large and small, the ''jidaigeki'' often portray the employees. The ''bantō'' was a high-ranking employee of a merchant, the ''tedai'', a lower helper. Many merchants employed children, or ''kozō''. Itinerant merchants included the organized medicine-sellers, vegetable-growers from outside the city, and peddlers at fairs outside temples and shrines. In contrast, the great brokers in rice, lumber and other commodities operated sprawling shops in the city.


Governments

In the highest ranks of the shogunate were the ''rojū''. Below them were the ''wakadoshiyori'', then the various ''bugyō'' or administrators, including the ''jisha bugyō'' (who administered temples and shrines), the ''kanjō bugyō'' (in charge of finances) and the two ''Edo machi bugyō''. These last alternated by month as chief administrator of the city. Their role encompassed mayor, chief of police, and judge, and jury in criminal and civil matters. The machi bugyō oversaw the police and fire departments. The police, or , included the high-ranking and the below them; both were samurai. In they often have full-time patrolmen, and , who were commoners. (Historically, such people were irregulars and were called to service only when necessary.) Zenigata Heiji is an . The police lived in barracks at Hatchōbori in Edo. They manned ''ban'ya'', the watch-houses, throughout the metropolis. The was the symbol of the police, from to . A separate police force handled matters involving samurai. The ''ōmetsuke'' were high-ranking officials in the shogunate; the ''metsuke'' and ''kachi-metsuke'', lower-ranking police who could detain samurai. Yet another police force investigated arson-robberies, while
Shinto shrines A is a structure whose main purpose is to house ("enshrine") one or more '' kami'', the deities of the Shinto religion. Overview Structurally, a Shinto shrine typically comprises several buildings. The ''honden''Also called (本殿, meani ...
and Buddhist temples fell under the control of another authority. The feudal nature of Japan made these matters delicate, and jurisdictional disputes are common in ''jidaigeki.'' Edo had three fire departments. The ''daimyō-bikeshi'' were in the service of designated ''daimyōs''; the ''jōbikeshi'' reported to the shogunate; while the ''machi-bikeshi'', beginning under Yoshimune, were commoners under the administration of the ''machi-bugyō''. Thus, even the fire companies have turf wars in the ''jidaigeki''. Each ''daimyō'' maintained a residence in Edo, where he lived during '' sankin-kōtai''. His wife and children remained there even while he was away from Edo, and the ladies-in-waiting often feature prominently in ''jidaigeki''. A high-ranking samurai, the ''Edo-garō'', oversaw the affairs in the ''daimyō''s absence. In addition to a staff of samurai, the household included '' ashigaru'' (lightly armed warrior-servants) and ''chūgen'' and ''yakko'' (servants often portrayed as flamboyant and crooked). Many ''daimyōs'' employed doctors, ''goten'i''; their counterpart in the shogun's household was the ''okuishi''. Count on them to provide the poisons that kill and the potions that heal.


Other

The cast of a wandering ''jidaigeki'' encountered a similar setting in each '' han.'' There, the ''karō'' were the ''kuni-garō'' and the ''jōdai-garō''. Tensions between them have provided plots for many stories.


Conventions

There are several dramatic conventions of ''jidaigeki'': *The heroes often wear eye makeup, and the villains often have disarranged hair. *A contrived form of old-fashioned Japanese speech, using modern pronunciation and grammar with a high degree of formality and frequent archaisms. *In long-running TV series, like ''Mito Kōmon'' and ''Zenigata Heiji'', the lead and supporting actors sometimes change. This is done without any rationale for the change of appearance. The new actor simply appears in the place of the old one and the stories continue. This is similar to the James Bond film series or superhero films, in contrast with e.g. the British television program ''
Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the ...
''. *In a sword fight, when a large number of villains attacks the main character, they never attack at once. The main character first launches into a lengthy preamble detailing the crimes the villains have committed, at the end of which the villains then initiate hostilities. The villains charge singly or in pairs; the rest wait their turn to be dispatched and surround the main character until it is their turn to be easily defeated. Sword fights are the grand finale of the show and are conducted to specially crafted theme music for their duration. *On television, even fatal sword cuts draw little blood, and often do not even cut through clothing. Villains are chopped down with deadly, yet completely invisible, sword blows. Despite this, blood or wounding may be shown for arrow wounds or knife cuts. *In chambara films, the violence is generally considerably stylized, sometimes to such a degree that sword cuts cause geysers of blood from wounds. Dismemberment and decapitation are common as well.


Proverbs and catchphrases

Authors of ''jidaigeki'' work pithy sayings into the dialog. Here are a few: * : Like bugs that fly into the fire in the summer (they will come to their destruction) * : A wolf in sheep's clothing (literally, a parasite in the lion's body) * : Fires and brawls are the flower of Edo * : "The eight hundred neighborhoods of Edo" * : "On the road you need a companion" In addition, the authors of series invent their own catchphrases called that the protagonist says at the same point in nearly every episode. In ''Mito Kōmon'', in which the eponymous character disguises himself as a commoner, in the final sword fight, a sidekick invariably holds up an accessory bearing the shogunal crest and shouts, : "Back! Can you not see this emblem?", revealing the identity of the hitherto unsuspected old man with a goatee beard. The villains then instantly surrender and beg forgiveness. Likewise, Tōyama no Kin-san bares his tattooed shoulder and snarls, : "I won't let you say you forgot this cherry-blossom blizzard!" After sentencing the criminals, he proclaims, : "Case closed."


Famous ''jidaigeki''


Films


Video games

The following are
Japanese video games Video games are a major industry in Japan. Japanese game development is often identified with the golden age of video games, including Nintendo under Shigeru Miyamoto and Hiroshi Yamauchi, Sega during the same time period, Sony Computer Enterta ...
in the ''jidaigeki'' genre. * ''Downtown Special: Kunio-kun no Jidaigeki dayo Zen'in Shūgō''—sequel to ''Downtown Nekketsu Monogatari'' (''
River City Ransom ''River City Ransom'', later released as ''Street Gangs'' in the PAL regions, is an open world action role-playing beat 'em up video game originally for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It was developed by Technōs Japan and originally releas ...
'' in America) set in feudal Japan. *'' Genji: Dawn of the Samurai'' *''
Hakuōki is a Japanese ''otome'' video game series by Idea Factory, first released for the PlayStation 2 in 18 September 2008 and ported to many other platforms. It has been adapted into an anime series by Studio Deen; the first series was broa ...
'' series *'' Kengo'' series *''
Live A Live ''Live A Live'' is a 1994 role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the Super Famicom. A remake for Nintendo Switch was released in July 2022, published by Square Enix in Japan and Nintendo worldwide. The game follows seven d ...
'' at the "Secret Orders" Scenario *'' Ni-Oh'' series *'' Ninja Gaiden'' series "Ninja Ryukenden", "Legend of the Ninja Dragon Sword" in Japan *'' Nobunaga's Ambition'' series "Nobunaga no Yabō" in Japan *''
Onimusha is a series of video games developed and published by Capcom. It makes use of the historic figures that shaped Japan's history, retelling their stories with supernatural elements. Most of the games are of the action-adventure genre, a combinati ...
'' series *'' Ryū ga Gotoku Kenzan!'' *''
Ryū ga Gotoku Ishin! is an action-adventure video game developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and published by Sega for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4. It is a spin-off of the '' Like a Dragon'' series, formerly and commonly known in English localization as ''Yakuz ...
'' *''Samurai'', a
Sega is a Japanese multinational video game and entertainment company headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its international branches, Sega of America and Sega Europe, are headquartered in Irvine, California and London, respectively. Its division ...
arcade
action game An action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction-time. The genre includes a large variety of sub-genres, such as fighting games, beat 'em ups, shooter games, and platform g ...
released in March 1980. *''
Samurai Shodown ''Samurai Shodown'', known in Japan as is a fighting game series by SNK. The series began in 1993 and is known for being one of the earliest in the genre with a primary focus on weapon-based combat. Plot The stories in the series take place ...
'' series *'' Samurai Warriors'' "Sengoku Musō" in Japan *'' Samurai Warriors 2'' "Sengoku Musō 2" in Japan *''
Samurai Warriors 3 is the third installment in the ''Samurai Warriors'' series, created by Tecmo Koei and Omega Force. The game was released in Japan on December 3, 2009, in Europe on May 28, 2010, in Australia on June 10, 2010, and in North America on September 28 ...
'' "Sengoku Musō 3" in Japan *'' Samurai Warriors 4'' "Sengoku Musō 4" in Japan *'' Samurai Warriors 2'': Empires series "Sengoku Musō 2: Empires" in Japan *'' Samurai Warriors: Chronicles'' "Sengoku Musō: Kuronikuru" in Japan *'' Samurai Warriors: Katana'' "Sengoku Musō: Katana" in Japan *'' Samurai Warriors: Spirit of Sanada'' "Sengoku Musō: Sanada Maru" in Japan *'' Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice'' *''
Sengoku Ace ''Sengoku Ace'' (), fully titled ''Sengoku Ace: Tengai Episode I'' and also known as ''Samurai Aces'' in the English version, is a vertically scrolling shooter released in the arcades by Psikyo in 1993. The first game by Psikyo, ''Sengoku Ace'' wa ...
'' *''
Soul of the Samurai , released as ''Ronin Blade'' in Europe, is an action-adventure game developed and published by Konami in 1999 for the PlayStation. Gameplay From the start the player chooses to be either a young male ronin named Kotaro or a teenage female nin ...
'' *''
Tenchu is an action-adventure stealth video game series, originally developed by Japanese developer Acquire, where the player assumes the role of a ninja in 16th-century Japan. The title in Japanese literally translates in English as "Divine Retribu ...
'' series *'' The Last Blade'' series *'' Warriors Orochi'' series *'' Way of the Samurai'' series Although jidaigeki is essentially a Japanese genre, there are also Western games that use the setting to match the same standards. Examples are '' Ghost of Tsushima'', '' Shogun: Total War'' series or Japanese campaigns of ''
Age of Empires III ''Age of Empires III'' is a real-time strategy video game developed by Microsoft Corporation's Ensemble Studios and published by Microsoft Game Studios. The Mac version was ported over and developed and published by Destineer's MacSoft. The PC ve ...
''.


Anime and manga

*'' Azumi'' *''
Basilisk In European bestiaries and legends, a basilisk ( or ) is a legendary reptile reputed to be a serpent king, who causes death to those who look into its eyes. According to the '' Naturalis Historia'' of Pliny the Elder, the basilisk of Cyre ...
'' *'' Dororo'' *'' Fire Tripper'' *'' Gintama'' *''
Hakuouki Shinsengumi Kitan is a Japanese ''otome'' video game series by Idea Factory, first released for the PlayStation 2 in 18 September 2008 and ported to many other platforms. It has been adapted into an anime series by Studio Deen; the first series was broa ...
'' *'' Hyouge Mono'' *''
Intrigue in the Bakumatsu – Irohanihoheto is a Japanese original net animation (ONA) series, created by Ryōsuke Takahashi and Sunrise, with character designs by Yusuke Kozaki. The series follows Yojiro Akizuki, the bearer of the legendary Moon Tear Sword, who is on a mission to seal ...
'' *''
InuYasha is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi. It was serialized in Shogakukan's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' from November 1996 to June 2008, with its chapters collected in fifty-six '' ...
'' *'' Kaze Hikaru'' *'' Lone Wolf and Cub'' *'' Mushishi'' *'' Ninja Scroll'' *''
Oi! Ryoma , also known as ''Rainbow Samurai'', is a Japanese manga series written by Tetsuya Takeda and illustrated by Yū Koyama. It is a comical and serious account mixing history and fiction of the life of the Bakumatsu period leader Sakamoto Ryōma. ...
'' *'' Otogizoshi'' *'' Princess Mononoke'' *''
Rakudai Ninja Rantarō (generally abbreviated as ''Rakuran'') is a comedy ninja manga series created by Sōbē Amako in 1986. The anime adaptation, ''Nintama Rantarō'', began broadcasting on NHK in 1993 and a side-story anime film ''Eiga Nintama Rantarō'' premie ...
'' *'' Rurouni Kenshin'' *'' Samurai 7'' *'' Samurai Champloo'' *''
Samurai Executioner ''Samurai Executioner'', known in Japan as , is a 10-volume manga created by writer Kazuo Koike and artist Goseki Kojima, the same team that created the popular ''Lone Wolf and Cub'' series. The series was first serialized in Japan, from 1972� ...
'' *''
Shigurui is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Takayuki Yamaguchi, based on the first chapter of the novel ''Suruga-jō Gozen Jiai'' by Norio Nanjō. An anime television adaptation, aired on Wowow from July to October 2007. The seri ...
'' *''
Shōnen Onmyōji is a Japanese light novel authored by Mitsuru Yūki and illustrated by Sakura Asagi. The novel is serialized in Kadokawa Shoten's ''The Beans''. The light novel has 47 volumes, including three short stories and a side story. A manga acting ...
'' *''
The Yagyu Ninja Scrolls is a period-themed seinen manga by Masaki Segawa that was serialized in Kodansha's ''Weekly Young Magazine'' from 2005 through 2007 and compiled into 11 collected volumes. Like the author's previous title ''Basilisk'', ''The Yagyu Ninja Scr ...
'' *''
Samurai Deeper Kyo is a manga series written and illustrated by Akimine Kamijyo. Set during the Edo period of Japan's history, ''Samurai Deeper Kyo'' follows , a feared samurai seeking to regain his body after his soul is sealed inside the body of his rival ...
'' *'' Sword of the Stranger'' *'' Vagabond'' *'' Yasuke''


Live action television

* Taiga drama Series on NHK.


Prominent jidaigeki directors

Names are in Western order, with the surname after the given name. *
Hideo Gosha was a Japanese film director. Born in Arasaka, Tokyo Prefecture, Gosha graduated from high school and served in the Imperial Navy during the Second World War. After earning a business degree at Meiji University, he joined Nippon television as a ...
* Kon Ichikawa * Hiroshi Inagaki *
Akira Kurosawa was a Japanese filmmaker and painter who directed thirty films in a career spanning over five decades. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema. Kurosawa displayed a bold, dyna ...
* Masaki Kobayashi * Shozo Makino *
Kenji Misumi (2 March 1921 – 24 September 1975) was a Japanese film director. He created film series such as ''Lone Wolf and Cub'' and the initial film in the long-running ''Zatoichi'' series, and also directed ''Hanzo the Razor: Sword of Justice'', starri ...
* Kenji Mizoguchi * Kihachi Okamoto * Kimiyoshi Yasuda * Akira Inoue * Tomu Uchida * Eiichi Kudo *
Tokuzō Tanaka was a Japanese film director. He is well known for directing Zatoichi series and Nemuri Kyōshirō series films. Biography Tanaka graduated from Kwansei Gakuin University. In 1948, he joined the Daiei studio and started working as an assist ...
*
Masahiro Takase Masahiro is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese councillor (''Rōjū'') *, Japanese baseball player *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese ski jumper *, Japanese artist *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese ...
* Koreyoshi Kurahara * Kazuo Ikehiro


Prominent jidaigeki actors

*
Tsumasaburō Bandō was one of the most prominent List of Japanese actors, Japanese actors of the twentieth century. Famous for his rebellious, sword fighting roles in many jidaigeki silent films, he rose to fame after joining the Tōjiin Studio of Makino Film Pro ...
* Denjirō Ōkōchi *
Chiyonosuke Azuma was a Japanese actor and dancer. He appeared in more than 40 films from 1954 to 1993. Career Born in Tokyo, Azuma attended the Tokyo University of the Arts, while studying Japanese dance under Bandō Mitsugorō VIII. He joined the Toei studio ...
*
Utaemon Ichikawa was a Japanese film actor famous for starring roles in jidaigeki from the 1920s to the 1960s. Trained in kabuki from childhood, he made his film debut in 1925 at Makino Film Productions under Shōzō Makino. Quickly gaining popularity, he follo ...
*
Ryūtarō Ōtomo (5 June 1912 – 27 September 1985) was a Japanese film and television actor most famous for his starring roles in jidaigeki. In 1936, he made his debut in movies with the film ''Aozura Roshi''. He ended his life by leaping from the top of a b ...
* Kanjūrō Arashi * Jūshirō Konoe *
Ryūnosuke Tsukigata was a Japanese actor known especially for his work in jidaigeki in film and television. His real name was Kiyoto Monden. Career Born in Miyagi Prefecture, Tsukigata entered the actor's school at Nikkatsu in 1920, but earned his first starring ro ...
*
Chiezō Kataoka (March 30, 1903 – March 31, 1983) was a Japanese film and television actor most famous for his starring roles in jidaigeki. Career Born in 1903 in Gunma Prefecture (his real name was Masayoshi Ueki), he was raised in Tokyo. As a child he bega ...
*
Ichikawa Raizō VIII was a Japanese film and kabuki actor. His birth name was ,While the stage names of all kabuki actors have retained traditional order (Surname-Givenname) on Wikipedia, birth names of those born after the Meiji Restoration are in Western order (Give ...
*
Hashizo Okawa was a Japanese film actor. He appeared in more than one hundred Jidaigeki films from 1955 to 1967. Biography Born in Tokyo, the son of a Yanagibashi geisha, he was soon adopted by the Ono (小野) family. His adoptive father was a kabuki act ...
*
Yorozuya Kinnosuke (November 20, 1932 – March 10, 1997) was a Japanese kabuki actor. Born , son of kabuki actor Nakamura Tokizō III, he entered kabuki and became the first in the kabuki tradition to take the name Nakamura Kinnosuke. He took on his guild name ('' ...
* Toshiro Mifune * Shintaro Katsu *
Tomisaburo Wakayama , born Masaru Okumura (奥村 勝),Leous, G. (''c.'' 2003)Tomisaburo WakayamaRetrieved on May 23, 2010. was a Japanese actor best known for playing Ogami Ittō, the scowling, 19th-century '' ronin'' warrior in the six '' Lone Wolf and Cub'' samur ...
* Kōtarō Satomi *
Asahi Kurizuka Asahi Kurizuka () (born May 9, 1937) is a Japanese actor. He made his film debut with "Bukinaki Tatakai" directed by Satsuo Yamamoto in 1960. In 1966, he received the Elan d'or Award for Newcomer of the Year. He specializes in ''jidaigeki'' . Espe ...
*
Hiroki Matsukata , better known by his stage name , was a Japanese actor. He was the son of ''jidaigeki'' actor Jūshirō Konoe and actress Yaeko Mizukawa and has a younger brother, Yūki Meguro, who is also an actor. With ex-wife actress Akiko Nishina he had tw ...
* Masakazu Tamura * Kin'ya Kitaōji * Sonny Chiba *
Hideki Takahashi is a Japanese actor. Born in Kisarazu, Chiba near Tokyo, he attended Ichikawa Gakuen and later Nihon University. Career Takahashi made his debut with Nikkatsu and acted in youth-oriented films. Takahashi made film debut with ''Kōgenji'' direct ...
*
Ken Matsudaira is a Japanese actor and musician from Toyohashi, Aichi, Japan. His real name is . Career In 1974, he joined Shintaro Katsu's production company and made his debut with the television series Zatoichi as a guest. For a quarter of a century, he ...


Influence

''
Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has been expanded into various film ...
'' creator
George Lucas George Walton Lucas Jr. (born May 14, 1944) is an American filmmaker. Lucas is best known for creating the '' Star Wars'' and '' Indiana Jones'' franchises and founding Lucasfilm, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic and THX. He served as c ...
has admitted to being inspired significantly by the period works of
Akira Kurosawa was a Japanese filmmaker and painter who directed thirty films in a career spanning over five decades. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema. Kurosawa displayed a bold, dyna ...
, and many thematic elements found in ''Star Wars'' bear the influence of Chanbara filmmaking. In an interview, Lucas has specifically cited the fact that he became acquainted with the term ''jidaigeki'' while in Japan, and it is widely assumed that he took inspiration for the term
Jedi Jedi (), Jedi Knights, or collectively the Jedi Order are the main heroic protagonists of many works of the '' Star Wars'' franchise. Working symbiotically alongside the Old Galactic Republic, and later supporting the Rebel Alliance, the Jedi ...
from this.


References


External links


A Man, a Blade, an Empty Road: Postwar Samurai Film to 1970
by Allen White, this article discusses specific ''chanbara'' films, their distinction from regular ''jidai-geki,'' and the evolution of the genre. * Program for a ''jidaigeki'' film series sponsored by the Yale CEAS and the
National Film Archive of Japan The is an independent administrative institution and one of Japan's seven national museums of art, which specializes in preserving and exhibiting the film heritage of Japan. In its previous incarnation, it was the National Film Center, which was ...
.
TOEI KYOTO STUDIO PARK
{{Authority control Film genres Japanese entertainment terms Japan in fiction