, U.S. title ''Conquest'', is a 1965 Japanese

jidaigeki is a genre of film, television, and theatre in Japan. Literally meaning "historical drama, period dramas", it refers to stories that take place before the Meiji Restoration of 1868. ''Jidaigeki'' show the lives of the samurai, farmers, crafts ...

and

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

written and directed by

Kaneto Shindō was a Japanese film director, screenwriter, film producer, and writer, who directed 48 films and wrote scripts for 238. His best known films as a director include '' Children of Hiroshima'', '' The Naked Island'', '' Onibaba'', '' Kuroneko'' a ...

. It is based on the play ''Kaoyo'' by

Jun'ichirō Tanizaki was a Japanese author who is considered to be one of the most prominent figures in modern Japanese literature. The tone and subject matter of his work range from shocking depictions of sexuality and destructive erotic obsessions to subtle portr ...

Plot

In the 14th century,

Kō no Moronao was a Japanese samurai of the Nanboku-chō period who was the first to hold the position of '' Shitsuji'' (''Shōgun''s Deputy). He was appointed by Ashikaga Takauji, the first ''shōgun'' of the Ashikaga shogunate. As Deputy, he served not ...

, a deputy and retainer of the Ashikaga shogunate, hears of the beauty of Kaoyo, the wife of samurai Takasada of the Shioji clan. Obsessed with the thought of sleeping with Kaoyo, he instructs his chief chambermaid Jiju to arrange for a tête-à-tête. Jiju has letters in Moronao's name sent to Kaoyo, which first remain unanswered. Afraid to lose her position, Jiju sneaks into Takasada's house and tries to talk Kaoyo into giving in to the deputy's courting. Jiju is caught, confronted with Takasada's and Kaoyo's unconditional love and loyalty for each other. Moronao, furious about the woman's repeated resistance, orders Takasada to join the battles between the

Northern Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating ...

and

Southern dynasties The Northern and Southern dynasties () was a period of political division in the history of China that lasted from 420 to 589, following the tumultuous era of the Sixteen Kingdoms and the Eastern Jin dynasty. It is sometimes considered as ...

to have him out of the way. The disobedient Takasada and his followers desert to meet with his wife at a secret place, where he is surrounded by Moronao's men. Takasada and his followers die in the subsequent battle, and Kaoyo has herself killed by family member Munemura. The victorious warriors and Jiju return to Moronao's estate, presenting him with Kaoyo's severed head. Moronao is furious because he wanted her alive, not dead. Jiju starts laughing, and the severed head smiles.

Cast

Nobuko Otowa was a Japanese actress who appeared in more than 100 films between 1950 and 1994. Life and career A graduate of Takarazuka Girl's Opera School, Otowa was first signed to Daiei studios, before becoming a freelance actress by the early 1950s. A ...

as Jiju *

Kyōko Kishida was a Japanese actress and voice actress. Biography Kishida was born in Tokyo in 1930 as the second daughter of playwright Kunio Kishida. Her older sister was the children's author and poet Eriko Kishida and she was cousins with actor Shin Ki ...

as Kaoyo *

Eitaro Ozawa , also credited as Sakae Ozawa (小沢栄), was a Japanese film actor and stage actor and director. He appeared in more than 200 films between 1935 and 1988, directed by notable filmmakers such as Kenji Mizoguchi, Mikio Naruse, Keisuke Kinoshita ...

as Kō no Moronao *

Isao Kimura , sometimes credited as Kō Kimura, was a Japanese stage and film actor who appeared in more than one hundred films of directors such as Akira Kurosawa, Mikio Naruse, Tadashi Imai and Yoshishige Yoshida. Biography Kimura was born in Hiroshima C ...

as Enya Takasada * Kentaro Kaji as Rokuro *

Taiji Tonoyama was a Japanese character actor who made many appearances in films and on television from 1939 to 1989. He was a close friend of Kaneto Shindo and one of his regular cast members. He was also an essayist. In 1950 he helped form the film company ...

as Munemura *

Jūkichi Uno (real name ; 27 September 1914 – 9 January 1988) was a Japanese actor. In 1950, he formed the with Osamu Takizawa was a Japanese actor. He was born in Ushigome, Shinjuku, Tokyo. Starting at the Tsukiji Little Theater, Takizawa particip ...

as Yoshida Kenko, the poet

Notes

References

External links

* {{Kaneto Shindo 1965 films Japanese drama films Jidaigeki films 1960s samurai films Japanese films based on plays Films set in feudal Japan Films based on works by Jun'ichirō Tanizaki Films directed by Kaneto Shindo 1960s Japanese films Films scored by Hikaru Hayashi