''Fukurō no Shiro'' (梟の城, ''Owls' Castle'') is the

ninja A , or was a spy and infiltrator in pre-modern Japan. The functions of a ninja included siege and infiltration, ambush, reconnaissance, espionage, deception, and later bodyguarding.Kawakami, pp. 21–22 Antecedents may have existed as ear ...

-themed 1959

debut novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to pu ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

ese author

Ryōtarō Shiba , also known as , was a Japanese author. He is best known for his novels about historical events in Japan and on the Northeast Asian sub-continent, as well as his historical and cultural essays pertaining to Japan and its relationship to the r ...

, which won him the

Naoki Prize The Naoki Prize, officially , is a Japanese literary award presented biannually. It was created in 1935 by Kikuchi Kan, then editor of the ''Bungeishunjū'' magazine, and named in memory of novelist Naoki Sanjugo. Sponsored by the Society for ...

in 1960 after the story was published by

Kodansha is a Japanese privately held publishing company headquartered in Bunkyō, Tokyo. Kodansha publishes manga magazines which include ''Nakayoshi'', ''Morning (magazine), Morning'', ''Afternoon (magazine), Afternoon'', ''Evening (magazine), Eveni ...

. It has been adapted into a 3-part "Naoki Award Series" TV broadcast on the Fuji Television Network in 1960, and into two

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 ...

-genre films, ''Castle of Owls'' in 1963 and ''

Owls' Castle is a 1999 Japanese ninja-themed jidaigeki film directed by Masahiro Shinoda. It was co-written by Shinoda and Katsuo Naruse, and stars Kiichi Nakai It is the second adaptation of Ryōtarō Shiba's 1959 novel '' Fukurō no Shiro'', the first bein ...

'' in 1999.

Film adaptations

''Castle of Owls''

, literally "Owls' Castle Ninja Secret Handbook", also known as ''Samurai Spies'' (not to be confused with the unrelated film '' Samurai Spy''), is a 1963 Japanese adaptation directed by Eiichi Kudō. It starred

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''. Overall Ryūtarō Ōtomo appeared in more than 100 ...

in the lead role.CASTLE OF OWLS vs. OWL'S CASTLE - Vintage Ninja
/ref>

Cast

as Juzo *

Minoru Ōki was a Japanese actor. His notable film appearances were ''Lone Wolf and Cub'' films, ''Stakeout (1958 film), Stakeout'', and ''Not Forgotten''. Ōki started working as a shooting assistant at the Nikkatsu Tamagawa studio at the age of 16. In 1 ...

as Gohei * Hizuru Takachiho as Kohagi * Chiyoko Honma as Kizaru * Choichiro Kawarazaki as Kumotaro *

Kantarō Suga was a leading Japanese actor. His film credits span three decades, from 1960 to 1990.
(Suga Kantarō) at Maeda Geni

''Owls' Castle''

is a 1999 Japanese adaptation directed by

Masahiro Shinoda was a Japanese film director, whose career spanned over four decades and covered a wide range of genres and styles. He was one of the central figures of the Japanese New Wave during the 1960s and 1970s. He directed films for Shochiku Studio fro ...

starring

Kiichi Nakai is a Japanese actor. His name was given by Yasujirō Ozu. His father, Keiji Sada, also a movie actor, died when Nakai was only two years old. Nakai started his acting career while he was still in university and was awarded the Rookie of the Ye ...

References

External links