is a

historical fantasy Historical fantasy is a category of fantasy and genre of historical fiction that incorporates fantastic elements (such as magic (fantasy), magic) into a more "realistic" narrative. There is much crossover with other subgenres of fantasy; those c ...

novel by

Futaro Yamada was the pen name of , a Japanese author. He was born in Yabu, Hyogo. In 1947, he wrote a mystery short story and was awarded a prize by the magazine . He was discovered by Edogawa Rampo and became a novelist. He wrote many ninja (忍法帖 ''Nin ...

. It was serialized in Osaka Shimbun newspaper between December 1964 and February 1965 under the title ''Oboro Ninpōchō''. It is a tale in which Mori Sōiken resurrects other dead historical figures to overthrow the

Shogunate , officially , was the title of the military rulers 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, except during parts of the Kamak ...

, while Yagyū Jūbei Mitsuyoshi rises to fight him and his warriors of the dead.

Plot

The tale starts in the

Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. The Tokugawa shogunate was established by Tokugawa Ieyasu after victory at the Battle of Sekigahara, ending the civil wars ...

when Yui Shōsetsu meets the old Mori Sōiken, who, in the story, had survived to the

Shimabara rebellion The , also known as the or , was an rebellion, uprising that occurred in the Shimabara Domain of the Tokugawa shogunate in Japan from 17 December 1637 to 15 April 1638. Matsukura Katsuie, the ''daimyō'' of the Shimabara Domain, enforced unpo ...

and learned the dark arts of ninpou in order to get his revenge. Knowing they both wish for the dethroning of the shōgun, Soiken forms an alliance with Shosetsu and reveals a spell devised by him, the Makai Tensho, which can rise dead people as his puppets. They soon gather an undead army of legendary warriors and sorcerers, among them Amakusa Shirō Tokisada,

Miyamoto Musashi , was a Japanese swordsman, strategist, artist, and writer who became renowned through stories of his unique double-bladed swordsmanship and undefeated record in his 62 duels. Miyamoto is considered a ''Kensei (honorary title), kensei'' (swo ...

, and Araki Mataemon, and plan to use their supernatural skills to destroy the shogunate. However, the crown of their army, Yagyū Jūbei Mitsuyoshi, breaks free from their control and becomes determined by his own reasons to stop their rebellion before it starts.

Characters

The roster of the dead varies depending on adaptation, but usually contains Amakusa, Musashi, Yagyu Munenori, and Hōzōin Inshun. Soiken himself is often left out in adaptations, which tend to have instead Amakusa as the villain mastermind of the story. * Yagyū Jūbei Mitsuyoshi * Mori Sōiken * Amakusa Shirō Tokisada * Araki Mataemon * Tamiya Bōtarō * Hōzōin Inshun * Hosokawa Gracia * Yagyū Jounsai Toshiyoshi * Yagyu Munenori *

* Yui Shōsetsu * Tokugawa Yorinobu *

Tokugawa Iemitsu was the third ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate, Tokugawa dynasty. He was the eldest son of Tokugawa Hidetada with Oeyo, and the grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Lady Kasuga was his wet nurse, who acted as his political adviser and was at the ...

Adaptations

Film

* starring

Sonny Chiba , known internationally as Sonny Chiba, was a Japanese actor and martial artist. Chiba was one of the first actors to achieve stardom through his skills in martial arts, initially in Japan and later to an international audience. Born in Fukuo ...

, directed by

Kinji Fukasaku was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. Known for his "broad range and innovative filmmaking", Fukasaku worked in many different genres and styles, but was best known for his gritty Yakuza film, yakuza films, typified by the Battles With ...

. * directed by Kazumasa Shirai. ** directed by Kazumasa Shirai. * directed by Hideyuki Hirayama.

Manga

* by Ken Ishikawa. * by Shinzō Tomi. * by Shōko Toba. * by Naoko Kugo. * by Masaki Segawa.

Anime

* directed by Yasunori Urata.

Others

*, a

stage play A play is a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between characters and is intended for theatrical performance rather than mere reading. The creator of a play is known as a playwright. Plays are staged at various levels, ranging ...

directed by Kinji Fukasaku. *, a PS2

video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

developed by

Tamsoft is a Japanese video game developer founded in 1992, best known for their work on the ''Battle Arena Toshinden'', '' Onechanbara'' and '' Senran Kagura'' series. Its former president, Toshiaki Ōta, previously worked at Toaplan as one of the si ...

and published by

D3 Publisher is a Japanese video game developer and video game publisher, publisher founded on February 5, 1992. The company is known for the ''Simple (video game series), Simple'' series of budget-priced video games. Their games have been released for the G ...

. *, a stage play directed by G2. *, a stage play by the Herohero Q theatrical company. *, a stage play produced to commemorate the 65th anniversary of Nippon Television. * featured an adaptation of the story, crossed with Dante's ''Inferno'', as part of a storyline set in Shimōsa.

References

External links

* * * *{{IMDb title, qid=Q128600953, title=Reborn from Hell II: Jubei's Revenge Japanese historical novels Ken Ishikawa Japanese war novels