is a 1982 Japanese film

directed Direct may refer to: Mathematics * Directed set, in order theory * Direct limit of (pre), sheaves * Direct sum of modules, a construction in abstract algebra which combines several vector spaces Computing * Direct access (disambiguation), a ...

Hideo Gosha was a Japanese director and screenwriter. He was the first Japanese director to make the transition from television to theatrical films, and is best known for his ''jidaigeki'' and yakuza films. Beginning with '' Three Outlaw Samurai'' in 196 ...

. Based on the novel of Tomiko Miyao. It was Japan's submission to the

55th Academy Awards The 55th Academy Awards ceremony, organized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored films released in 1982 and took place on April 11, 1983, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles beginning at 6:00 p. ...

for the

Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film The Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (known as Best Foreign Language Film prior to 2020) is one of the Academy Awards handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to a ...

, but was not accepted as a nominee.

Cast

Tatsuya Nakadai is a Japanese film actor. He was featured in 11 films directed by Masaki Kobayashi, including '' The Human Condition'' trilogy, wherein he starred as the lead character Kaji, plus '' Harakiri'', '' Samurai Rebellion'' and '' Kwaidan''. Nakada ...

as Masagoro Kiryuin - Onimasa *

Masako Natsume was a Japanese actress from Tokyo. Widely popular in Japan, she gained worldwide recognition for her portrayal of Tripitaka in the TV series ''Monkey,'' which is now considered a cult classic. Biography Masako was born Masako Odate at Japane ...

as Matsue Kiryuin *

Shima Iwashita is a Japanese stage and film actress who has appeared in films of Yasujirō Ozu, Keisuke Kinoshita, Masaki Kobayashi and most frequently of Masahiro Shinoda, her husband. She is best known for starring in the '' Yakuza Wives'' series of yakuza ...

as Uta Kiryuin *

Tetsurō Tamba was a Japanese actor with a career spanning five decades. He appeared in nearly 300 film and television productions, both in leading and supporting roles, and was the winner of two Japan Academy Film Prizes. At the height of his career, he wa ...

as Uichi Suda, The Big Boss * Tatsuo Umemiya as Masaru Yamane * Kaori Tagasugi as Hanako Kiryuin *

Akiko Kana Akiko can refer to: * ''Akiko'' (comic book), an American comic book * ''Akiko'' (film), a 1961 Italian comedy film * Akiko (Amiga), a custom chip used in the Amiga CD32 games console * Akiko (given name) is a feminine Japanese given name. Wr ...

as Tsuru *

Kōji Yakusho , known professionally as , is a Japanese actor. He is known internationally for his starring roles in ''Shall We Dance?'' (1996), ''Cure'' (1997), '' 13 Assassins'' (2010), '' The Third Murder'' (2017), '' The Blood of Wolves'' (2018), '' Und ...

as Kondō * Emi Shindō as Emiwaka, 2nd Mistress *

Akiko Nakamura Akiko can refer to: * ''Akiko'' (comic book), an American comic book * ''Akiko'' (film), a 1961 Italian comedy film * Akiko (Amiga), a custom chip used in the Amiga CD32 games console * Akiko (given name), a common Japanese female given nam ...

as Botan, 3rd Mistress *

Mari Natsuki (née , more commonly known by her stage name , is a Japanese singer, dancer, actress and philanthropist, who describes herself as a "person who plays." Born in Tokyo, she started work as a singer from a young age. In 2007, Natsuki announced h ...

as Akio, Opponent's Mistress *

Seizō Fukumoto (3 February 1943 – 1 January 2021) was a Japanese actor. Biography Fukumoto started acting at age 15 in Kyoto, the capital of Japanese cinema. A specialist in film and television jidaigeki set in the Edo period, he most often played a rōnin, ...

* Masahiko Tanimura as Shirai Zenhichi * Torahiko Hamada as DR.Katō * Naoya Makoto as Gondō *

Ryōhei Uchida was a Japanese ultranationalist political activist, martial artist, and "continental adventurer" ('' tairiku rōnin'') active in the pre-war Empire of Japan. Biography Uchida was born in Fukuoka prefecture. He was the son of '' Shinto Muso-ry ...

as Suenaga *

Mikio Narita was a Japanese actor. He was most famous for playing villains, and often worked with Kinji Fukasaku. Narita graduated from Haiyuza Theatre Company acting school and joined Daiei Film. His career as a screen actor started in 1963. His film debut ...

as Tsujihara *

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 Genichiro Tanabe

Production

Originally, the actress and singer

Meiko Kaji is a Japanese actress and singer. Since the 1960s, she has appeared in over 100 film and television roles, most prominently in the 1970s with her most famous roles as outlaw characters, best known for her performances in the film series '' Stra ...

wished to make a film adaptation of the novel, so she discussed the idea with the produce
Goro Kusakabe
and the intention of play the main role. Unluckily the presiden
Shigeru Okada
rejected the project because he didn't believe Toei, an all-time action genre company, should change so drastically its style even in a time of crisis. But some time after he took the project, decided to call the director

, who was living a very bad time in that moment, to be in charge, and the role that Kaji supposed to play was given to the young actress and model

Release

''Onimasa'' was distributed in the United States in October 1985 with English-subtitles.

Awards and nominations

25th

Blue Ribbon Awards The are film-specific prizes awarded solely by movie critics and writers in Tokyo, Japan, established in 1950 by , established under the name of the "Association of Tokyo Film Journalists Award", which was formed mainly by film reporters from th ...

* Won: Best Actress -

References

External links