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is a
Japanese television Television in Japan was introduced in 1939. However, experiments date back to the 1920s, with Kenjiro Takayanagi's pioneering experiments in electronic television. Television broadcasting was halted by World War II, after which regular television ...
''
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 ...
'' show featuring
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 ...
that ran for four seasons in the early 1980s. The first season was a
reimagining A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the same s ...
of the 1980 film ''Kage no Gundan: Hattori Hanzō'' directed by
Eiichi Kudo was a Japanese film director. Kudo directed 30 films between 1956 and 1998, the most notable being '' 13 Assassins'' (1963) and '' The Great Killing'' (1964). He joined the Toei film company in 1952 and made his film director debut with ''Fuka ...
. Chiba played different
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 ...
characters in each series. In the first series he played Hattori Hanzō III, in the second he played Tsuge Shinpachi, in the third he played Tarao Hanzō, and in the fourth series and in ''Bakumatsu Hen'' he played Hattori Hanzō XV. In the 2003 direct-to-DVD series ''Shin Kage no Gundan'' (''New Shadow Warriors'') he played Hattori Hanzō I.


Seasons

*''Hattori Hanzō: Kage no Gundan'' (1980) - 27 episodes *''Kage no Gundan II'' (1981 - 1982) - 26 episodes *''Kage no Gundan III'' (1982) - 26 episodes *''Kage no Gundan IV'' (1985) - 27 episodes *''Kage no Gundan Bakumatsu Hen'' (1985) - 13 episodes *''Shin Kage no Gundan'' (2003 - 2005) - 6 direct to video movies


DVD release

The complete first season of the show was released on April 17, 2007 on Region 1 DVD by BCI Home Entertainment.


In other media

Chiba reprised the Hattori Hanzō character for ''
Kill Bill ''Kill Bill: Volume 1'' is a 2003 American martial arts action film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. It stars Uma Thurman as the Bride, who swears revenge on a group of assassins ( Lucy Liu, Daryl Hannah, Vivica A. Fox and Michael ...
''.
Quentin Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American filmmaker, actor, and author. Quentin Tarantino filmography, His films are characterized by graphic violence, extended dialogue often featuring much profanity, and references to ...
stated in the supplementary material on the ''Kill Bill'' DVD that the character was named in tribute to Chiba's former role as Hattori Hanzō (the historical 16th-century Iga ninja) in ''Shadow Warriors (Kage no Gundan)''. The joke is that Chiba played multiple generations of the character: when the character died, the next installment would shift to covering his descendant, also named Hanzō after his famous predecessor. The implication is that the character in ''Kill Bill'', whom Tarantino called Hattori Hanzō XIV, is another descendant of the same lineage. Chiba's daughter
Juri Manase , also known as Julie Manase, is a Japanese actress. Biography Early life Juri was inspired to be an actress at the age five by seeing her parents (Sonny Chiba and Yōko Nogiwa) on sets and stage. While she was in school, she took lessons in m ...
also appears in ''Kill Bill'' as a member of the Crazy 88. A digitized version of a promo image for the series' second season infamously appears on the title screen of '' The Revenge of Shinobi''.


Cast


Hattori Hanzō: Kage no Gundan (Season 1)

*
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 ...
as
Hattori Hanzō or ''Second Hanzō'', nicknamed , was a famous samurai of the Sengoku era, who served the Tokugawa clan as a general, credited with saving the life of Tokugawa Ieyasu and then helping him to become the ruler of united Japan. He is often a ...
*Kenji Takaoka as Hyōroku *Naomi Hase as Okiri * Shōhei Hino as Daihachi *
Junichi Haruta is a Japanese actor from Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture. His real name is . Haruta joined the J.A.C ( Japan Action Club), a theater troupe founded by Sonny Chiba, after leaving high school. Filmography Television * ''The Yagyu Conspiracy'' ...
as Kiheiji *Kyoko Mitsubayashi as Okō * Kantarō Suga as Minakuchi Kisanta *
Renji Ishibashi , born is a Japanese actor. He won the award for best supporting actor at the 15th Hochi Film Award The are film-specific prizes awarded by the '' Hochi Shimbun''. Categories *Best Picture *Best International Picture *Best Animated Picture ...
as Minakuchi Kisirō *
Hiroshi Inuzuka was a Japanese actor, comedian and bassist. Inuzuka was one of the members of the Crazy Cats. His first starring role in the film was in ''Suteki na Konban wa'' directed by Yoshitarō Nomura and played the leading roles in six films in his acti ...
as ikoma *
Nobuo Kaneko was a Japanese actor. His wife was actress Yatsuko Tanami. He appeared in more than 200 films between 1946 and 1993. Career Kaneko was a versatile character actor, playing roles ranging from comedic buffoons to hardened yakuza bosses. He is es ...
as
Sakai Tadakiyo , also known as Uta-no-kami, Bodart-Bailey, Beatrice. (1999) ''Kaempfer's Japan: Tokugawa Culture Observed,'' p. 442./ref> was a ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) in Kōzuke Province, and a high-ranking government advisor and official in the Tokugawa s ...
*
Teruhiko Saigō was a Japanese singer and actor. As a singer, he was known as one of the three "''Gosanke''" (referring to ''gosanke'', the three great Tokugawa houses), along with Yukio Hashi and Kazuo Funaki. The stage name was based on the Meiji Restorati ...
as Tsutusmi Kyonosuke *
So Yamamura , sometimes credited as Satoshi Yamamura, was a Japanese actor and film director. Biography Yamamura was born Koga Hirosada in Tenri, Nara Prefecture, and graduated from the University of Tokyo. In 1942, Yamamura and Isao Yamagata formed the B ...
as
Hoshina Masayuki was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the early Edo period, who was the founder of what became the Matsudaira clan, Matsudaira house of Aizu. He was an important figure in the politics and philosophy of the early Tokugawa shogunate. Biography Hoshina ...
*
Kirin Kiki was a Japanese actress for Japanese cinema and television. Biography Kiki was born on January 15, 1943, in Kanda, Tokyo. Her father was a master of the ''biwa'' lute and a former police officer. Her mother owned a cafe in Jinbōchō, Tokyo an ...
as Orin *Yōko Kurita as O-ume *Hikaru Kurosaki as Arisuke


Kage no Gundan II (Season 2)

*
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 ...
as Tsuge Shinpachi *Jun Eto as Tsuruzō *Masato Hoshi as Utanosuke *Hikaru Kurosaki ( :ja:黒崎輝) as Koroku * Mayumi Asaka as Otoki * Isamu Nagato as Gohei *
Etsuko Shihomi , now known by her married name , (born October 29, 1955 in Okayama City, Japan as ) is a Japanese actress and martial artist who appeared in several Japanese martial arts films and samurai film and TV productions of the 1970s and 1980s. Life a ...
as Shiina Misato *
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 Ōoka Tadamitsu *
So Yamamura , sometimes credited as Satoshi Yamamura, was a Japanese actor and film director. Biography Yamamura was born Koga Hirosada in Tenri, Nara Prefecture, and graduated from the University of Tokyo. In 1942, Yamamura and Isao Yamagata formed the B ...
as
Hiraga Gennai was a Japanese polymath and ''rōnin'' of the Edo period. He was a pharmacologist, student of ''Rangaku'', author, painter and inventor well known for his '' Erekiteru'' (electrostatic generator), ''Kandankei'' (thermometer) and ''Kakanpu'' ...
*
Hiroyuki Sanada Hiroyuki Sanada (; ; born 12 October 1960) is a Japanese actor. He has received numerous accolades, including a Golden Globe Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards, a British Academy Television Award, a Japan Academy Film Prize, two Hochi Film Award ...
as Hayate Kozō *
Kirin Kiki was a Japanese actress for Japanese cinema and television. Biography Kiki was born on January 15, 1943, in Kanda, Tokyo. Her father was a master of the ''biwa'' lute and a former police officer. Her mother owned a cafe in Jinbōchō, Tokyo an ...
as Orin


Kage no Gundan III (Season 3)

*
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 ...
as Tarao Hanzō *
Etsuko Shihomi , now known by her married name , (born October 29, 1955 in Okayama City, Japan as ) is a Japanese actress and martial artist who appeared in several Japanese martial arts films and samurai film and TV productions of the 1970s and 1980s. Life a ...
as Ochō *
Hiroyuki Sanada Hiroyuki Sanada (; ; born 12 October 1960) is a Japanese actor. He has received numerous accolades, including a Golden Globe Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards, a British Academy Television Award, a Japan Academy Film Prize, two Hochi Film Award ...
as Sasuke *
Keizō Kanie was a Japanese actor. He won the award for best supporting actor at the 1st Yokohama Film Festival for '' Angel Guts: Red Classroom'' and '' Jūkyūsai no Chizu'' and at the 12th Yokohama Film Festival for '' Ware ni utsu yoi ari'' and '' Boku t ...
as Takebayashi Toramaro * Hikaru Kurosaki as Shunta *Kawarasaki Kenzō as Ryuken * Kyoko Kishida as Takatsukasa Takako * Yoko Akino as Kobue *
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 Tokugawa Mitsusada


Kage no Gundan IV (Season 4)

*
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 ...
as Hattori Hanzō *
Isao Hashizume is a Japanese actor. He also worked as a narrator for documentaries, both on television and film. He trained as an actor at Bungakuza is a Japanese theatre company. Along with the Mingei Theatre Company and the Haiyuza Theatre Company it ...
as Hyōsai * Kimiko Ikegami as Satsuki * Jun Miho as Ayame *
Junichi Ishida is a Japanese actor and television personality from Tokyo. He is married to professional golfer Riko Higashio. Biography Junichi Ishida was born in Tokyo. His father was a foreign correspondent for NHK, and he lived in the U.S. from the ages o ...
as Kikuji *
Kenji Ohba , known professionally as is a Japanese actor and former stuntman best known for his roles in the Super Sentai and Metal Heroes series, especially as Retsu Ichijouji/Gavan in the 1982 TV series ''Space Sheriff Gavan''. He is the president of h ...
as Gamahachi *
Tsuyoshi Ihara is a Japanese actor, martial artist, and writer of Korean descent. Biography Ihara, a third-generation Zainichi Korean by birth, was born on November 6, 1963, in Kitakyūshū as Yun Yu-gu () to second-generation Zainichi Koreans and grew up i ...
as Zenkyu * MIE as Ochō *
Etsuko Shihomi , now known by her married name , (born October 29, 1955 in Okayama City, Japan as ) is a Japanese actress and martial artist who appeared in several Japanese martial arts films and samurai film and TV productions of the 1970s and 1980s. Life a ...
as Oren * Hikaru Kurosaki as Junta * Mari Chihara as Toki *
Hiroyuki Sanada Hiroyuki Sanada (; ; born 12 October 1960) is a Japanese actor. He has received numerous accolades, including a Golden Globe Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards, a British Academy Television Award, a Japan Academy Film Prize, two Hochi Film Award ...
as
Katsu Kaishū Count , born , best known by his nickname , was a Japanese statesman, naval engineer and military commander during the late Tokugawa shogunate and early Meiji period. Kaishū was a nickname which he took from a piece of calligraphy (Kaishū S ...
*
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
Ii Naosuke was a ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) of Hikone (1850–1860) and also '' Tairō'' of the Tokugawa shogunate, Japan, a position he held from April 23, 1858, until his assassination in the Sakuradamon Incident on March 24, 1860. He is most famous ...
*
Gaku Yamamoto Gaku (written: 岳 or 学) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese actor *, Japanese politician *, Japanese politician *, Japanese alpine skier *, Japanese aikidoka *, Japanese politician *, Japanese p ...
as
Hotta Masayoshi was the 5th Hotta ''daimyō'' of the Sakura Domain in the Japanese Edo period, who served as chief ''rōjū'' in the Bakumatsu period Tokugawa shogunate, where he played an important role in the negotiations of the Ansei Treaties with various ...
* Kantaro Suga as Murayama Taizō * Masanori Sera as Sakamoto Ryoma * Bunjaku Han as Osai *
Kirin Kiki was a Japanese actress for Japanese cinema and television. Biography Kiki was born on January 15, 1943, in Kanda, Tokyo. Her father was a master of the ''biwa'' lute and a former police officer. Her mother owned a cafe in Jinbōchō, Tokyo an ...
as Botan


Kage no Gundan Bakumatsu Hen (Season 5)

*
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 ...
as Hattori Hanzō *
Isao Hashizume is a Japanese actor. He also worked as a narrator for documentaries, both on television and film. He trained as an actor at Bungakuza is a Japanese theatre company. Along with the Mingei Theatre Company and the Haiyuza Theatre Company it ...
as Hyōsai *
Kenji Ohba , known professionally as is a Japanese actor and former stuntman best known for his roles in the Super Sentai and Metal Heroes series, especially as Retsu Ichijouji/Gavan in the 1982 TV series ''Space Sheriff Gavan''. He is the president of h ...
as Gamahachi *
Tsuyoshi Ihara is a Japanese actor, martial artist, and writer of Korean descent. Biography Ihara, a third-generation Zainichi Korean by birth, was born on November 6, 1963, in Kitakyūshū as Yun Yu-gu () to second-generation Zainichi Koreans and grew up i ...
as Zenkyu * MIE as Ochō * Isao Natsuyagi as
Oguri Kozukenosuke Oguri Kozukenosuke (Oguri Tadamasa, 16 July 1827 – 27 May 1868) was a statesman of the Tokugawa government in the last stage of the Edo period, and he is often regarded as a rival of Katsu Kaishu. At the time when the power of the Tokugawa g ...
*
Hiroyuki Sanada Hiroyuki Sanada (; ; born 12 October 1960) is a Japanese actor. He has received numerous accolades, including a Golden Globe Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards, a British Academy Television Award, a Japan Academy Film Prize, two Hochi Film Award ...
as
Katsu Kaishū Count , born , best known by his nickname , was a Japanese statesman, naval engineer and military commander during the late Tokugawa shogunate and early Meiji period. Kaishū was a nickname which he took from a piece of calligraphy (Kaishū S ...
* Masanori Sera as Sakamoto Ryoma * Seiichirō Kameishi as Tateoka Dōsetsu *
Kirin Kiki was a Japanese actress for Japanese cinema and television. Biography Kiki was born on January 15, 1943, in Kanda, Tokyo. Her father was a master of the ''biwa'' lute and a former police officer. Her mother owned a cafe in Jinbōchō, Tokyo an ...
as Botan


References


External links

* * * * {{IMDb title, 0182602, Kage no Gundan IV: Bakumatsu Hen 1980s Japanese television series Direct-to-video film series 1980s Japanese-language films Japanese drama television series Jidaigeki films Ninja television series Jidaigeki television series Cultural depictions of Hattori Hanzō 1980s Japanese films