Drama, Period

Bushidō

碁盤斬り

Directed by: Kazuya Shiraishi
2024 / 129 minutes / Unclassified 15+

Can honour survive in a game of deception?

Wrongfully accused of a crime, Kakunoshin Yanagida is cast out from his hometown and stripped of his samurai status. Resigned to life in an Edo tenement house with his daughter Okinu, Kakunoshin carves out a meagre living making handcrafted hanko (signature stamps). But when a chance encounter over a game of Go pits him against the unscrupulous merchant Genbee Yorozuya, Kakunoshin is pulled into a world of gambling and debt. For him, Go is no mere pastime—it’s a battlefield where honour itself is at stake. When rumours of the truth behind his exile emerge, Kakunoshin seizes the chance to clear his name and avenge his late wife. But as righteousness collides with reality, it is Okinu who must bear the price of her father’s revenge. 

Award winning director Kazuya Shiraishi’s (The Blood of Wolves, 2018) first period drama, Bushidō masterfully blends traditional storytelling with contemporary cinematic techniques. Adapted from a famous rakugo (verbal comedy) piece, the story of Bushidō  is brought vividly to life by lead actor and former pop idol Tsuyoshi Kusanagi and supported by a compelling performance from Jun Kunimura (Kill Bill: Volume 1, 2003). Rich with the spectacle of traditional festivals and the intensity of samurai duels, Bushidō unfolds a tale of honour, pride and sacrifice, meticulously staged like the ancient game of Go.