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Takao Kataoka

Takao Kataoka

Acting

Known For

Crescent Scarred Hatamoto

Saotome Mondonosuke, "Hatamoto" (direct servant of the shogun), a handsome man with a scar on his forehead in the form of a crescent moon, a favorite of the shogun. He is a master of martial arts, who owns the style of Moroha-ryu seigan-kuzushi (fencing), Yoshin-ryu tai-jutsu (the art of fighting without weapons) and even military science, but in the era of Genroku (1688-1704) all these skills are not in demand, and this brings boredom to Mondonosuke. To dispel boredom, this so-called "bored gentleman" walks around the city, and when he hears about some incident, he rushes to the place and defeats evil with his invincible swordsmanship. Mondonosuke has a 17-year-old sister, Kikuji (Yukiko Kashiwagi), and Kikuji's lover, Kirishima Kyoya (Takao Kataoka), becomes his right hand.

Crescent Scarred Hatamoto

1970Series
The Loyal 47 Ronin

This 1932 adaptation is the earliest sound version of the ever-popular and much-filmed Chushingura story of the loyal 47 retainers who avenged their feudal lord after he was obliged to commit hara-kiri due to the machinations of a villainous courtier. As the first sound version of the classic narrative, the film was something of an event, and employed a stellar cast, who give a roster of memorable performances. Director Teinosuke Kinugasa was primarily a specialist in jidai-geki (period films), such as the internationally celebrated Gate of Hell (Jigokumon, 1953), and although he is now most famous as the maker of the avant-garde silent films A Page of Madness (Kurutta ichipeji, 1926) and Crossroads (Jujiro, 1928), Chushingura is in fact more typical of his output than those experimental works. The film ranked third in that year’s Kinema Junpo critics’ poll, and Joseph Anderson and Donald Richie noted that 'not only the sound but the quick cutting was admired by many critics.

The Loyal 47 Ronin

1932Movie