Hanzo the Razor
{{Short description|Japanese fictional character}}
{{nihongo|Hanzo the Razor|かみそり 半蔵|Kamisori Hanzō}} is a fictional character featured in the trilogy of Japanese chanbara films of the same name. The films star Shintaro Katsu as the title character.{{cite web|url=https://bunshun.jp/articles/-/2944|title=無類の魅力で敵も味方に、勝新の本領発揮時代劇！――春日太一の木曜邦画劇場|work=週刊文春オンライン|accessdate= August 14, 2021}} He also produced the trilogy through his own Katsu Productions.{{cite web|url=http://www.kinenote.com/main/public/cinema/detail.aspx?cinema_id=19948&key_search=%E3%81%8B%E3%81%BF%E3%81%9D%E3%82%8A%20%E5%8D%8A%E8%94%B5=|title=御用牙 かみそり 半蔵|publisher=Kinema Junpo|access-date=2 November 2020}}
After the decline of Daiei at the end of the 1960s, Shintaro Katsu established his own independent production company in 1967 called Katsu Productions.{{sfn|Sharp|2011|p=123}}{{sfn|Galbraith IV|2008|p=286}} In 1972, Katsu Productions released the chanbara film trilogy with the Hanzo the Razor: Sword of Justice based on a gekiga by Koike Kazuo.{{sfn|Sharp|2011|p=123}}
The film series is about an incorruptible law enforcer during the Edo period, who has a strong sense of justice which dictates his every move.{{sfn|Sharp|2011|p=123}} The film incorporates elements of exploitation film, and is highly sexual: Hanzo has an outlandishly large penis which is a recurring theme, and he uses it to interrogate women, usually by rape, to reveal a cases' hidden secrets and truths.{{Cite web|last=Zaveri|first=Rhythm|date=2021-03-05|title=Film Review: Hanzo the Razor: Sword of Justice (1972) by Kenji Misumi|url=https://asianmoviepulse.com/2021/03/film-review-hanzo-the-razor-sword-of-justice-1972-by-kenji-misumi/|access-date=2021-11-03|website=Asian Movie Pulse|language=en-US}}
Films
| class="wikitable" style="width: 100%;" |
| style="background: #A9D0F5" | Official English title
! style="background: #A9D0F5" | Japanese title ! style="background: #A9D0F5" | Japanese release date ! style="background: #A9D0F5" | {{abbr|Ref(s)|Reference(s)}} |
|---|
| Hanzo the Razor: Sword of Justice
| {{nihongo|御用牙|Goyōkiba}} | 30 December 1972 | {{sfn|Galbraith IV|2008|p=286}} |
| Hanzo the Razor: The Snare
| {{nihongo|御用牙 かみそり半蔵地獄責め|Goyōkiba: Kamisori Hanzō jigoku zeme}} | 11 August 1973 |{{sfn|Galbraith IV|2008|p=291}} |
| Hanzo the Razor: Who's Got the Gold?
| {{nihongo|御用牙 鬼の半蔵やわ肌小判|Goyōkiba: Oni no Hanzō yawahada koban}} | 9 February 1974 | {{sfn|Galbraith IV|2008|p=294}} |
Recurring cast and characters
{{center|List indicator(s)}}
- This table only includes characters which have appeared in more than one film.
- A dark grey cell indicates the character was not in the film, or that the character's presence in the film has not yet been announced.
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; width:99%;" |
| width="25%" rowspan="2" | Character
! colspan="3" | Film |
|---|
| width="25%" | Hanzo the Razor – Sword of Justice
! width="25%" | Hanzo the Razor – The Snare ! width="25%" | Hanzo the Razor – Who's Got the Gold? |
| Hanzo Itami The Razor | colspan="3" | Shintaro Katsu{{sfn|Galbraith IV|2008|p=286}}{{sfn|Galbraith IV|2008|p=291}}{{sfn|Galbraith IV|2008|p=294}} |
Crew
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; width:99%;" |
| width="20%" rowspan="2" | Occupation
! colspan="3" | Film |
|---|
| width="20%" | Hanzo the Razor – Sword of Justice (1972) ! width="20%" | Hanzo the Razor – The Snare ! width="20%" | Hanzo the Razor – Who's Got the Gold? |
| Director
| Yoshio Inoue |
| Producer(s)
| colspan="3" | Shintaro Katsu, Kozen Nishioka |
| Screenplay
| colspan="2" | Yasuzo Masumura |
| Composer(s)
|Kunihiko Murai |Hideaki Sakurai |
| Director of photography
|Jishi Makiura |Kazuro Miyagawa |Jishi Makiura |
| Editor(s)
|{{n/a}} |Toshio Taniguchi |{{n/a}} |
| {{abbr|Ref(s)|Reference(s)}}
| {{sfn|Galbraith IV|2008|p=286}} | {{sfn|Galbraith IV|2008|p=291}} | {{sfn|Galbraith IV|2008|p=294}} |
References
=Footnotes=
{{reflist}}
=Sources=
{{Refbegin}}
- {{cite book |last=Galbraith IV |first=Stuart |title=The Toho Studios Story: A History and Complete Filmography |year=2008 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=978-1461673743}}
- {{cite book|last=Sharp|first=Jasper|title=Historical Dictionary of Japanese Cinema|year=2011|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=978-0810875418}}
{{refend}}
External links
- {{IMDb title|qid=Q3826557|title=Hanzo the Razor: Sword of Justice}}
- {{IMDb title|qid=Q123681008|title=Hanzo the Razor: The Snare}}
- {{IMDb title|qid=Q123681007|title=Hanzo the Razor: Who's Got the Gold?}}
{{Kenji Misumi}}
{{Yasuzo Masumura}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hanzo the Razor}}