Chiba Check Up Vol. 2: Shogun's Ninja (1980)

During his luxurious career, Chiba has had the honor to work with many luminaries of Japanese film from the likes of Gosha Hideo and #NakadaiForever Nakadai Tatsuya in Hunter in the Dark (1979) to Fukasaku Kinji and Sugawara Bunta (and Kaji Meiko) in Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Hiroshima Death Match. It was only a matter of time before he finally got to Toei mainstay and creative craftsman Suzuki Norifumi in Ninja Bugeicho Momoshi Sandayu aka Shogun’s Ninja (not to be confused with the other Chiba film, Shogun’s Ninja from 3 years later).

Shogun’s Ninja - In the 1500s, the Momochi clan ruled. In part, thanks a secret gold mine whose location was hidden (in a fortress perhaps?) on 2 swords. Hideyoshi (Koike Asao - Throne of Blood, Resurrection of Golden Wolf, G.I. Samurai, and Gosha’s The Geisha) wants power at any cost. He sends his commander, Shiranui (Chiba) and an army to massacre the Momochi. The family awaits in terror, sending their young son, Takamaru (Sanada Hiroyuki ‘Henry’ - co-starred with Chiba in several films), to China. Hideyoshi takes over. Decades pass until Takamaru's return. Upon his return, he reunites with outcast Momochi survivors (including a wonderful scenery chewing old master played by Tamba Tetsuro) to restore his family’s house.

This sounds like other historically-driven action films of the era - G.I. Samurai, Legend of Eight Samurai, The Ninja Wars, Hunter in the Dark, etc. As was briefly brought in The Line Between Sleaze and Prestige series, Kurosawa cast a long shadow on the samurai genre. There were other directors that specialized in samurai films but the genre was the equivalent to the Western in the States and Italy...cheap films that gloried the past and usually made money. Who doesn’t want to see people slashed up with style? Given that Sergio Leone stole much from Yojimbo is a testament to the status of AK. He changed the game. The genre had to evolve and change with the times. More violence and crazier stunts was the natural course to follow. Chiba was a natural fit. He was a gifted athlete with the stern discipline to both perform and sometimes coordinate these action sequences, as he did here.

Taking just the visuals and nothing else, this is a blast with a specific eye. The action is legible and smooth. Before every sequence, we get to know the geography of the makeshift arena. It isn’t just the sword clashing, there are ninja guerrilla tactics thrown into the mix and every warrior can leap at least a dozen feet with great ease. In every battle, a new weapon is brought into the fray. Usually with no fanfare or hint it will be there, there will just be a sudden squad of musket men or a three section staff specialist whoppin' ass. Oh yeah and ninjas that jump between trees in a squirrel like fashion and trapeze/glide across the forest with an appropriately fun whooshing sound effect. These dudes can burrow through the ground like Bugs Bunny too. As fun as each set piece is, they blend together and lack distinct personality. Adding a new weapon isn’t enough to differentiate them from each other. All that said, Chiba knows how to make stage action while figuring out what works for each individual performer. Everyone looks good and like each of them could legitimately kick ass in real life. The combination of Suzuki’s love of insanity and the raw violence of Chiba’s choreography should mix well but never quite meshes into anything that. 

A wonderful array of colorful, popping costumes are a major high point. Each character has a signature look. These help tell people apart, especially since the video quality where I saw this a straight VHS rip with a questionable dub. That gives the experience of a live-action anime with all the Americanized elements fully intact making it a weird cocktail to take in. Each costume is distinct but if the video quality were a bit better these would make fight sequences fly off the screen and dip even more in the realm of an live-action action anime.

Chiba as Shogen in royal garb

Shihomi Etsuko as Ai-Lian in pink

Sato Makoto as Yatoshi in his spider tree ninja uniform

Shogun's Musketmen

Sanada Hiroyuki as Takamaru

Ninagawa Yuki as Otsu in pink

Storytelling is not the strongest aspect. If you’re familiar with this specific sub-genre you know what will happen and when it will happen. It does tie into real history but only in a superficial way. It explains the historical references via narration and character chyrons. There are a few lines of closing narration referring to the Tokugawa Shogunate and some other real historical figures like Hanzo Hattori (Natsuyagi Isao - Hunter in the Dark, G.I. Samurai, Onimasa). The cast lends itself to certain plot expectations. Chiba, Natsuyagi, Sanada, Tamba (or Tanba), and Koike were known for the historical action films. Shogun’s Ninja isn’t bad. There just isn’t much to this besides action scenes and occasionally funny lines thanks to a ridiculous dub. Chiba sounds like a sub-par John Wayne impression. The Kurosawa references and nods to earlier samurai fare are glaringly obvious and luckily go by without much mention.

Ok, there is another thing that will either make you insane or laugh like a crazed hyena...the score. It's grossly inappropriate and rarely fits the intended mood. It ranges from 70s single recently divorced single dad soft rock to inoffensive elevator smooth jazz whilst people are getting shot up, hit with arrows, and limbs cut off. Personally, I enjoyed how ridiculous it could get in few key moment but eventually got repetitive (came back around to fun by the end). Each genre has its tropes and usual performers that pop up within it. These are actors I enjoy and like when they slice each up in a historical setting but this just fell flat. Especially this coming from the man behind School of Holy Beast and Terrifying Girls High School: Lynch Law Classroom and Sex and Fury and Girl Boss Guerilla, but not everything can be a balls to the wall sleazy rollercaster.

Shogun’s Ninja is available on Amazon Prime and other streaming services as well as DVD. #ChibaCheckUp Vol. 2 continues on with Sister Street Fighter (1975).