Trailer: ‘Hakkenden’

By   |  Oct 14, 2024

‘Hakkenden’ (八犬伝) is a 2024 Japanese fantasy action adventure written and directed by Fumihiko Sori.

Based on Futaro Yamada’s novel series, the film revolves around a writer who recounts the tale of eight swordsmen with eight pearls who gather to break the curse placed on the Satomi family. The cast includes Koji Yakusho, Seiyo Uchino, Tao Tsuchiya, Hayato Isomura, Haru Kuroki, and Shinobu Terajima.

Synopsis: Takizawa Bakin, a popular writer of the Edo period, begins to tell his friend, the painter Katsushika Hokusai, the story he is conceiving, Hakkenden. Eight swordsmen with eight pearls gather as if guided by fate to break the curse placed on the Satomi family. It’s an epic and bizarre tale of a fierce battle. Hokusai is immediately hooked and is so intrigued by the rest of the story that he visits often and makes preliminary sketches to inspire Bakin’s creativity. The story became so popular that it was serialised for an unusually long time but when it reached its climax, Makoto lost his sight. While the completion seems hopeless, he receives an offer from his daughter-in-law to help. What were Bakin’s thoughts and feelings about Hakkenden, which he continued to write for 28 years even after losing his sight? [© Far East Films]

‘Hakkenden’ opens across Japan on October 25, 2024.

Phil Mills
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