4K UHD & Blu-ray release: ‘Cruel Tales of the Bohachi’

Eureka Entertainment will release ‘Cruel Tales of the Bohachi’ on Limited Edition 4K UHD and Blu-ray in the UK on September 15, 2026.

Bringing together Teruo Ishii‘s ‘Bohachi Bushido: Code of the Forgotten Eight’ (ポルノ時代劇忘八武士道) and Takashi Harada’s ‘Bohachi Bushido: The Villain’ (忘八武士道さ無頼), the collection follows two men who become entangled with the Bohachi, a brotherhood of samurai whose prostitution empire is built on violence and corruption. The cast across both films includes Tetsuro Tamba, Goro Ibuki, Yuriko Hishimi, Tatsuo Endo, Reiko Ike, Bin Amatsu, and Keiko Aikawa.

Bohachi Bushido: Code of the Forgotten Eight (1973): Pursued by the authorities, ronin Shino Ashita escapes by leaping from a bridge and is rescued by a group connected to Yoshiwara. Taken in by the district’s powerful leaders, he is employed to eliminate unlicensed prostitutes who threaten their business. His growing involvement soon draws the attention of a senior government official, who sends a band of assassins to kill him.

Bohachi Bushido: The Villain (1974): After being sentenced to death for a series of brutal crimes, Kyushi Issho is secretly rescued from execution by the leader of the Bohachi, who recruits the condemned swordsman into his notorious brotherhood. As Kyushi embraces the Bohachi’s way of life, he becomes increasingly entangled in the clan’s brutal code.

Features:

Limited Edition O-card slipcase featuring artwork by Poochamin (2,000 copies)
Limited Edition collector’s booklet featuring new writing by Jennifer Coates (2,000 copies)
4K (2160p) UHD presentation of ‘Code of the Forgotten Eight’ from a 4K restoration
1080p HD presentations of ‘Code of the Forgotten Eight’ and ‘The Villain’
Original Japanese mono audio
Optional English subtitles
Audio commentary on ‘Code of the Forgotten Eight’ by Tom Mes
Audio commentary on ‘The Villain’ by Arne Venema and Stefan Hammond
‘From Codes to Chaos’ video essay by Joe Hickinbottom
‘Remembering Teruo Ishii’ interview with Shinya Tsukamoto
Interview with Yuriko Hishimi
Audio interview with J-Taro Sugisaki and Takao Nakano
Original theatrical trailer