Ebizô Ichikawa

Seeking an honorable end, poverty-stricken samurai Hanshiro(Ebizo Ichikawa) requests to commit hara-kiri in the courtyard of feudal lord Kageyu's estate.Trying to dismiss Hanshiro's wish to save face, Kageyu(Koji Yakusho) recounts the tragic story of a similar plea years ago from young ronin Motome(Eita). But the arrogant lord is unaware of vengeful Hanshiro's bond to Motome. The film is a remake of the 1962 feature directed by Masaki Kobayashi based on the novel by Yasuhiko Takiguchi. (ropeofsilicon.com)

A theater troupe rehearsing a classic play of murder, betrayal and phantasmagorical vengeance find life bloodily imitating art backstage. (TIFF)

Sen no Rikyu (Ebizo Ichikawa) is the son of a fish shop owner. Sen no Rikyu then studies tea and eventually becomes one of the primary influences upon the Japanese tea ceremony. With his elegant esthetics, Sen no Rikyu is favored by the most powerful man in Japan Toyotomi Hideyoshi (Nao Omori) and becomes one of his closest advisors. Due to conflicts, Toyotomi Hideyoshi then orders Sen no Rikyu to commit seppuku (suicide). (imdb)

Based on the famous biography written by Yoshikawa Eiji, this year's drama boasts a list of stars that reads like a Who's Who of screen and television. Among them: Fujita Makoto, Emori Toru, Nakamura Kankuro, Nakamura Tamao, Miyazawa Rie, Watase Tsunehiko, Takashima Masanobu, Tsutsumi Shin'ichi, and Katase Rino. The younger generation is well represented too, with stars like Matsuoka Masahiro, Yonekura Ryoko, Nakama Yukie, Uchiyama Rina, and Masuda Takahisa. (mydramalist.com)