Hanzo the Razor

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.[1] He also produced the trilogy through his own Katsu Productions.[2]

After the decline of Daiei at the end of the 1960s, Shintaro Katsu established his own independent production company in 1967 called Katsu Productions.[3][4] In 1972, Katsu Productions released the chanbara film trilogy with the Hanzo the Razor: Sword of Justice based on a gekiga by Koike Kazuo.[3]

The film series, about an incorruptible law enforcer during the Edo period, has a strong sense of justice which dictates his every move.[3] 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.[5]

Films
Official English title Japanese title Japanese release date Ref(s)
Hanzo the Razor: Sword of Justice 御用牙 (Goyōkiba) 30 December 1972 [4]
Hanzo the Razor: The Snare 御用牙　かみそり半蔵地獄責め (Goyōkiba: Kamisori Hanzō jigoku zeme) 11 August 1973 [6]
Hanzo the Razor: Who's Got the Gold? 御用牙　鬼の半蔵やわ肌小判 (Goyōkiba: Oni no Hanzō yawahada koban) 9 February 1974 [7]

Recurring cast and characters
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.
Character Film
Hanzo the Razor – Sword of Justice Hanzo the Razor – The Snare Hanzo the Razor – Who's Got the Gold?
Hanzo Itami
The Razor		 Shintaro Katsu[4][6][7]

Crew
Occupation Film
Hanzo the Razor – Sword of Justice
(1972)		 Hanzo the Razor – The Snare
(1973)		 Hanzo the Razor – Who's Got the Gold?
(1974)
Director Kenji Misumi Yasuzo Masumura Yoshio Inoue
Producer(s) Shintaro Katsu, Kozen Nishioka
Screenplay Kazuo Koike Yasuzo Masumura
Composer(s) Kunihiko Murai Isao Tomita Hideaki Sakurai
Director of photography Jishi Makiura Kazuro Miyagawa Jishi Makiura
Editor(s) — Toshio Taniguchi —
Ref(s) [4] [6] [7]

References

Footnotes
  1. "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". 週刊文春オンライン. Retrieved August 14, 2021.
  2. "御用牙 かみそり 半蔵". Kinema Junpo. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
  3. Sharp 2011, p. 123.
  4. Galbraith IV 2008, p. 286.
  5. Zaveri, Rhythm (2021-03-05). "Film Review: Hanzo the Razor: Sword of Justice (1972) by Kenji Misumi". Asian Movie Pulse. Retrieved 2021-11-03.
  6. Galbraith IV 2008, p. 291.
  7. Galbraith IV 2008, p. 294.

Sources
  • Galbraith IV, Stuart (2008). The Toho Studios Story: A History and Complete Filmography. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-1461673743.
  • Sharp, Jasper (2011). Historical Dictionary of Japanese Cinema. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0810875418.
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