As far as I can tell this
is an eight episode TV show from 1990. Or at least eight episodes that made
it to American dvds. I saw one reference that it ran from 1990 - 1993 - so
there may be more - I hope so. I zipped through them as much as I can zip
these days and very much enjoyed them. The first episode was 90 minutes,
the second 75 minutes and the rest came in around 45 minutes with the last
two combined into one story. The character of Baian is based on the novels
of Shōtarō Ikenami, a prolific Japanese writer in various genres. Some films
such as Hunter in the Dark was based on his work and there were two TV series
about Baian - one titled Hissatsu Shikakenin which aired in the early 1970s
starring Ken Ogata and this one which stars Ken Watanabe. There was also
an anime and manga about Baian. Two of his books about Baian have been translated
into English - Master Assassin: Tales of Murder from the Shogun's City and
Bridge of Darkness: The Return of the Master Assassin. I read them years
ago and they were terrific. I wish I had them with me here to read again.
Baian is just your normal neighborhood acupuncturist who can do nearly everything
with his needles from fixing a breach baby to liver problems. Everybody loves
Baian. It could have been that kind of show. But Baian also uses his needles
as instruments of death. He is a paid assassin. Here are some Japanese terms
which might come in handy if you ever go to Japan. A client is called an okori,
He contacts a tsuru to find a killer. The agent of the assassin is called
motojime. Not sure what the target is called other than being in deep shit.
Baian has a deal with his motojima - he trusts him to vet the intended victim
and make sure the world is better off without him. Then Baian can kill in
good conscious. And it of course makes him the good guy and hero of the TV
show. He kills scum. He often teams up with his good friend Hiko (Isao Hashizume)
if the kills are complicated. They usually are. For shows about a professional
killer there is actually very little action - it is all a build up to the
kill at the end and then sake to celebrate. And the action is quick - a needle
in the back of your neck from Baian and a sharp blow dart from Hiko, who is
a tooth pick maker as his cover. Hiko is the sort of fellow no one ever notices
until he kills them. Both actors are excellent. Watanabe has gone on to some
fame since this series.
The pleasure of the shows are the planning, the little dramas than run through
the show, the deep friendship of the two killers, the recreation and detail
of the Tokugawa period, the time often spent eating and then finally the kill.
Within all that is ritual, traditions and the social interaction that takes
place. It takes its time getting to the kill. Each episode lives on its own.
A new target or targets and Baian collects half his ryos upfront and the
rest after the job is done. Still it is better to watch them in order because
there are character connections and their samurai friend (Abe Hiroshi who
has also gone on to a fine career) takes on greater importance as the episodes
go on. They are quite satisfying and the final one is wonderful. I would
love to see more of them if they exist.
