Nemuri Kyoshiro 3: The Man with No Tomorrow Film Review

The character of Nemuri Kyoshiro began with the serialization of a series of seven novels and eight short stories in the 1950s from author Renzaburo Shibata. That was just the beginning though. For much of the second half of the 20th century, Japan had a love affair with this dour taciturn Ronin who has no loyalty to others, only contempt for those with power. He is the child of a foreign missionary and the daughter of a samurai and because of his mixed heritage has never fit into Japanese society. His only friend is his sword - the Peerless Masamune - which has seen more than its share of death. The popularity of the novels led to three films in the late 1950s starring Tsuruta Koji as Nemuri. Tsuruta was to become a huge star in the 1960s often portraying samurai or yakuza in Ninkyo Eiga films. After Koji, there came the most famous portrayal of Nemuri in the twelve Sleepy Eyes of Death films with Ichikawa Raizo as Nemuri. He was a superstar and his involvement in the series only ended with his death in 1969. Even so, Daiei produced two more films in the series with Matsukata Hiroki.

That was not the end of Nemuri though - Masakazu Tamura took on the mantle of this character beginning with a TV series in 1972 and then a series of five TV films starting in 1989 and not ending till 2018, three years before Masakazu's death. And even with that, there was another TV series in 1982 with Kataoka Takao. An enduring character for sure. Why is difficult to say - he tends to show little emotion, treat women poorly and kill mercilessly with his Full Moon sword style. In the end though, he usually finds himself on the side of the powerless. This film is the third of the Masakazu series and one does sense that missing the first two is like intruding on a conversation that is taking place. I don't know if some of the characters had been in the two earlier films. Masakazu has a fleeting resemblance to Raizo being tall and slim with a narrow expressionless face. Maybe even less expressive than Raizo if that is possible. The TV does not shy away from the many killings but it definitely has the look of a TV production with its bland colors and low budget sets.

Within the first few minutes Nemuri has already put Masamune to work with some quick killings on a bridge. He is on his way to Akita to look at a painting from a Dutch artist. He quickly finds himself in the middle of a conflict. The Shogunate is attempting to find the goods on the Akita Clan so that they can disband it and take over. A common practice back then. The Shogunate spies and ninjas have infiltrated the land and try to kill Nemuri at times. He asks a procurer - ie pimp - to bring him a sick prostitute near death. That is Tomoe (Yoko Minamino) who has TB. She tells him that she is the daughter of a dead samurai who committed seppuku and the family lost everything. The only thing she has from her father is a silver coin. And on that the film is balanced. Everyone wants that coin because in it is the fate of the Akita Clan. The head of the Clan gives his virgin daughter Shizuno to Nemuri to have or have not - she is told to kill him and get the coin. He knows that but still takes her with him on the journey back to Edo. In Edo others are conspiring to kill Nemuri to get the coin. This was directed by Akira Inoue who helmed all of these TV movies but also interestingly one of the Raizo films; The Mask of the Princess.