Speaking of Japanese samurai films, in addition to the famous "Humpback City" series, "Miyamoto Musashi" series, etc., there is also a series of movies: "The Wolf with the Belt", also known as "Slaying the Tiger and Slaying the Dragon Sword". The series of films was directed by Kenji Misumi, whose previous masterpiece was the famous Humpback City. The film's male protagonist, Bai Yidao, is played by Tozaburo Wakasayama, who is also the younger brother of the famous humpback city actor Katsu Shintaro.
"The Wolf with the Belt" was originally a manga work that swept the 70s, the original author was Kazuo Koike, and was painted by Tsuyoshi Kojima. The image of Bai Yidao pushing Daigoro's stroller is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and has been remade into movies and TV series many times.
The series of films, which were released by three directors from 1972 to 1974, consisted of six films, and the main story of the film was that Bai Yi Dao was originally the executioner of the Tokugawa family, and because Yanagi sheng coveted the position of Bai Yi Dao, he framed his entire family with a plan, leaving only his young son, Ōgoro. In order to survive and get revenge, Bai Yidao was forced to become a wandering samurai, and along the way he fought heroically and righteously, all the way to deal with the various killers sent by Liu Sheng, and many wonderful stories happened.
Banded Wolf 1: Showdown with Yanagi (1972)
Director: Kenji Misumi
Writers: Kazuo Koike / Tsuyoshi Kojima
Starring: Tozaburo Wakayama / Fumio Watari / Akira Kato / Tomoko Mayama / Ryoko Hamaki
Originally a high-ranking executioner in the shogunate, Heichi was framed by the Yanagi clan, and his wife was also poisoned, leaving only his young son. Bai Yi slashed a bloody road, escaped from the ghost gate with his son Daigoro, and from then on pushed a stroller to start his career as a wandering samurai. In this episode, his mission is to assassinate a traitor who colludes with a bandit in a certain clan, so he takes his son deep into the tiger's den and endures humiliation and burden, and finally completes the task successfully.
Wolf Band 2: Desert Fight (1972)
Starring: Tomisaburo Wakayama / Kayo Matsuo / Shoji Kobayashi / Akira Oki / Mori Kishida
In this episode, the Yanagi clan sends a cruel Yanagi women's hall to hunt down and kill Bai Yi, and the Black Loach ninja takes Daigoro as a hostage and takes Bai Yi to the bait. Bai Yi knife finally saved his son, and his courage to see death as a homecoming and the affection of his beloved son touched Liu Shengshexiang. Sheath Xiang drowned, bai yi knife to save it, sheath xiang felt admiration, bai yi knife did not hesitate to refuse. Bai Yidao was hired to assassinate a rebellious clan man, and he had three ronin brothers with high martial skills, and the three brothers met Bai Yidao during the ship burning disaster, and expressed their willingness to fight with him, fight in the desert, and finally win by Bai Yidao.
Wolf with The Belt 3: Alone (1972)
Starring: Tomisaburo Wakayama / Akira Kato / Ryoko Hamaki / Ko Yamagata / Michitaro Mizuki
In this episode, it is told that the father and son stayed in the hotel one day, and a woman came to ask for help and worshiped the person who came with a knife and a blade. The brothel owner Yuzang who heard the news came to ask for someone, but was rejected by Bai Yi and was willing to punish the girl. The severe torture did not make Bai Yidao submit, but made Youzang admired. Miura, the master of Yuzo, therefore asked to assassinate his enemy, The Ape Doku Genbo. On the other hand, upon hearing the news, Ape Ferry gathered hundreds of soldiers and horses to kill the father and son of Bai Yidao, and the father and son and The army of Ape Ferry engaged in a deadly battle in Jizohara.
Banded Wolf 4: Tattoo Snow Hime (1972)
Director: Takeshi Saito
Starring: Tomisaburo Wakayama / Yoichi Hayashi / Akihiro Tomikawa / Asao Koike / Hiroshi Tanaka
In this episode, Bai Yidao is entrusted by the wife of the Owari domain to avenge her husband and assassinates the female killer Ah Xue, who has a tattoo on her chest. On the way, his son Ōgoro and his father are separated, showing Ōgoro's courage and wisdom, as well as the love of father and son. Under the guidance of Ah Xue's father, Bai Yidao found Ah Xue and helped end the long-cherished wish of Ah Xue's father and daughter. After to be stabbed to death by Ah Xue, tokugawa Yoshinao's knifeman Guzuka was stabbed to death by Axue, Tokugawa sent people to arrest Bai Yiyi, and at the same time, Liusheng Lietang also came with a large group of people and horses to encircle and suppress, and Bai Yidao used the terrain to kill Liusheng people on horseback, and Liusheng Lietang was blinded by his stab in the right eye, and he was also seriously injured.
Banded Wolf 5: Hades (1973)
Writers: Kazuo Koike / Tsuyoshi Kojima / Nu Nakamura
Starring: Tomisaburo Wakayama / Akihiro Tomikawa / Tomomi Sato / Hideharu Ohki / Taketoshi Naito
In this episode, kuroda clan asks for a sword to seize the documents related to the survival of the clan, so five masters are sent to test the martial arts of the sword with death. Daigoro meets the pickpocket Xiaoye at the market. Daigoro was arrested and tortured on suspicion of assisting in pickpocketing, but he endured the pain of flesh and skin in order to keep his promise, and Xiaoye was also moved to become a man again. During a battle in the water, Bai Yi used a knife to regain the documents of the Kuroda Domain, destroying the ruse of the Yanagi clan, and once again making Yanagi angry. At the same time, with the help of the female ninja unawares of the fire, Bai Yidao saw through an unspeakable dark scene inside the Kuroda Domain.
Wolf Band 6: Snowborne Road (1974)
Director: Yoshiyuki Kuroda
Starring: Tomisaburo Wakayama / Akihiro Tomikawa / Mutsugoro / Daigo Kusano / Koji Ishi
In this episode, Bai Yi killed the three sons of his nemesis, Liu Sheng Lietang, who could only send his daughter Kaori out of the horse, not wanting to return in defeat, so he sent his illegitimate son Tu Spider Guards to move out, but they were all defeated one by one. The earth spider used the drilling technique to drive away the knife, so that the father and son had neither food nor a place to live, and finally the knife led the earth spider to the snow for a final duel.
The tiger slaying dragon sword has to mention several major points of view:
Duel Scenes: Each episode has a duel, the description of the environment and atmosphere before the duel is very tense, and the duel process is clean and neat, showing the highest state of the sword and the aesthetics of violence. Of course, the location of the duel is also very diverse, land, desert, river, snow, and so on, but as a master of the Water Gull Sect, Bai Yi Dao can play the most powerful swordplay in the water.
Daigoro: This child is not simple, from an early age let him catch casting lots, the first one to catch is a sword, doomed to his future fate; in the dangerous jianghu for many years, calm and calm, brave and witty, but also inherited some of his father's samurai spirit; his doll car is still a universal mechanism, can be turned into a multi-barrel gun launcher, but also has a bulletproof function, each time to help his father to turn the danger into a disaster. Unfortunately, it is rumored that Ogoro's actor, Tomogawa Jinghiro, embarked on the criminal path of smuggling guns and ammunition as an adult.
Beauty Killer: Every episode of the movie will appear young and beautiful women, whether it is a killer or a folk woman is very characteristic and charming, fiercer than men, such as the female killer in "Tattoo Snow", with the scary tattoo on the chest to distract the opponent's attention; the female killer Yanagi Kaori in "Snow Life and Death Road", although the flying knife is unparalleled in the world, finally died of a trace of her own good thoughts.
Japanese Culture: Samurai culture, display of various ninjutsu and weapons; Japanese folk customs, operas, and daily life and food; I believe that friends who like Japanese culture will pay attention to it.
It is worth mentioning that Shogun Assassin is a film made by American Robert Houston by editing "The Wolf with the Belt", which was released in 1980. It can be seen that the series of movies is really all-encompassing, and editing alone can make a movie.
Influence on future generations: As a film and television IP that has been popular for decades, the influence of "Wolf with a Belt" is far-reaching and extensive. The violent aesthetic style of its plasma eruption can be seen in the later "Kill Bill" and "Sin City"; the author of "Sin City", the American cartoonist Frank Miller is the admirer of "Wolf with Children"; the father and son at the end of the road, this fatalistic character setting is often adapted, such as Fukasaku Shinji's "Must Kill 4: Snow Hate", "Road to Destruction" starring Tom Hanks, Wang Jing's film "Hong Xiguan".
Blood is thicker than water, father and son are deeply in love, and they walk alone forever on the brink of despair. Isn't this image a portrayal of the world's existence?