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Takeshi Kitano returns with his epic samurai film KUBI, depicting an unsolved mystery from 16th century Japan. Kitano both wrote and directed the film, starring in the role of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. The film focuses on the rivalry between Nobunaga and Mitsuhide, and Hideyoshi's secret plot to eliminate Nobunaga and take control of Japan. As rival warlords scheme against each other, a farmer and ex-ninja join forces in an attempt to survive the turbulent times. All roads lead to Honno-ji temple, where one of the greatest mysteries in samurai history will meet its climax.

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Ricardo Dávalos
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28 views

157070

Takeshi Kitano returns with his epic samurai film KUBI, depicting an unsolved mystery from 16th century Japan. Kitano both wrote and directed the film, starring in the role of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. The film focuses on the rivalry between Nobunaga and Mitsuhide, and Hideyoshi's secret plot to eliminate Nobunaga and take control of Japan. As rival warlords scheme against each other, a farmer and ex-ninja join forces in an attempt to survive the turbulent times. All roads lead to Honno-ji temple, where one of the greatest mysteries in samurai history will meet its climax.

Uploaded by

Ricardo Dávalos
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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A Takeshi Kitano Film

(History, Action, Drama / Autumn 2023 / Running time: 131min / 1:2.39 / 7.1ch)

Takeshi Kitano is back with a vengeance!


KUBI is the greatest samurai epic since Seven Samurai by Akira Kurosawa.
It's written by, directed by, and starring Takeshi Kitano.

INTRODUCTION
World-renowned director and star, Takeshi Kitano, winner of both Golden and
Silver Lions at the Venice Film Festival, proudly presents his 19th film, KUBI. The title
reflects the favorite pastime of feuding warlords during Japan’ s century-long civil war,
decapitating and brandishing the heads of their enemies. Kitano originally envisioned
his epic in 1993, when Akira Kurosawa was still alive to predict, “When Kitano directs
this film, it will surely rival my own "Seven Samurai.”
Kitano devoted 30 years to what became his lifework, researching and writing both
an original novel and screenplay depicting his outrageous theory about the ambush at
Honno-ji Temple, one of the great unsolved mysteries in samurai history. Focusing
equally on ninja and foot soldiers, missing from traditional samurai narratives, and on
the warlords battling for supremacy, Kitano depicts their impossible dreams and
untamed passions to animate his grandest entertainment, while reinventing the epic
samurai film.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
By 1582 Lord Oda Nobunaga had beheaded many of his rivals and planned to
consolidate Japan under his rule. On June 21st, while Nobunaga attended a tea
ceremony at Honno-ji temple in Kyoto, his most trusted vassal, General Akechi
Mitsuhide, betrayed him, attempting to assassinate his unprotected lord.
Nobunaga’ s death paved the way for his rival, the cunning Toyotomi Hideyoshi—
whose ambitions had vaulted him from peasant to warlord—to rule Japan in the
decades before the Shogun finally unified the country. The mystery of why General
Mitsuhide betrayed.
Nobunaga has never been solved and Kitano’ s film speculates that Hideyoshi had
secretly orchestrated the plot to eliminate Nobunaga, along with anyone who stood in
his way.
Hopelessly outnumbered, Nobunaga and his son set the temple on fire and
committed harakiri, rather than surrender.
STORY
The story is set in the late 16th century, in the waning years of the
century-long civil war, as rival warlords battled to control Japan. Lord Oda
Nobunaga, intent on controlling Japan, is waging war against several clans on
multiple fronts when one of his vassals, Araki Murashige stages a rebellion and
promptly disappears. Nobunaga assembles his other vassals, including Akechi
Mitsuhide, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and orders Mitsuhide to capture the fugitive
Murashige, warning,

I’ ll choose whoever works hardest as my successor, so work for me like your


lives depend on it! And behead each and every member of that traitor Araki’ s
clan! But if you capture Murashige, don’ t you dare kill him! Bring him to me, no
matter what.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi deploys a former ninja-turned-entertainer, Sorori


Shinzaemon, to capture the fugitive Murashige. Hideyoshi is secretly plotting to
use the escaped Murashige to trap Nobunaga and Mitsuhide and steal the
kingdom to rule it himself.

Murashige, captured by the ex-ninja Shinzaemon, is turned over to Mitsuhide,


but Mitsuhide cannot bring himself to behead Murashige, who happens to be his
lover, and hides him in his castle instead.
Meanwhile, a gung-ho farmer named Mosuke, determined to follow Toyotomi
Hideyoshi and rise above his lowly birth, runs away from his village, and meets
the ex-ninja Shinzaemon on the battlefield. The ex-ninja, determined to become
the greatest entertainer in the land, identifies with the ambitious Mosuke and
the two men decide to join forces.

Back in his castle, Lord Nobunaga rages against Murashige, who remains at
large. Surmising that yet another warlord, Tokugawa Ieyasu, had incited
Murashige’ s rebellion, Nobunaga orders Mitsuhide to assassinate Ieyasu. When
Hideyoshi hears this news, he schemes to drive a wedge between Nobunaga and
Mitsuhide by preventing Ieyasu’ s murder. Shinzaemon and Mosuke, ordered by
Hideyoshi to keep Ieyasu alive at all costs, miraculously manage, by hook or by
crook.

Failing to assassinate Ieyasu but determined to eliminate him, Nobunaga


plans an official tea ceremony at Honno-ji Temple in Kyoto to lure Ieyasu and
leaks his plan to Mitsuhide. Sensing a once in a lifetime opportunity to eliminate
Nobunaga, Mitsuhide asks Murashige, his fugitive lover, " Could this be our
destiny…?

Mitsuhide, trapped between his love and his hate for the charismatic ruler,
finally resolves to behead Nobunaga.
Meanwhile, Hideyoshi draws Ieyasu into his own schemes to rule the land.
As the warlords scheme and the farmer and entertainer dream, all roads lead to
Honno-ji temple, where fate awaits them all. Which way will their heads roll…
ABOUT TAKESHI KITANO
Born in Tokyo, in 1947. He made his dHe became involved in cinemas in the
early 70s' and under the name of "Beat Takeshi" became one of Japan’ s most
famous comedians. He became famous in the West with a role in Nagisa
Oshima’ s Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983). He made his directorial debut
in 1989 with Violent Cop. His films include Sonatine (1993), Kids Return (1996),
Hana-Bi (1997), Kikujiro (1999) and the first film shot outside of his native Japan
Brother in 2000. Dolls was the closing film for PIFF 2002, and his latest piece,
Zatoichi won Special Director’ s Award, Silver Lion and People’ s Choice Award
at Toronto 2003. In October 2017, Kitano completed his Outrage crime trilogy
with the release of Outrage Coda. He is also known internationally for hosting
the game show Takeshi's Castle (1986–1990) and starring in the film Battle Royale
(2000).
He has received critical acclaim for his idiosyncratic cinematic work, winning
numerous awards with Japanese film critic Nagaharu Yodogawa having once
described him as "the true successor" to Akira Kurosawa, one the most
influential filmmakers the world.

CAST
Takeshi KITANO (Sonatine, HANA−BI, Violent Cop, Outrage) as TOYOTOMI Hideyoshi
Hidetoshi NISHIJIMA (Drive My Car, Dolls, MOZU series, Creepy) as AKECHI Mitsuhide
Ryo KASE (I Just Didn't Do It, Letters from Iwo Jima, Glasses) as ODA Nobunaga
Kaoru KOBAYASHI (The Great Passage, Midnight Diner) as TOKUGAWA Ieyasu
Shido NAKAMURA (Be with you, Letters from Iwo Jima, Red Cliff) as NANIWA Mosuke
Tadanobu ASANO (Zatoichi, Kabei: Our Mother, Journey to the Shore) as KURODA Kanbei
Nao OMORI (Ichi the Killer, Sakuran, Zeno's Paradoxes) as TOYOTOMI Hidenaga
Kenichi ENDO (Violent Cop, Gift, The Raid 2: Berandal) as ARAKI Murashige
Ittoku KISHIBE (The Funeral, Violent Cop, Zatoichi, Outrage the finale) as Sennorikyu
Yuichi KIMURA (Kamikaze Girls, Sway) as Sorori Shinzaemon

International Sales by Kadokawa Corporation: Chiyo MORI <[email protected]>


International Press: Claudia Tomassini <[email protected]>

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