A phantom thief in the shogun's bedroom? Edo-era drama gets SPICY.
The phantom thief, known as the "Actor Kid", who was creating a stir in the Daimyo's mansion, especially in the inner chambers, was called Inaba Goutaro. He was the adopted son of a samurai, Inaba Buemon. An incident occurred where his foster father collided with the palanquin of the lord's concubine. In the subsequent altercation, Goutaro killed one of the attendants. Taking responsibility for the act, his foster father committed seppuku, and Goutaro was hunted down. Facing death, his foster father revealed to Goutaro that after the death of his biological father, Goutaro's real mother and his younger brother were forcibly made to serve a lord. This revelation ignited Goutaro's determination to infiltrate the Daimyo's mansion to meet his birth mother.
Acting
Kōkichi Takada's theatrical double-life performance
Costume
Elaborate period details distinguishing thief from samurai disguises
Direction
Fuyushima blends stage drama with cinematic close-ups
Director
Taizō Fuyushima
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The 'oyama' (female impersonator) tradition in kabuki heavily influenced how male actors portrayed Goutaro's disguises, blurring gender and class performance.
Director Taizō Fuyushima was primarily a theater director; this was one of his rare film outings, explaining the staged, tableau-like compositions.
JP
