The Hidden Blade is a 2004 Japanese historical drama film directed by Yoji Yamada, set in the mid-19th century during the decline of the samurai era.
The story follows Munezo Katagiri, a low-ranking samurai of honorable character, who serves a local lord in a rural area. He lives with his elderly mother, younger sister Shino, and their housemaid Kie. His sister gets married to his best friend Samon Shimada.
Kie, the housemaid, is married into a merchant family where she experiences abuse and mistreatment. Katagiri discovers her plight and intervenes to save her. Despite their mutual feelings, their differing social statuses pose insurmountable challenges to their potential relationship.
As societal changes unfold, another of Katagiri's friends, Yaichiro Hazama, who was appointed to Edo for clan business, attempts a coup and is subsequently returned to their hometown as a prisoner, forbidden from committing seppuku. He manages to escape, placing Katagiri in a difficult position. Forced to confront his loyalty and the changing world around him, Katagiri ultimately faces the painful task of ending his friend's life.
The movie stars Masatoshi Nagase, Takako Matsu, Hidetaka Yoshioka, Yukiyoshi Tabata, Reiko Takashima, Kunie Tanaka, Chieko Baisho, and Min Tanaka.
Not to be confused with the 2023 Chinese spy drama film Hidden Blade (originally titled 无名 Wú Míng, or Anonymous).
This movie provides examples of:
- The Ace: Katagiri, even though his friend Hazama acts as though he is this — he is nothing more than a Broken Ace.
- All of the Other Reindeer: Katagiri's colleagues at work, shown to be of multiple personality types as they undergo training for infantry and artillery procedures.
- Alliterative Name:
- Samon Shimada.
- Katagiri Kanbee.
- Always Save the Girl: Katagiri jumps into action to take Kie away from her maltreating new family.
- Always Someone Better: Hazama is skilled in sword combat and boasts that he could have defeated Katagiri during their demo match earlier in their life, unsure of his actual skill Katagiri becomes better by learning a new technique from his retired master.
- Anguished Declaration of Love: Kie receives a bottled up one from Katagiri right as the story concludes.
- Annoying Younger Sibling: Shino.
- Arranged Marriage: This is a given for that time and place, Kie gets married from one and Katagiri has his uncles looking to find a find a match for him.
- Broken Ace: Hazama. He boasts to Katagiri that he is better and should have been the rightful receiver of the hidden blade technique from their master. Ultimately he is a resentful man who failed to accomplish his ambitions to the degree of preferring to die in combat and have his wife kill herself rather than taking his own life the honorable way.
- Chaste Hero: Katagiri seems to prefer his work and duty as a samurai over marriage.
- Closer to Earth: Hsi sister and her husband, Katagiri's best friend
- Cultural Cringe: Bakumatsu-era Japan is portrayed as turning its back on traditional Japanese culture in favor of the new European style. The general perception among the samurai is that Japanese culture is being proven inferior time and time again to European technology and customs. One Westernized Japanese man even organizes a footrace to prove the superiority of Western-style running over the Japanese style.
- End of an Age: The shogunate's samurai is being forced to adopt Western weapons and tactics, even training to run in Western style. It's something of a Deconstruction, as the film portrays samurai culture as not nearly what's typically romanticized as: the lords and samurai are either corrupt or take Honor Before Reason to stupid extremes. Protagonist Munezo Katagiri ultimately discards samuraihood altogether to become a tradesman, which also lets him marry his lower-caste sweetheart Kie.
- Geisha: Hori, the chief retainer of the clan, is shown enjoying their company as news of Hazama's death arrives.
- Honor Before Reason: Played with in various ways.
- The Hero: Katagiri is the protagonist — this is to the point that he rescues Kie and visits his old master.
- Period Piece: Takes place in 1860s Japan.
