Hanzo the Razor

Hanzo the Razor: Sword of Justice
Directed by	Kenji Misumi
Produced by	Shintaro Katsu Hiroyoshi Nishioka
Written by	Kazuo Koike Kazuo Koike (story) Takeshi Kanda (story)
Starring	Shintaro Katsu Yukiji Asaoka Mari Atsumi Takahiro Tamura Ko Nishimura
Music by	Kunihiko Murai
Cinematography	Chishi Makiura
Edited by	Yoshiharu Hayashi
Distributed by	Toho
Release dates	December 30, 1972 (1972-12-30)
Running time	108 minutes
Country	Japan
Language	Japanese

Hanzo the Razor (かみそり 半蔵, Kamisori Hanzō) is a fictional character featured in the trilogy of Japanese jidaigeki films of the same name. The films star Shintaro Katsu (known for his role as Zatoichi) as the title character. He also produced the trilogy through his own Katsu Productions. Lead actresses differ in each film; they include Yukiji Asaoka playing the character Omino in Hanzo the Razor: Sword of Justice.

The story is based on the manga Goyōkiba (御用牙) by Kazuo Koike, whose Lone Wolf and Cub manga was also adapted as a film series by Katsu, this time starring his brother, Tomisaburo Wakayama.

The trilogy

The trilogy is made up of:

• Hanzo the Razor: Sword of Justice (御用牙, Goyōkiba) (1972)
• Hanzo the Razor: The Snare (御用牙　かみそり半蔵地獄責め, Goyōkiba: Kamisori Hanzō jigoku zeme) (1973)
• Hanzo the Razor: Who's Got the Gold? (御用牙　鬼の半蔵やわ肌小判, Goyōkiba: Oni no Hanzō yawahada koban) (1974)

Premise

Itami Hanzo (板見 半蔵) is a machikata yoriki in his early 40s who is in the Edo police, serving under the Northern Machi-bugyō. Due to the harsh methods he applies at investigations and his inflexible attitude towards both criminals and his superiors, he is known with the nickname Hanzo the Razor. Each plot details Hanzo's foiling a plot by corrupt and privileged Edo period officials and Edo Castle courtiers. Distinguishing characteristics of the films include:

• Hanzo vilifies elitism and corruption, consistently railing against the powers-that-be who continue to threaten Hanzo with seppuku for his insolence.
• Hanzo continuously mocks his superior officer, Magobei Onishi, whom Hanzo dubs Hebi no Magobei ("Snake Magobei") due to Onishi's penchant for bribes and beautiful women.
• Hanzo is a constable who normally yields a jutte rather than a katana; this jutte has a hidden, weighted chain within it, which Hanzo uses to block against sword attacks or ensnare fleeing criminals.
• Hanzo consistently utilizes torture (both on himself and on others) as a means of interrogation and self-purification;.
• Hanzo ritualistically flagellates his huge penis so as to make it stronger; this exercise is always followed up by Hanzo's practicing sexual intercourse with a bale of rice.
• Hanzo's home is filled with exotic traps and weapons to defeat assassins, such as a hidden wall of weapons near his ofuro and spears that descend from the ceiling.
• Hanzo interrogates female suspects by raping them; later, he drinks sake with them in his ofuro and they immediately become infatuated with him, primarily due to his sexual dexterity.

Hanzo the Razor: The Snare
Directed by	Yasuzo Masumura
Produced by	Shintaro Katsu Hiroyoshi Nishioka
Written by	Yasuzo Masumura Kazuo Koike (creator)
Starring	Shintaro Katsu
Music by	Isao Tomita
Cinematography	Kazuo Miyagawa
Edited by	Toshio Taniguchi
Distributed by	Toho
Release dates	August 11, 1973 (1973-08-11)
Running time	89 minutes
Country	Japan
Language	Japanese

Hanzo the Razor: Who's Got the Gold?
Directed by	Yoshio Inoue
Produced by	Shintaro Katsu Hiroyoshi Nishioka
Written by	Yasuzo Masumura Takeshi Kanda (story) Kazuo Koike (creator)
Starring	Shintaro Katsu
Music by	Hideaki Sakurai
Cinematography	Chishi Makiura
Distributed by	Toho
Release dates	February 9, 1974 (1974-02-09)
Running time	84 minutes
Country	Japan
Language	Japanese

External links

• Hanzo the Razor: Sword of Justice at the Internet Movie Database
• Hanzo the Razor: The Snare at the Internet Movie Database
• Hanzo the Razor: Who's Got the Gold? at the Internet Movie Database