Film Review: Tokijiro: Lone Yakuza (1966) 

Official synopsis: Weary of the rigid codes of the underworld, gambler Tokijiro wanders Japan in search of freedom. But escape proves to be impossible when an obligation to a gang boss leaves him with no choice but to kill a man. To atone for his crime, he vows to take care of his victim’s widow and young son. But the gang won’t rest until they’ve killed the entire family — including the man who stands in their way.

Lone, drifting yakuza rarely have time or opportunity for love, which is one of the reasons that director Tai Katô’s Tokijiro: Lone Yakuza is a departure from the usual fare of the Japanese action dramas of its time. Set during Japan’s Muromachi era (AKA the Ashikaga era) Tokijiro (Kinnosuke Nakamura) is a wandering yakuza who reluctantly finds himself under obligation to kill a man named Mutsuda no Sanzo (Chiyonosuke Azuma). 

Sanzo’s dying wish is that Tokijiro takes care of the man’s widow Okinu (Junko Ikeuchi) and young son. This leads to the stoic Tokijiro feeling affection for the pair, which leads to complications in everyone’s lives, especially when far less kind-hearted yakuza come calling.

Tokijiro follows a code of honor, whereas the violent yakuza members with whom he comes into contact have no such loyalties. Fighting set pieces abound, and are well choreographed and sometimes bloody. 

Katô — working from a screenplay by Shin Hasegawa, Naoyuki Suzuki, and Masahiro Kakefuda — paces the proceedings well, balancing the martial arts mayhem and matters of the heart splendidly. Nakamura is excellent as the protagonist and gets to stretch his acting chops as his character's time with Okinu and her son softens his demeanor. The supporting players all provide terrific performances.

Tokijiro: Lone Yakuza incorporates some of the stronger elements of Japanese historical action dramas and adds a more emotional tone than is often found. It’s a truly captivating slice of cinema that aficionados of the genre will want to catch.

The 4K restoration of Tokijiro: Lone Yakuza from MVD/Radiance Films is currently screening on OVID. For more information, visit  https://www.ovid.tv/browse.

Joseph Perry also writes for the websitesGruesome Magazine(gruesomemagazine.com),The Scariest Things(scariesthings.com),Horror Fuel (horrorfuel.com), B&S About Movies (bandsaboutmovies.com),The Good, the Bad, and the Verdict(gbvreviews.com), andDiabolique Magazine(diaboliquemagazine.com), and film magazinesPhantom of the Movies’ VideoScope (videoscopemag.com)andDrive-In Asylum (etsy.com/shop/GroovyDoom).

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