Nemuri Kyōshirō


Nemuri Kyōshirō is a series of jidaigeki novels written by Renzaburō Shibata. The stories were originally serialized beginning in May 1956 in the Shūkan Shinchō.
The stories take place during the Edo period under the Tokugawa shogunate and the rules of Tokugawa Ienari and his successor Tokugawa Ieyoshi. They center on the title character, a sleepy-eyed rōnin, or masterless swordsman, who is the son of a Japanese mother and a foreign father, and who was conceived during a Black Mass.

Novels

Seven full-length novels and eight short stories in the Nemuri Kyoshirō series were published in Japan.

Full-length novels

  1. Nemuri Kyoshiro: Walking Alone, Parts One and Two
  2. *
  3. Nemuri Kyoshiro: Calligraphy Copybook for a Killer, Parts One and Two
  4. *
  5. Nemuri Kyoshiro: The 53 Stations of the Orphaned Blade, Parts One and Two
  6. *
  7. Nemuri Kyoshiro: The Empty Journal, Parts One and Two
  8. *
  9. Nemuri Kyoshiro: Record of an Outlaw, Parts One and Two
  10. *
  11. Nemuri Kyoshiro: Heretical Writings
  12. *

Adaptations

Tsuruta Kōji series (1956–1958)

"Nemuri Kyoshiro" was first played by Kōji Tsuruta in three films released by Toho:
  1. Nemuri Kyōshirō Burai Hikae
  2. Nemuri Kyōshirō Burai Hikae Dainibu
  3. 'Nemuri Kyōshirō Burai Hikae: Maken Jigoku'''''

Ichikawa Raizo series (1963–1969)

From 1963 to 1969, Ichikawa Raizo played "Nemuri Kyoshiro" in the series by Daiei Film. Animeigo released the first six films of the Daiei series on VHS and the first five on laserdisc under the title of Sleepy Eyes of Death. Animeigo later announced that it had renewed their licensing rights to the series and released a boxed set of the first four films on DVD in 2009. A second boxed set containing the next four films was released in summer 2010. The third boxed set came out in 2013.

Sleepy Eyes of Death 1: The Chinese Jade (1963)

  • Nemuri Kyōshirō Sappōchō Nemuri Kyōshirō Sappōchō Directed by Tokuzō Tanaka
Starring, Tamao Nakamura, Tomisaburo Wakayama, Katsuhiko Kobayashi

Sleepy Eyes of Death 2: Sword of Adventure (1964)

Starring, Shiho Fujimura, Miwa Takada, Yoshi Katō

Sleepy Eyes of Death 3: Full Circle Killing (1964)

Starring, Yuko Hamada, Taro Marui

Sleepy Eyes of Death 4: Sword of Seduction (1964)

Starring, Shiho Fujimura, Masumi Harukawa, Tomisaburo Wakayama

Sleepy Eyes of Death 5: Sword of Fire (1965)

Starring, Tamao Nakamura, Michiko Sugata, Kō Nishimura

Sleepy Eyes of Death 6: Sword of Satan (1965)

Starring, Michiko Saga, Fujio Suga, Machiko Hasegawa, Yoshio Inaba

Sleepy Eyes of Death: The Mask of the Princess (1966)

Starring, Yaeko Mizutani, Ichirō Nakatani, Ryutaro Gomi

Sleepy Eyes of Death 8: Sword of Villainy (1966)

Starring, Shigeru Amachi, Shiho Fujimura, Tatsuo Endo

Sleepy Eyes of Death 9: A Trail of Traps (1967)

  • Nemuri Kyōshirō: Burai-Hikae masho no hada Directed by Kazuo Ikehiro
Starring, Mikio Narita, Nobuo Kaneko, Haruko Mabuchi

Sleepy Eyes of Death 10: Hell Is a Woman (1968)

Starring, Miwa Takada, Takahiro Tamura, Yūnosuke Itō, Eitaro Ozawa

Sleepy Eyes of Death 11: In the Spider's Lair (1968)

Starring, Mako Midori, Yūsuke Kawazu, Fumio Watanabe, Minori Terada

Sleepy Eyes of Death 12: Castle Menagerie (1969)

Starring, Shiho Fujimura, Kayo Matsuo, Shinjirō Ehara

Matsukata Hiroki series (1969)

After Ichikawa's death, the role of "Nemuri Kyoshiro" was then played by Matsukata Hiroki in two more Daiei films:
  1. Nemuri Kyōshirō: Engetsu Sappo Directed by Kazuo Mori
  2. Nemuri Kyōshirō manji giri Directed by Kazuo Ikehiro

Tamura Masakazu series

The role of "Nemuri Kyoshiro" was then played by Masakazu Tamura in a Fuji TV series and later in five made-for-TV movie specials. Tamura also played the role on the stage in 1973 and 1981.
  1. Nemuri Kyōshirō a Kansai – Toei production, 26 episodes
  2. Nemuri Kyōshirō Directed by Tokuzō Tanaka
  3. Nemuri Kyōshirō 2: Conspiracy in Edo Castle Directed by Akira Inoue
  4. Nemuri Kyōshirō 3: The Man of No Tomorrow Directed by Sadao Nakajima
  5. 'Nemuri Kyōshirō 4: The Woman Who Loved Kyoshiro Directed by Akira Inoue
  6. Nemuri Kyōshirō: The Final Directed by Tomohiko Yamashita

On the stage

  1. Nemuri Kyōshirō Buraihikae
  2. Nemuri Kyōshirō
  3. 'Nemuri Kyōshirō Curuz no Hahano Komoriuta'''''

Kataoka Takao series (1982–1983)

The role of "Nemuri Kyoshiro" was then played by Kataoka Takao in two series of 50-minute episodes for TV Tokyo. The plotline of the first series takes place during the Tokugawa Ieyoshi shogunate with the Satsuma clan leading a conspiracy with 13 Western clans against the policies of Council Leader Mizuno Tadakuni; when Satsuma clansmen, believing him to be working for Mizuno, murder his friends, Kyoshiro is unwillingly caught up in events and travels to Kyoto to face the leaders of the conspiracy, followed by and assisted upon occasion by O-ran, a female agent of Mizuno's, and Kinpachi, a ne'er-do-well and occasional pickpocket who's over-fond of gambling and women but with certain unusual skills.
A second series, also starring Kataoka Takao, was broadcast in 1983; this series did not have an underlying plot but consisted of individual stories taking place after Kyoshiro has returned to Edo, using the Funasen boat-inn as a temporary residence.
  1. Nemuri Kyōshirō: Engetsu Sappô – 20 episodes
  2. Nemuri Kyōshirō Burai refrain – 22 episodes

Other adaptations

  1. Nemuri Kyōshirō Burai refrain a Nippon Television production, starring Wataru Emi
  2. Nemuri Kyōshirō a Japan TV production, starring Wataru Emi
  3. Nemuri Kyōshirō a Fuji TV production, starring Mikijirō Hira

Manga

A manga version of Nemuri Kyoshiro by Yoshihiro Yanagawa was serialized in the Weekly Comic Bunch from the magazine's premier issue in 2001 to issue 43 of 2003. It was collected in ten tankōbon editions under the Bunch Comics imprint. Portions of the series were translated in the short lived English anthology Raijin Comics.

Nemuri X Gackt project

In late 2009 it was announced that Japanese singer-songwriter and actor Gackt would lend his image to a new Nemuri Kyoshiro project, starring as the eponymous protagonist, beginning with jidaigeki theatre stage play in May 2010, penned by Kundō Koyama. The play Nemuri Kyoshiro Buraihikae started on 14 May 2010 at Nissay Theatre. The show ran for 120 performances in seven cities until February 27, 2011, with an estimated 150,000 spectators. Its music director and score composer was Sugizo. The original soundtrack was released on 14 May 2010 by Gordie Entertainment, while play's DVD recording in February 2011.

Legacy