Nemuri KyoshirÅ
Nemuri KyoshirÅ (çœ ç‹‚å››éƒŽ) is a series of jidaigeki novels written by Renzaburo Shibata. The stories were originally serialized beginning in May 1956 in the ShÅ«kan ShinchÅ.
The stories take place during Edo period under the Tokugawa shogunate and the rules of Tokugawa Ienari and his successor Tokugawa Ieyoshi and center on the title character, a sleepy-eyed rÅnin or outlaw swordsman who is the son of a Japanese mother (the daughter of a daimyo, who commits jigaki [see "Female Ritual Suicide" in Seppuku] some time after Kyoshiro's birth) and a foreign father, and who was conceived during a Black Mass (and as a result has a fierce hatred for what he considers the hypocrisy of Christianity).[1][2]
Novels
Seven full-length novels and eight short stories in the Nemuri KyoshirÅ series were published in Japan.
Full-length novels
- Nemuri Kyoshiro: Record of an Outlaw, The Complete Six-Volume Series
- Nemuri KyÅshirÅ: Burai-hikae, Zenrokukan (çœ ç‹‚å››éƒŽã€€ç„¡é ¼æŽ§ã€€å…¨6å·»)
- Nemuri Kyoshiro: Walking Alone, Parts One and Two
- Nemuri KyÅshirÅ: HitohokÅ, JÅgekan (çœ ç‹‚å››éƒŽã€€ç‹¬æ©è¡Œã€€ä¸Šä¸‹å·»)
- Nemuri Kyoshiro: Calligraphy Copybook for a Killer, Parts One and Two
- Nemuri KyÅshirÅ: Satsu-hÅjÅ, JÅgekan (çœ ç‹‚å››éƒŽã€€æ®ºæ³•å¸–ã€€ä¸Šä¸‹å·»)
- Nemuri Kyoshiro: The 53 Stations of the Orphaned Blade, Parts One and Two
- Nemuri KyÅshirÅ: Koken GojÅ«san-tsugi, JÅgekan (çœ ç‹‚å››éƒŽã€€å¤å‰£äº”å三次 上下巻)
- Nemuri Kyoshiro: The Empty Journal, Parts One and Two
- Nemuri KyÅshirÅ: Kyomu-nisshi, JÅgekan (çœ ç‹‚å››éƒŽã€€è™šç„¡æ—¥èªŒã€€ä¸Šä¸‹å·»)
- Nemuri Kyoshiro: Record of an Outlaw, Parts One and Two
- Nemuri KyÅshirÅ: Burai-hikae, JÅgekan (çœ ç‹‚å››éƒŽã€€ç„¡æƒ…æŽ§ã€€ä¸Šä¸‹å·»)
- Nemuri Kyoshiro: Heretical Writings
- Nemuri KyÅshirÅ: Itan-jÅ (çœ ç‹‚å››éƒŽã€€ç•°ç«¯çŠ¶)
Short stories
- The False Avenger: Nemuri Kyoshiro Urban Legend
- Nisemono Sukedachi: Nemuri KyÅshirÅ IchÄ«tan no Uchi (贋者助太刀ï¼çœ 狂四郎市井èšã®å†…ï¼)
- Kind and Courteous Chronicles: Nemuri Kyoshiro Urban Legend
- Giri NinjÅ-ki: Nemuri KyÅshirÅ IchÄ«tan no Uchi (義ç†äººæƒ…記ï¼çœ 狂四郎市井èšã®å†…ï¼)
- Nemuri Kyoshiro: Kyoto Duel Book
- Nemuri KyÅshirÅ: KyÅraku ShÅbu-jÅ (çœ ç‹‚å››éƒŽã€€äº¬æ´›å‹è² 帖)
- The Dangerous Vanishing Weapon
- Kieta KyÅki (消ãˆãŸå…‡å™¨)
- The Bride's Neck
- Hanayome-kubi (花å«é¦–)
- Wicked Woman's Revenge
- Akujo Adauchi (悪女仇討)
- The Fox, the Monk, and the Ronin
- Kitsune to SÅ to RÅnin (ç‹ã¨åƒ§ã¨æµªäºº)
- Spy Gizmo
- Nozoki Karakuri (ã®ãžãã‹ã‚‰ãã‚Š)
- New Compilation, Nemuri Kyoshiro: Kyoto Duel Book (collects short stories and essays)
- Shin-hen Nemuri KyÅshirÅ: KyÅraku ShÅbu-jÅ (æ–°ç¯‡ã€€çœ ç‹‚å››éƒŽã€€äº¬æ´›å‹è² 帖)
Adaptations
Tsuruta KÅji series (1956-1958)
"Nemuri Kyoshiro" was first played by Tsuruta Koji in three films released by Toho Studios:
- Nemuri KyÅshirÅ Burai Hikae (1956)
- Nemuri KyÅshirÅ Burai Hikae Dainibu (1957)
- Nemuri KyÅshirÅ Burai Hikae: Maken Jigoku (1958)
Ichikawa Raizo series (1963-1969)
From 1963 to 1969, Ichikawa Raizo played "Nemuri Kyoshiro" in the Daiei Studios series. Animeigo released the first six films of the Daiei series on VHS and the first five on laserdisc under the title of the Sleepy Eyes of Death. Animeigo recently 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 (which marks the first official release on DVD in the United States of The Mask of the Princess and Sword of Villainy ). The third boxset came out in 2013.
- Sleepy Eyes of Death 1: The Chinese Jade (1963)
- Nemuri KyÅshirÅ 1: Sappocho (Enter Kyoshiro Nemuri, the Swordsman)
- Sleepy Eyes of Death 2: Sword of Adventure (1964)
- 'Nemuri KyÅshirÅ 2: ShÅbu (Adventure of Kyoshiro Nemuri)
- Sleepy Eyes of Death 3: Full Circle Killing (1964)
- Nemuri KyÅshirÅ 3: Engetsugiri (Exploits of Kyoshiro Nemuri)
- Sleepy Eyes of Death 4: Sword of Seduction (1964)
- Nemuri KyÅshirÅ 4: Joyoken (Kyoshiro Nemuri at Bay)
- Sleepy Eyes of Death 5: Sword of Fire (1965)
- Nemuri KyÅshirÅ 5: Enjo-ken (The Swordman and the Pirate)
- Sleepy Eyes of Death 6: Sword of Satan (1965)
- Nemuri KyÅshirÅ 6: Masho-ken (The Mysterious Sword of Kyoshiro)
- Sleepy Eyes of Death 7: The Mask of the Princess (1966)
- Nemuri KyÅshirÅ 7: Tajo-ken (The Mask of the Princess)
- Sleepy Eyes of Death 8: Sword of Villainy (1966)
- Nemuri KyÅshirÅ 8: Burai-ken (The Sword That Saved Edo)
- Sleepy Eyes of Death 9: A Trail of Traps (1967)
- Nemuri KyÅshirÅ 9: Burai-Hikae masho no hada (The Trail of Traps)
- Sleepy Eyes of Death 10: Hell Is a Woman (1968)
- Nemuri KyÅshirÅ 10: Onna jigoku (The Ronin Called Nemuri)
- Sleepy Eyes of Death 11: In the Spider's Lair (1968)
- Nemuri KyÅshirÅ 11: Hito hada kumo (The Human Tarantula)
- Sleepy Eyes of Death 12: Castle Menagerie (1969)
- Nemuri KyÅshirÅ 12: Akujo-gari (Castle Menagerie)
Matsukata Hiroki series (1969)
The role of "Nemuri Kyoshiro" was then played by Matsukata Hiroki in two more Daiei films after Ichikawa's death:
- Nemuri KyÅshirÅ: Engetsu Sappo (1969) (The Full Moon Swordsman)
- Nemuri KyÅshirÅ: Manji Giri (1969) (Fylfot Swordplay)
Kataoka Takao series (1982)
The role of "Nemuri Kyoshiro" was then played by Kataoka Takao in this series of 50-minute episodes for TV Tokyo.[3] The plotline 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 (who despises both the shogunate and the conspirators as equally corrupt) is unwillingly caught up in events and travels to Satsuma to face the leaders of the conspiracy.
- Nemuri Kyôshirô: Engetsu Sappô (1982) (Nemuri Kyoshiro: Full Moon Swordsman, aka Nemuri Kyoshiro: Son of the Black Mass) - 20 episodes
Tamura Masakazu series (1989-1998)
The role of "Nemuri Kyoshiro" was then played by Tamura Masakazu in four made-for-TV movie specials:
- Nemuri KyÅshirÅ (1989)
- Nemuri KyÅshirÅ 2: Conspiracy in Edo Castle (1993)
- Nemuri KyÅshirÅ 3: The Man of No Tomorrow (1996)
- Nemuri KyÅshirÅ 4: The Woman Who Loved Kyoshiro (1998)
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 tankÅbon 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 2009 it was announced that Gackt would lend his image to a new Nemuri Kyoshiro multimedia project, starring as the eponymous protagonist, beginning with live stage production in May 2010, penned by KundÅ Koyama. The project is currently planned to span a variety of media, including film, television, anime, manga, and video games.[4]
Legacy
Isao Takahata said the warrior outfits in Pom Poko were inspired by Nemuri Kyoshiro.[5]
References
- ↑ AnimEigo, Series Introduction (December 28, 2007).
- ↑ Nemurai Kyoshiro at e-budokai.com (December 28, 2006)
- ↑ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2535044
- ↑ http://www.nemuri-gackt.com/
- ↑ http://www.animenewsservice.com/archives/takahata.htm
External links
- Nemuri Kyoshiro at imdb.com
- Series liner notes at AnimEigo (covers first five films)
- An introduction to Sleepy Eyes of Death series at WildGrounds
- Official Nemuri X Gackt Project Website