A WAD OF NOTES (1970)

Vagabond gambler Ryuji (Koji Tsuruta) returns to his hometown of Tobata after learning from bumbling con men Kinpachi (Asao Koike) and Toramatsu (Rinichi Yamamoto) that two competing yakuza outfits, Naomasa and Mojitoku, are vying for control of the city's annual Gion Yamagasa festival, which for generations has been the responsibility of the Wakashu Union. Thirteen years earlier, Boss Wakashu's son Sanjiro (Minoru Oki) killed a few gang members during an attempted takeover, but Ryuji willingly went to prison for the crime so it wouldn't tarnish the union's reputation and compromise its control of the festival. Sanjiro has since gone blind and finding it difficult to retain control, so Ryuji schemes with Kinpachi and Toramatsu to destroy both Naomasa and Mojitoku by turning them against each other. His YOJIMBO-like plan hits a snag when he befriends lady gambler Sen (Akiko Kudô), who is indebted to Mojitoku, and further complications arise when Tetsugoro the killer (Bin Amatsu) shows up seeking revenge for his older brother, one of the gang members killed by Sanjiro. Highly entertaining, with a couple of exciting, bloody sword and gun battles and a believable relationship between Tsuruta and Kudô. This highly entertaining ninkyo from the reliable Shigehiro Ozawa really hits the sweet spot, with a cast full of familiar faces, a typically convoluted but compelling storyline, exciting action scenes and an engaging, believable performance by Kudô. Originally titled FUDATSUKI BAKUTO, it opened in Honolulu on December 29, 1970 as FESTIVAL OF LANTERNS.