Tokugawa Ieyasu's secret treasure

徳川家康の秘宝

Tokugawa Ieyasu no Hihou

The secret treasure

The film is based on Yuhei Hata's award-winning novel "Honda's Foxes: Tokugawa Ieyasu's Secret Treasure (本多の狐 徳川家康の秘宝)" published by Kodansha in 1992.
The story takes place around the year 1620. It is about the search for a treasure of gold sought after by "Honda's Foxes", a group of ninja who serve Honda Masashige, an advisor to the Shogun. The Christian samurai Kamon and his female companion Oshiro are looking for another treasure of Tokugawa Ieyasu.
In this film adaptation, some personal names and names of sword fighting schools differ from the original.

Peaceful Sword Style

No Theater is also practiced in the Toda style.
Oshiro shows her surprise to Ukita Heishiro and asks about it.

Brawl with Bokken

Yubei Yagyu, the violent son of Yagyu Munenori, famous sword master of Tokugawa Ieyasu, is summoned home by his father because he has an important assignment to take on. In preparation for a possible duel with Ukita Heishiro, he trains a little with Bokken in his home dojo.

Years of training

The ninja group with Ukita Heishiro is surrounded by the numerous Iga ninja group in Kaga (Western Japan) and is figuring out how to escape. When the first Iga ninja invade and threaten Oshiro and Ohama, the latter shows what she's learned from years of training.
"Long years training. Casual training won't do!"

Movie Data

English title: Tokugawa Ieyasu's secret treasure
Original title: 徳川家康の秘宝 Tokugawa Ieyasu no Hihou
Published: 1992
Length: 144 minutes

Staff
Director: Atsuo Nakamura
Original Story: Yuhei Hata
Screenplay: Atsuo Nakamura
Music: Haruhiko Marutani
Production: Asahi Broadcasting Co., Ltd., Shochiku Co., Ltd. Kyoto Studio

Cast
Ukita Heishiro: Masahiro Takashima
Ohama: Rino Katase
Oshiro: Hitomi Kiroki
Yagyu Munenori: Isao Natsuyagi
Ryuzu Hayashi
Keizo Kanie
Shinsuke Ashida
Masahiko Tsugawa
Akira Kume
Seiji Matano
Shigeru Koyama
Toshiyuki Hosokawa
Frankie Sakai

Plot

Japan in the early years of the Tokugawa shogunate: some are looking for a treasure of gold, others are looking for printer's type. Both are said to have been hidden after the death of Tokugawa Ieyasu. A pretty samurai between two beautiful women, where this problem will be solved. A prisoner in an underground dungeon for 35 years. The situation of Christians after the ban on the cult. A strange Buddhist abbot. Many ninja. Well-known personalities of the era. Devious strategies.
Of course - like in other Jidaigeki films - it's not missing that the Christians are somehow weird. Oshiro is believed to represent Amakusa Shirō, a leader in the Shimabara Uprising.
The author, Yuhei Hata (*1944) was first active as a scuba diver and underwater filmmaker and was very well known in Japan. In his later years he wrote novels that are well researched and excitingly told. He received the 2nd Jidaigeki Novel Prize for this work.

What makes the film interesting?
The story is well developed, well told and well filmed.
Important historical figures are featured and the backgrounds of ninja and sword styles are given some light.

Film on Youtube: Tokugawa Ieyasu's secret treasure