Japan Cuts ’25: A Samurai in Time

If an Old West gunslinger traveled forward in time to 1950’s Hollywood, he would probably find steady work as a stuntman. It would be a lot harder for him in today’s film industry. That is also true for Kosaka Shinzaemon. He was, and remains a real deal samurai from the Aizu Domain, who somehow traveled forward in time to the Kyoto Uzumasa studio, where most of the Japanese entertainment industry’s Jidaigeki samurai dramas have been filmed. It is a whole new era for him, but he retains some adaptable skills in director-screenwriter Jun’ichi Yasuda’s A Samurai in Time, which screens as part of the 2025 Japan Cuts festival.

It was a dark a stormy night. Frankly, Shinzaemon really didn’t notice the stormy part until he started clashing swords with Yamagata Hikokuro, a rival from the Choshu Domain. Suddenly, a flash of lightning strikes and there he is on the Kyoto backlot. Confusingly, half the people look normal, but the rest appear to wear strange foreign garb. He is a bit of a bull in a China shop, but Yuko Yamamoto, a conscientious young assistant director looks out for the presumed amnesia case.

Thanks to her, he finds a place to stay at the nearby shrine frequently used as a location. He also starts apprenticing with Sekimoto, a master of stunt-performer swordplay. Sekimoto warns his new apprentice that Jidaigeki productions just aren’t as popular as they used to be. Nevertheless, Shinzaemon becomes a regular stunt performer on Yamamoto’s series, because he just looks so authentic. In fact, he even draws the attention of Kyoichiro Kazami, a veteran movie star, hoping to reinvigorate the Jidaigeki genre. Indeed, Kazami shows a particular interest in Shinzaemon.

Samurai in Time might remind genre fans of Ken Ochiai’s loving tribute to Jidaigeki extras, Uzumasa Limelight, with good reason. Ochiai’s star, longtime Jidaigeki bit-player Seizo Fukumoto was originally cast as Sekimoto, before his unfortunate passing. Instead, his “junior” colleague, Rantaro Mine, plays the role with the kind of dignified gravitas Fukumoto brought to Limelight. So yes, the two films would pair nicely.

Makiya Yamaguchi produces the same tragically heroic vibes as Shinzaemon. It is a memorably understated and bittersweet performance. Likewise, Yuno Sakura is wonderfully earnest and compassionate as Yamamoto. Together, they develop some potent slowly percolating chemistry.  Yamaguchi and Norimasa Fuke, who is appealingly sly as old Kazami, also play off each other quite nicely.

It is easy to see why Yasuda’s film became a sleeper hit in Japan. It takes its time, but Yasuda’s screenplay eventually circles back to the time-travel elements quite cleverly. Ultimately, it should really charm fans of both genres, Jidaigeki and time-travel, in equal measure. Very highly recommended, A Samurai in Time screens tomorrow (7/14) as part of this year’s Japan Cuts.