Although there are just a few of them produced nowadays, Japanese period drama, especially jidaigeki, remains one of the most popular genres within the Japanese film industry. While audiences enjoy taking a deep dive into another time, witnessing sword fights and ancient traditions, actors and directors also look forward to presenting their take on the samurai genre. At the same time, much like the yakuza film, it has proven to be a very versatile genre if features such as Ken Ochiai‘s “Uzumasa Limelight”, Gakuryu Ishii‘s “Punk Samurai” or Hiroyuki Nakano‘s “Samurai Fiction” are any indicator. In his latest feature, director Junichi Yasuda (“Gohan”) blends the conventions of the genre with the idea of time travel, culminating in story which has a lot to say about the principles of the samurai as well as the “reality” of filmmaking and how it may serve as time capsule into another era.
A Samurai in Time is screening at Fantasia International Film Festival

Towards the end of the Edo period, two sword fighters, Shinzaemon Kosaka (Makiya Yamaguchi) and Kyochiro Kazami (Norimasa Fuke ), members of two rivaling clans, engage in a duel to the death. However, before one of them can land the lethal blow, a loud thunder erupts and all of a sudden, Shinzaemon finds himself in the streets of modern day Kyoto. To add to his confusion, he is in the middle of a movie set where a film crew is shooting a jidaigeki, with the samurai blending in as one of the extras. As he “messes up” a take, trying to team up with the leading actor to fend of a wave of attackers, he is thrown out of the set and wanders around aimlessly, until he comes across a temple, where an elderly couple takes him in, giving him food and shelter.
Over time, Shinzaemon figures out what has happened in the last 150 years. While the end of his clan breaks his hearts, he does his best at his new job, working as an extra at jidaigeki production. The obvious professionalism, his dedication and his skill quickly make him one of the most popular stuntmen, resulting in more challenging roles and even ones where he has to learn some lines. However, one day, as he is supposed to take on his biggest role yet, he has a surprising encounter with his past.
Check also this interview
While the period of time jidaigeki take place is long gone, their themes, characters and overall message remains just as relevant. Whether we are talking about the works of Akira Kurosawa, Kenji Mizoguchi or Masaki Kobayashi, one of the many aspects making them engaging is their ability to tell us something about ourselves, about our time even. Junichi Yasuda highlights this idea by having his protagonist trying to cope with living in another time, essentially hinting at the question whether the memory of that particular time still lives on (even outside the jidaigeki movie set).
This truly is an interesting premise, one which cleverly combines the opportunities presented by the samurai film as well as a story about time travel. However, since Yasuda never really leaves the movie set where the main character starts to work as a stuntman, it also remains a movie about filmmaking, while casting aside any kind of political or social themes (except for the occasional reference). Also, Yasuda remains true to the jidaigeki, commenting on the concept of a life dedicated to the ruler, the code of the samurai and essentially directing one’s life towards the always present reality of death.
On the surface, the premise of the feature may seem like an opportunity for some bizarre comedy. Safe for a few funny scenes revolving around the protagonist’s culture shock, “A Samurai in Time” is rather an engaging personal drama about a man whose life-long principles have come into question. Makiya Yamaguchi as Shinzaemon Kosaka manages to approach his role with a lot of dignity, stressing the moral and emotional conflict of the main character. Apart from his formidable skill as a sword fighter, he succeeds in telling the story of a man who becomes more and more interested in keeping a certain period of time alive, while forgetting to essentially live his life. While his part is not as big as Makiya’s, Norimasa Fuke is just as great in his role as Kyoichiro Kazami, resulting in some memorable moments between the two characters.
“A Samurai in Time” is a great blend of jidaigeki and a story about time travel. Junichi Yasuda directs a feature which, aside from a few funny and bizarre moments, is an engaging personal drama about a man’s struggle to let go of a time he is no longer part of.