When did the Yakuza era arrive in Japan? (As a non-historian), it seems to have been a while since this organized criminal underworld took hold in the country. Most of the major films focus on the Yakuza rising up in the post-World War II era. They established the black market and more during the time of American occupation. Blood of Revenge takes us to a time before even World War I. We see how the Yakuza was involved with businesses at the end of the 1800s. This intense drama deals with a family business that doesn’t want to completely give in to the Yakuza family.
During a colorful street ceremony, Hukuichi Emoto (13 Assassins‘ Kanjûrô Arashi), the head of a construction material company is stabbed in the back by a wannabe assassin. But he doesn’t die on the road. He makes it home and is treated by a doctor. However his health is still in jeopardy as he recovers. His son Haruo (A Taxing Woman‘s Masahiko Tsuguawa) is eager for revenge since he suspects the killer was from a rival construction material company and they are attached to a Yakuza clan. Hukuichi doesn’t want to attack back. He lets his more levelheaded employee Asajiro (Big Time Gambling Boss‘ Koji Tsuruta) keep the peace and call the shots of the company while he heals from the stab wound. This upsets the son who also learns that dad put a stipulation in the company’s accension policy that the boss’s son won’t run the place. He wanted to be a Nepo Baby. Things get nastier when a valuabble shipment off cement gets attacked by the disguised thugs of the rival business. This leads to a serious delay in a major water project in the town. Asajiro does his best to make things work out and not disgrace the Emoto’s business. While Asajiro is Yakuza (complete with his tattoos), he does his best to not resort to mobster ways. He wants this business to be legit and not a front for vices. There’s also a subplot involving Asajiro and a local prostitute (Junko Fuji) that both he and a member of the rival business visit. Ultimately the movie is about how hard Asajiro tries to work things out with resorting to an all-out gang war with the rivals.
Directed by Tai Katô gets quite artistic with this tale of brutes and cement. The opening overhead shot of the drummers getting ready for the ritual is inspiring. The fights are filmed at different angles to take in the frenzy of fists and knives. This works well against the stoicism presented by Koji Tsuruta. That changes in the third act when he’s had it with the rival business. Another great Yakuza film for when you want to enjoy the criminal underbelly of Japan. Blood of Revenge is a fine journey into the early years of the Yakuza when they were getting involved in the modern businesses.
The Video is 2.39:1 anamorphic. The transfer looks exceptional as we see the details of this period piece. The Audio is Japanese LPCM 1.0 mono. It sounds clean. The movie is subtitled in English. This is a new translation.
Lice Are Scary (14:01) is a health film by director Tai Kato made in 1943. The film has a major cleanup project in a neighborhood infected by the pests. Some of the neighbors don’t see the point of this effort. But a talking animated lice lets them know what they’re really up to when then infest a person’s head.
Junko Fuji: Flower and Storm (14:39) is a visual essay on the actress by Mark Schilling. He talks about how when TV started taking hold, the Yakuza films genre rose up to keep people in the movie theaters. It was kind of strange since the Yakuza became involved in making the movies. He talks of Junko Fuji’s rise to a star in the Yakuza films.
Limited edition booklet featuring new writing by Earl Jackson and a vintage review of the film. There are 3,000 Blu-rays being released as the limited edition.
Radiance Films present Blood of Revenge: Limited Edition. Directed by Tai Katô. Screenplay by Akira Murao and Norifumi Suzuki. Starring Kôji Tsuruta, Sumiko Fuji, Tetsurô Tanba, Tôru Abe, Hiromi Fujiyama, Minoru Ôki, Masahiko Tsugawa & Kanjûrô Arashi. Running Time: 90 minutes. Rating: Unrated. Release Date: January 27, 2026.
