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5.7 1h 35m

Night Drum

Following a yearlong attendance upon his shogun in Edo, samurai Hikokuro makes a long-awaited return to his home and doting wife, Dane. Initially greeted by the effusive welcome of his family, spiteful whispers also reach his ear about an adulterous affair carried on, in his long absence, between his wife and a famous drummer. With Hikokuro’s honor imperiled by rumor, his family insists on a formal investigation into the veracity of the gossip. Through the combined testimony of many witnesses, a tale unwinds around the visits of a traveling musician hired to tutor the family heir, the spurned attentions of the man who started the rumor, and the ultimate truth behind the accusations. The conclusion of events prove as much an indictment of bushidō as it is of the reluctant parties involved. Adapted from a 1706 play by Chikamatsu Monzaemon and based on a true case.

Top Cast

  • Rentaro Mikuni

    Rentaro Mikuni

    Hikokurô Ogura

  • Ineko Arima

    Ineko Arima

    Otane, Hikokurô's wife

  • Masayuki Mori

    Masayuki Mori

    Miyaji, the drum teacher

  • Sumiko Hidaka

    Sumiko Hidaka

    Oyura

  • Keiko Yukishiro

    Keiko Yukishiro

  • Tomoko Naraoka

    Tomoko Naraoka

    Orin

  • Emiko Azuma

    Emiko Azuma

  • Kikue Mōri

    Kikue Mōri

  • Shizue Natsukawa

    Shizue Natsukawa

Overview

Following a yearlong attendance upon his shogun in Edo, samurai Hikokuro makes a long-awaited return to his home and doting wife, Dane. Initially greeted by the effusive welcome of his family, spiteful whispers also reach his ear about an adulterous affair carried on, in his long absence, between his wife and a famous drummer. With Hikokuro’s honor imperiled by rumor, his family insists on a formal investigation into the veracity of the gossip. Through the combined testimony of many witnesses, a tale unwinds around the visits of a traveling musician hired to tutor the family heir, the spurned attentions of the man who started the rumor, and the ultimate truth behind the accusations. The conclusion of events prove as much an indictment of bushidō as it is of the reluctant parties involved. Adapted from a 1706 play by Chikamatsu Monzaemon and based on a true case.

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