Nanso satomi hakkenden

The first film to draw on one of Japan's major classics of phantastic literature, Kyokutei Bakin's epic saga of mayhem and magic Nanso Satomi Hakkenden, written between 1814 and 1832 and spanning over 100 volumes. The book tells of eight swordsmen, all descended from the bestial union of a princess and a demonic dog, whose hybrid nature is reflected in their names, each containing inu ("dog") - Inumura Daikaku, Inuyama Doesetsu, Inukai Genpachi, Inukawa Sosuke, Inuzaka Keno, Inuta, Kobungo, Inuzuka Shino, and Inue Shinbei. Each character also embodies a specific virtue. The adventures of these eight dogs of death, including many scenes of magic - such as those featuring the shape-shifting nun Myochin. or the bakeneko (cat-monster") which murders Inmura's father - as well spectacular sword-fights, provided both kabuki playwrights and ukiyo-e artists with prime material to weave stunning visual fantasies, which would also translate to the new medium of film.