I love Japanese Samurai Cinema which is a kind of (theatrical) soap opera AND a genre of period films.
That said I recommend “The Secret of the Urn” featuring a half-blind, one-armed expert swordsman defending a fief from the overarching Tokugawa medieval government of the times. It is pure fiction but we love it so.
In addition to the strong hero played by Kinnosuke Nakamura (1932–1997) we have the strong heroine played by one of my favorite Japanese character actresses Keiko Awaji (1933-Present), young and hot back in 1966 and still alive and a character today.
This is one of those movies where you either borrow it, buy it, or view it online. It’s great.
Amazon URL: http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Urn-Kinnosuke-Nakamura/dp/B004KDYR7A/
Netflix URL: http://movies.netflix.com/WiPlayer?movieid=70174602&trkid=2450709&t=The+Secret+of+the+Urn
directed by: Hideo Gosha
one review: Mondo 70
