Shogun's Joy of Torture – Arrow Video (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Japan, 1968
Director: Teruo Ishii
Writer: Teruo Ishii
Cast: Teruo Yoshida, Masumi Tachibana, Fumio Watanabe, Reiko Mikasa, Miki Obana, Yukie Kagawa, Shin'ichirô Hayashi, Asao Koike, Kichijirô Ueda, Tamaki Sawa, Mie Hanabusa

Release Date: February 22nd, 2021 (UK), February 23rd, 2021 (USA)
Approximate running time: 96 Minutes 50 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: 18 (UK), NR (USA)
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Japanese
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region A,B
Retail Price: £24.99 (UK), $39.95 (USA)

"The first tale sees the beautiful Mitsu (Masumi Tachibana) going to horrifying lengths to tend to her older brother Shinzō (Teruo Yoshida), a carpenter injured in a work accident, but the law catches up on them and metes out a terrifying retribution after they violate the ultimate taboo. In the second, unfettered passions in a Buddhist nunnery are not allowed to go unpunished after abbess Reihō (Yukie Kagawa) and her attendant Rintoku (Naomi Shiraishi) encounter a virile young monk from a neighbouring temple. In the closing segment, a sadistic torturer (Fumio Watanabe) attempts to show a tattoo artist (Asao Koike) how to depict convincing expressions of faces of pain in his work by allowing him to sketch a selection of Europeans as they are tortured for entering Japan with the aim of spreading Christianity." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "The High Definition master was produced and supplied by Toei, with additional grading by Arrow Films at R3Store Studios, London."

Shogun's Joy of Torture comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 35.2 GB

Feature: 25.5 GB

The source used for this transfer is in great shape. Flesh tones look healthy, colors are nicely saturated, image clarity and black levels are strong, compression is solid, and there does not appear to be any digital noise reduction.

Audio: 4/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in Japanese with removable English subtitles. The audio is in very good shape; the dialog comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, and range-wise, things sound very good.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an image gallery, a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 40 seconds, DTS-HD mono Japanese with removable English subtitles), an interview with author Patrick Macias titled Teruo Ishii: Erotic-Grotesque Maestro (13 minutes 23 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with author and critic Jasper Sharp discusses the history of torture in Japanese exploitation cinema titled Bind, Torture, Thrill (25 minutes 16 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an audio commentary with Japanese cinema expert Tom Mes, reversible cover art, and a 36-page booklet (limited to first pressing) with cast & crew information, an essay titled Shogun's Joy of Torture: The Perverted, Perceptive World of Teruo Ishii written by Mark Schiliing, Teruo Ishii filmography and information about the transfer.

Summary:

Shogun's Joy of Torture is an anthology that is made up of three separate stories that all intersect. Shogun's Joy of Torture was directed by Teruo Ishii, whose films The Executioner, The Executioner 2: The Karate Inferno, and The Street Fighter’s Last Revenge, all of which starred Shin’ichi ‘Sonny’ Chiba, are his most famous works outside of Japan. 

Shogun's Joy of Torture jumps right into the carnage with a montage that includes various women being decapitated, burned alive, and ripped into two.

The first segment is about Shinza, who was hurt while working when a log hit him on the head, and now sister Mitsu is forced to give herself to her brother's boss, Mr. Mino, in order to help pay for Shinza’s doctor's bills. Mitsu agrees to talk to Mr. Mino about her brothers’ bill. Only he doesn’t want to talk and decides to collect the debt owed to him, even if she is unwilling. Mitsu returns home after being raped by Mr. Mino, only to find herself now being violated by her brother, who now professes his love for her. They decide to keep their incestuous love a secret until one day when Mr. Mino shows up unexpectedly and catches them in the act. Mr. Mino threatens to report them to the police if Mitsu doesn’t submit to himself once and for all as his mistress.

The second segment is about the arrival of mother Reiho and her servant Rintoku at the Jukuin monastery. The monastery is located next to a temple inhabited by priests, and one day, when one of them named Shunkei runs by Reiho, he arouses something inside of her. Reiho secretly watches from the bushes as Myushin and Shunkei have a sexual rendezvous in the woods. Reiho, who has developed an infatuation with Shunkei, threatens to blackmail him into having sex with her. Reiho’s obsession for Shunkei grows after he spurns her advances, which leads to even more trouble for the woman he loves, Myushin.

The final segment is about a tattoo artist named Horicho, who has just given Kimicho his greatest tattoo to date. While showing his work off to a group of people, a man named Lord Nambera walks by, mocking the tattoo and its lack of realism. Distraught Horicho begins to doubt himself as he looks high and low for the perfect subject for his next creation. In order to capture the essence of the realism he so desperately wants to capture in his tattoos, Horicho asks Lord Nambera if he would allow him to witness the torturing sessions that go on during interrogations. With his masterpiece nearing completion, he asks for one more favor from Lord Nambera that will help fill in the final blank.

All three stories in Shogun's Joy of Torture are connected by similar themes that connect them as a whole. The three stories are all well written, and the acting as a whole is really good for a film with such dark subject matter. The violence builds as the narrative progresses, with each new segment bringing the level of torture and mayhem up. Shogun's Joy of Torture is a melting pot of sleaze that has all the staples we have come to expect from exploitation films like incest, nuns, rape, genital mutilation, beheadings, crucifixions, and various other forms of torture. 

Despite the disturbing images that are contained in Shogun's Joy of Torture, every frame has been carefully designed and beautifully photographed. Director Teruo Ishii has never been known for his subtleness or unwillingness to take on controversial subjects. His direction in Shogun's Joy of Torture is inspired, with standout moments being the film's two main torture sequences that leave very little for the imagination with their go-for-the-throat mentality. Ultimately, Shogun's Joy of Torture is a perfect mix of sadism and carnage that is not for the faint of heart.

Shogun's Joy of Torture gets a solid release from Arrow Video that comes with a strong audio/video presentation and a trio of informative extras, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer