Gojô reisenki: Gojoe
Set in 12th-century medieval Japan, the film takes place after the war between the Heike and Genji clans, which concluded in the defeat of the latter. However, lurking at the Gojoe bridge in Kyoto, a mysterious force ravages the lands of the Heike. At the same time, Benkei (Daisuke Ryu), a samurai turned Buddhist monk out of repentance for his past crimes, learns from an oracle that a great evil is coming. He then receives a divine signal from Acala, represented by a Sankrite inscription on his chest, informing him that he only will be forgiven after slaying the demon of the Gojoe bridge. After borrowing a sacred sword from a yamabushi sect, Benkei sets out to destroy the monster and save his soul.
At the scene of one of the battles in Gojoe, Benkei meets a former weaponsmith Tetsukichi (Masatoshi Nagae) who now survives from scavenging armors and swords from battle corpses. Although skeptical to Benkei's claims and the existence of a demon, Tetsukichi joins him in his quest. They soon discover the demon is in reality a young warrior with a demon mask and extraordinary sword skills. He is Shanao (Tadanobu Asano), a former lord of the Genji clan who is out for revenge against the Heike clan and wants to destroy all false gods and every single religion. Benkei and Shanao face off, but the monk's sword breaks when his will vacillates due to his reluctance to fight. Turning to Tetsukichi to forge him a new sword to duel Shanao one more time, Benkei will have to overcome his doubts to defeat the evil.
revenge, violence