Mission: Iron Castle

Mission: Iron Castle

1970 · 79 min · ★ 6.3 · Action, Drama, Crime, War

The Shinobi-no-Mono series was so successful that Daiei Studios dipped into the well one more time, making the best 60′s B&W ninja movie ever seen in the otherwise color-dominated year of 1970. Issei Mori directs Hiroki Matsukata as the reluctant leader of a small band of spies charged with kidnapping a noblewoman from a heavily ninja-proofed castle. The finality of the air slowly began to fill like smoke, and in all that had become dark the loyalty of the Ninja who dared to go shone like light as they entered a world shrouded in mystery. Things do not go as planned in what is possibly the darkest and most fatalistic of the already noir-ish 60′s fare. Both the decade and it’s distinctive style of shinobi cinema went out on a high note with Mission Iron Castle.

Directed by Kazuo Mori · Written by Yamada Takayuki

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2h 38m together

Mission: Iron Castle

A Killer's Key

Both from Kazuo Mori.

Shinobi No Mono CollectionSee all →

Ninja, A Band of Assassins

Ninja, A Band of Assassins · 1962

Ninja, A Band of Assassins

Warlord Oda Nobunaga seeks to unite a fractured Japan. A young man trained in the arts of ninjitsu is manipulated by a ninja master into attempting to assassinate the warlord before he completes his task.

Shinobi no Mono 2: Vengeance

Shinobi no Mono 2: Vengeance · 1963

Shinobi no Mono 2: Vengeance

[Period covered: 1582-1594]. As the film opens, the warlod Nobunaga Oda rides to Iga Ayanokuni shrine. He is asked if he thinks he has destroyed all the ninja who opposed him and answers that he suspects that there may be more. A servant brings water and tests it first. The paige dies and we hear gunshots as two ninja flee the scene. His suspicions confirmed, Nobunaga oversees the execution of captured ninja and decides that, in the future, he needs a much crueler method of execution. The daimyo Hideyoshi comes to visit.

Shinobi no Mono 3: Resurrection

Shinobi no Mono 3: Resurrection · 1963

Shinobi no Mono 3: Resurrection

MovieDramaAction

[Period covered: 1595-1600] We last saw ninja Ishikawa Goemon, as he was about to be boiled alive. But a good ninja is both hard to find, and even harder to kill. With the help of the enigmatic Hattori Hanzo, Goemon lives to skulk another day, and sets his sights on bringing down the warlord who tried to turn him into soup – Toyotomi Hideyoshi. And as always, in the background, the suble hand of Tokugawa Ieyasu is pulling strings as he plots to rule all of Japan!

Shinobi no Mono 4: Siege

Shinobi no Mono 4: Siege · 1964

Shinobi no Mono 4: Siege

MovieActionDrama

[Period covered: 1614-1615] Tokugawa Ieyasu is now the ruler of all Japan. But one last loose thread must be tied up before his domination is complete -- the destruction of the Toyotomi clan, now beseiged in Osaka castle. Ieyasu's ninja are the only ones who can penetrate the fortress, but unfortunately for Ieyasu, Kirigakure Saizo and the other Toyotomi ninja can just as easily get out. As armies of samurai maneuver for battle, the fate of the nation will be decided by a desperate struggle in the dark!

Shinobi No Mono 5: Return of Mist Saizo

Shinobi No Mono 5: Return of Mist Saizo · 1964

Shinobi No Mono 5: Return of Mist Saizo

MovieActionAdventure

[Period covered: 1616] On May 8th, 1615 the summer campaign of Osaka has reached the climax. This film takes place immediately following 'Ninja 4: Mist Saizo, Last of The Ninja'. Staying one step ahead of the Shogun’s forces, “Mist” Saizo tries to save the Sanada Clan, and avenge the death of his lord by assassinating the first Tokugawa Shogun. Following the first four films in this remarkable series, more previously unknown Ninja skills are shown to the world for the first time. The action heats up as Saizo single-handedly attacks the Shogun’s Palace!

Shinobi No Mono 6: The Last Iga Spy

Shinobi No Mono 6: The Last Iga Spy · 1965

Shinobi No Mono 6: The Last Iga Spy

[Period covered: 1637-1651] This is one of the most complicated plots of any of the Shinobi no Mono films! This film tells the story of Saizo’s son, Kirigakure Saisuke, who after seeing his father die at the Battle Of Shimabara, grows up to be an expert ninja. Before he dies, “Mist” Saizo tells his children Saisuke, and Yuri that they are not really brother and sister. She, in fact, is the daughter of the late lord Sanada Yukimura, and must be saved from the shogun’s forces. In the chess match of spy versus spy, can Saisuke defeat the shogun’s chief strategist, Matsudaira Izunokami at his own game? Showing many exciting ninja tactics, it is not to be missed.

Shinobi no mono 8: The Three Enemies

Shinobi no mono 8: The Three Enemies · 1966

Shinobi no mono 8: The Three Enemies

[Period Covered: 1570-1573] Towards the end of the Tenmon Era, Shogun Ashikaga`s powers were weakening by the day and many were there who planned to overthrow him. It was the beginning of the Sengoku (Warring States) period. Three men attack a gunpowder maker in a farmhouse, the first chopping off his arm with his sickle-&-chain weapon, the second blinding him with sword, the third giving the killing blow. His son Kojiro Kosume escapes the attackers as everything he has known up to then explodes into conflagration. He grows up & enters the start of the Tokugawa Era, intent on avenging his father.

Shinobi no mono 7: Mist Saizo Strikes Back

Shinobi no mono 7: Mist Saizo Strikes Back · 1966

Shinobi no mono 7: Mist Saizo Strikes Back

MovieActionDrama

[Period covered: 1616] Kirigakure Saizo returns for the final time as he sets out to assassinate Tokugawa Ieyasu in order to avenge the death of Lord Sanada Yukimura. But first he must contend with Ieyasu’s own ninja group led by the powerful Fuma Daijuro, who has a score to settle with the men of Iga that dates back 280 years to the war between the Genji and the Heike at the Battle of Dan-no-Ura. Tremendous fighting and great plot twists highlight this exceptional look into the lives of the mysterious ninja of Japan.

More from Kazuo MoriSee all →

170 Leagues to Edo

170 Leagues to Edo · 1962

170 Leagues to Edo

Zatoichi Monogatari

Zatoichi Monogatari · 1974

Zatoichi Monogatari

Blind masseur Zatôichi travels from town to town gambling, drinking, and fighting off the local gangs.

Kogarashi Monjiro

Kogarashi Monjiro · 1972

Kogarashi Monjiro

SeriesAction & AdventureDrama

Monjiro was born into a poor farm family in Mikazuki Village, Nitta County, Ueshu, and abandoned his hometown when he was 10 years old. He has been traveling aimlessly with a long toothpick in his mouth. Monjiro avoided getting involved in anything, but wherever he went, he ended up getting involved in incidents

A Killer's Key

A Killer's Key · 1967

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A lone wolf assassin, masquerading as a traditional dance instructor named Nitta, is called in to avert a potential financial scandal that threatens to engulf a powerful yakuza group with ties to influential figures in the political establishment.

Her Brother

Her Brother · 1960

MovieDramaComedy

Set in 1926 when Japanese tradition was much stronger, this drama looks at the inner workings of a small family, especially the relationship between a sister and brother.

The Tale of Zatoichi Continues

The Tale of Zatoichi Continues · 1962

The Tale of Zatoichi Continues

MovieAdventureAction

Returning to the village where a year before he had killed Hirate, a much-admired opponent, Zatoichi encounters another swordsman and former rival in love.

Shinobi no Mono 3: Resurrection

Shinobi no Mono 3: Resurrection · 1963

Shinobi no Mono 3: Resurrection

MovieDramaAction

[Period covered: 1595-1600] We last saw ninja Ishikawa Goemon, as he was about to be boiled alive. But a good ninja is both hard to find, and even harder to kill. With the help of the enigmatic Hattori Hanzo, Goemon lives to skulk another day, and sets his sights on bringing down the warlord who tried to turn him into soup – Toyotomi Hideyoshi. And as always, in the background, the suble hand of Tokugawa Ieyasu is pulling strings as he plots to rule all of Japan!

The Radiant Prince

The Radiant Prince · 1961

The Radiant Prince

MovieDramaRomance

Hikaru Genji, the haunted romantic hero of Lady Murasaki Shikibu’s “Genji Monogatari” (Tale of Genji) comes to life in this new tale of his further romantic adventures. Young Genji, the emperor’s illegitimate son cuts a swath through the women of the imperial court, while still mourning the spirit of his late mother who died while he was still a child. Driven to an obsession with the emperor’s new concubine, Lady Fujitsubo, whose resemblance to his late mother originally caught the eye of the emperor, young Genji embarks upon a reckless affair with her that could cost him his life.

Yokomizo Seishi Series

Yokomizo Seishi Series · 1977

Yokomizo Seishi Series

SeriesMysteryCrime

TV series starring Ikko Furuya, based on the Kosuke Kindaichi mystery novel series by Seishi Yokomizo.

Please Hire Me!

Please Hire Me! · 1976

Please Hire Me!

SeriesDramaAction & Adventure

Ex-sword teacher Ihei Misawa is a skilled swordsman but because of his kind and judicious heart, he never fails to get caught up in trouble and therefore is unable to obtain status and success. But his wife Tayo understands him and loves him completely, always remaining by his side.

The Blind Menace

The Blind Menace · 1960

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This is the story of a blind masseur who tricks people, steals, and kills; he is the anti-Zatoichi.

Zatoichi at Large

Zatoichi at Large · 1972

Zatoichi at Large

MovieAdventureAction

Blind masseur and master swordsman Zatoichi finds a robbed and fatally wounded pregnant woman, whose baby he delivers before she dies. He takes the baby in search of its father and finds the child's aunt, who is about to be forced into prostitution for want of a payment the dead mother was bringing. Zatoichi determines to save the woman from her cruel fate.

Shinobi No Mono 6: The Last Iga Spy

Shinobi No Mono 6: The Last Iga Spy · 1965

Shinobi No Mono 6: The Last Iga Spy

[Period covered: 1637-1651] This is one of the most complicated plots of any of the Shinobi no Mono films! This film tells the story of Saizo’s son, Kirigakure Saisuke, who after seeing his father die at the Battle Of Shimabara, grows up to be an expert ninja. Before he dies, “Mist” Saizo tells his children Saisuke, and Yuri that they are not really brother and sister. She, in fact, is the daughter of the late lord Sanada Yukimura, and must be saved from the shogun’s forces. In the chess match of spy versus spy, can Saisuke defeat the shogun’s chief strategist, Matsudaira Izunokami at his own game? Showing many exciting ninja tactics, it is not to be missed.

Wrath of Daimajin

Wrath of Daimajin · 1966

Wrath of Daimajin

MovieFantasyHorror

In a mountainous region of Japan, Lord Arakawa kidnaps the men of nearby villages to use as slave labor, producing gunpowder from his sulfur pits. A band of young boys decide to rescue their enslaved fathers on their own.

Shinobi no mono 7: Mist Saizo Strikes Back

Shinobi no mono 7: Mist Saizo Strikes Back · 1966

Shinobi no mono 7: Mist Saizo Strikes Back

MovieActionDrama

[Period covered: 1616] Kirigakure Saizo returns for the final time as he sets out to assassinate Tokugawa Ieyasu in order to avenge the death of Lord Sanada Yukimura. But first he must contend with Ieyasu’s own ninja group led by the powerful Fuma Daijuro, who has a score to settle with the men of Iga that dates back 280 years to the war between the Genji and the Heike at the Battle of Dan-no-Ura. Tremendous fighting and great plot twists highlight this exceptional look into the lives of the mysterious ninja of Japan.

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