Torawakamaru, the Koga Ninja (1957)
I recently bought a cheap collection of ninja movies, in all honesty I didn’t expect much, but to my pleasant surprise, the first movie I watched, turned out to be pretty good. It’s a late-fifties ninja fantasy from Japan, one could even call it a family movie, and it was actually quite wonderful.
Torawakamaru, the Koga Ninja should appeal to fans of classic samurai movies. It has a similar look to the old Akira Kurosawa masterpieces like Seven Samurai, the Hidden Fortress, and Yojimbo. In essence it’s the samurai/ninja equivalent to old Hollywood b-westerns of the Hopalong Cassidy, Roy Rogers, and Gene Autry variety. I say that, because it plays into a lot of the same clichés, with the distinction of interchanging the kid-friendly cowboy with a handsome magical ninja with a heart of gold.
The story revolves around a feud between two samurai clans, both clans turn to ninjas for help, and where one side is employing what are essentially evil ninjas, the other side is utilizing the aid of the film’s hero. As the title character, hero, and all around nice guy, it should come as no surprise that Torawakamaru is the good guy, and that said, the bad guy position is handled in the character of Goemon.
Playing into one of the more reliable clichés, Goemon kidnaps the daughter of the leader of the good clan, and Torawakamaru sets out to rescue her. But, our hero has some unexpected help in the form of Goemon’s son, who has befriended the little girl, and who eventually learns that his father is not quite the heroic individual that he has always looked up to.
The movie is filled with fantasy elements. Ninjas seemingly teleport from one location to another, shape-shift into animals, change the weather, and create illusions that baffle the mind.
Not exactly a masterpiece, but certainly a worthwhile viewing experience, and a good movie for the whole family.
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