Who will emerge victorious, the oni or humans? A romantic-fantastic sword play brings back the legacies of Edo theater and Kyoto films to life!

The story begins in an imaginary version of Edo where humans and oni (demons) fight against each other. Wakuraba Izumo, a strong yet masterless samurai who left the shogunate’s oni task force to become a kabuki actor, fatefully encounters Tsubaki, a beautiful thief who thrives in the dark, and falls in love. In this romantic-fantastic sword play, which successfully modernizes the legacies of Edo theater culture and Kyoto films, “Ashura” reigns as the king of all oni. Izumo ventures into Ashura’s celestial castle and is intercepted by Abe no Jakū, his former colleague from the oni task force. Kabuki actor Tsuruya Nanboku IV silently observes the events unfold. Yet the mystery remains – who is Ashura?

Japan｜ 2005｜ 119min｜ ｜

• ラブロマンス