As far as I can tell this is an eight episode
TV show from 1990. Or at least eight episodes that made it to American dvds.
I saw one reference that it ran from 1990 - 1993 - so there may be more -
I hope so. I zipped through them as much as I can zip these days and very
much enjoyed them. The first episode was 90 minutes, the second 75 minutes
and the rest came in around 45 minutes with the last two combined into one
story. The character of Baian is based on the novels of Shōtarō Ikenami,
a prolific Japanese writer in various genres. Some films such as Hunter in
the Dark was based on his work and there were two TV series about Baian -
one titled Hissatsu Shikakenin which aired in the early 1970s starring Ken
Ogata and this one which stars Ken Watanabe. There was also an anime and
manga about Baian. Two of his books about Baian have been translated into
English - Master Assassin: Tales of Murder from the Shogun's City and Bridge
of Darkness: The Return of the Master Assassin. I read them years ago and
they were terrific. I wish I had them with me here to read again.
Baian is just your normal neighborhood acupuncturist who can do nearly everything
with his needles from fixing a breach baby to liver problems. Everybody loves
Baian. It could have been that kind of show. But Baian also uses his needles
as instruments of death. He is a paid assassin. Here are some Japanese terms
which might come in handy if you ever go to Japan. A client is called an
okori, He contacts a tsuru to find a killer. The agent of the assassin is
called motojime. Not sure what the target is called other than being in deep
shit.
Baian has a deal with his motojima - he trusts him to vet the intended victim
and make sure the world is better off without him. Then Baian can kill in
good conscious. And it of course makes him the good guy and hero of the TV
show. He kills scum. He often teams up with his good friend Hiko (Isao Hashizume)
if the kills are complicated. They usually are. For shows about a professional
killer there is actually very little action - it is all a build up to the
kill at the end and then sake to celebrate. And the action is quick - a needle
in the back of your neck from Baian and a sharp blow dart from Hiko, who
is a tooth pick maker as his cover. Hiko is the sort of fellow no one ever
notices until he kills them. Both actors are excellent. Watanabe has gone
on to some fame since this series.
The pleasure of the shows are the planning, the little dramas than run through
the show, the deep friendship of the two killers, the recreation and detail
of the Tokugawa period, the time often spent eating and then finally the
kill. Within all that is ritual, traditions and the social interaction that
takes place. It takes its time getting to the kill. Each episode lives on
its own. A new target or targets and Baian collects half his ryos upfront
and the rest after the job is done. Still it is better to watch them in order
because there are character connections and their samurai friend (Abe Hiroshi
who has also gone on to a fine career) takes on greater importance as the
episodes go on. They are quite satisfying and the final one is wonderful.
I would love to see more of them if they exist.
