Kiyoshi Kurosawa Boards EFM With First-Ever Period Drama ‘Kokurojo: The Samurai and The Prisoner’

A besieged castle becomes the stage for suspicion and survival in Kokurojo: The Samurai and The Prisoner. Variety

Kiyoshi Kurosawa Enters the Sengoku Era With First-Ever Period Drama Kokurojo: The Samurai and The Prisoner

One of Japan’s most revered auteurs is stepping into uncharted territory.

Per Variety, Kiyoshi Kurosawa is set to unveil his first-ever period drama, Kokurojo: The Samurai and The Prisoner, with Paris-based sales company Charades boarding the project ahead of the European Film Market in Berlin. The film, described as Kurosawa’s most ambitious feature to date, will be presented to buyers at EFM with exclusive footage.

Produced by the legendary Shochiku, the 130-year-old studio behind classics from Yasujirō Ozu as well as Harakiri, The Twilight Samurai, and Departures, the film is being made in partnership with Tokyo Broadcasting System Television. A nationwide Japanese release is planned for later this year.

Set in 16th-century Japan during the Warring States period, Kokurojo adapts Honobu Yonezawa’s award-winning historical novel of the same name, published by Kadokawa Corporation. The novel made history by sweeping all four of Japan’s major mystery awards, including the Futaro Yamada Award and the Naoki Prize.

Blending Kurosawa’s trademark psychological tension with a sweeping historical canvas, the story centers on Lord Murashige Araki, a feudal ruler who rebels against the tyrannical Nobunaga Oda and finds himself trapped inside his own besieged castle. As paranoia spreads and a string of mysterious crimes destabilizes the court, Murashige must form an uneasy alliance with Kanbei Kuroda, a brilliant and dangerous strategist imprisoned beneath the castle itself. With enemies closing in and a traitor hiding among them, survival depends on uncovering the truth before the fortress falls.

Written and directed by Kurosawa, with a score by Yoshihiro Hanno, the film brings together two of Japan’s most iconic actors for the first time: Masahiro Motoki (Departures) as Murashige Araki and Masaki Suda (Wilderness) as Kanbei Kuroda. They’re joined by Yuriko Yoshitaka, Munetaka Aoki, Ryota Miyadate, Tasuku Emoto, and Joe Odagiri.

Charades co-founder Yohann Comte called the collaboration a “major achievement” for the company and a cornerstone of its upcoming slate, describing the film as both “rich and complex” while still operating as a classic samurai picture. Producer Satoko Ishida echoed that sentiment, praising Kurosawa as a master filmmaker and highlighting the ambitious fusion of jidai-geki and mystery.

In France, the film will be released by Art House Films, whose head Eric Le Bot has already praised the footage as visually striking and formally sophisticated, invoking chiaroscuro aesthetics reminiscent of classic Japanese cinema.

With six films previously screened at Cannes and major awards from Venice under his belt, Kurosawa’s leap into historical mystery feels less like a departure and more like a culmination—one that could redefine what a modern samurai film looks like on the international stage.