Samurai Reincarnation

A samurai who survived the massacre of Christians centuries earlier turns against God for failing to answer the prayers of the faithful. He gives his soul to Satan in exchange for the power to raise the dead, then gathers an army of revived warriors for a campaign of slaughter. Standing against him is the swordsman Jubei Yagyu, who must find a blade capable of fighting the undead force. The story is set in Japan's Edo period, roughly 350 years after the persecution of Christians, and draws on the historical figure Shiro Amakusa and on the samurai folklore surrounding Yagyu Jubei.

Kinji Fukasaku directed and co-wrote the film with Tatsuo Nogami, with Haruki Kadokawa producing. It was Fukasaku's twelfth film as director in the sequence of sixteen listed, following Virus and preceding Gate of Youth. Sonny Chiba plays Jubei Yagyu, with Kenji Sawada as Shiro Amakusa. The cast also includes Akiko Kana, Hiroyuki Sanada, Ai Kanzaki and Hideo Murota, among twenty-four credited performers. Made in Japan by Toei Company and KADOKAWA, the film runs 122 minutes and blends action with fantasy and horror.

On TMDB it holds a rating of 5.9 out of 10 from 43 votes, a modest audience response from a small sample.