“Late in the 1500s, an aging tea master teaches the way of tea to a headstrong Shogun. Through force of will and courageous fighting, Hideyoshi becomes Japan’s most powerful warlord, unifying the country. Rikyu, through the tea ceremony and floral arrangements, tempers his lord, helping Hideyoshi focus on a single flower or be in a simple room where the shape of a cup is of most importance. But other forces fuel Hideyoshi’s ambitions: the Portuguese bring a globe and guns, and he believes he can conquer Korea and China. When Rikyu raises doubts about invading China, Hideyoshi demands an apology, and Rikyu himself must find courage in the way of tea.”

Rikyu 利休 (1989) AVC 1080p BD50
Rikyu.1989.1080p.Blu-ray.x264-UUU
BluRay / BD50 / Untouched
Subtitle: English / Japanese
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In timeline at least, this is a sequel to director Teshigahara’s earlier film Rikyu. It follows the lives of Princess Goh and Lord Oribe Furuhata from just after Rikyu committed ‘sepukku’ when Hideyoshi Toyotomi was in power until just after Lord Oribe’s death when Shogun Ieyasu Tokagawa was in power. Though the daughter of the Lord of the Maeda clan, Princess Goh was adopted at birth by Hideyoshi, the supreme ruler at the time, who until that point had been unable to sire any children. He brought her up almost as a son and spoiled her quite completely. She was very intelligent and became highly skilled in the martial arts. She was also very headstrong and the arrogance of her youth matured into an imperious self-confidence as she aged. There was nothing reticent or weak about this woman. Her story shows us her youth and early friendship with Lord Oribe during Hideyoshi’s reign and then her later life under a virtual house arrest at her family mansion in Kaga. It is her attempt to renew her friendship with Oribe by inviting him to a tea ceremony with Lords Ukon and Tadaoki that stirs up not totally unforseen troubles.

Basara: The Princess Goh 豪姫 (Go-hime) (1992) AVC 1080p BD50
BluRay / BD50 / Untouched
Subtitle: Japanese, English
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