PRODUCTION NOTES

A period piece on an unprecedented scale
Based on the Akira Yoshimura book of the same title, Sakurada Gate Incident brings historical dramatic detail to the silver screen on an epic scale as it traces in details the events, the emotions and the ambitions leading up to and following the assassination of Tokugawa shogunate chief minister Naosuke Ii on March 24, 1860 by a group of 17 Mito and one Satsuma samurai, headed by Tetsunosuke Seki

An all-star ensemble brings history to life!
A veritable who’s who of Japanese actors led by number one A-list actor for samurai fare, Takao Osawa (GOEMON, 2009; BALLAD 2009; JIN, TV series 2009 & 2011) in the lead role of Tetsunosuke Seki, and including Kinya Kitaoji, Kyoko Hasegawa, Seishiro Kato, Akira Emoto, Katsuhisa Namase, Masahiko Nishimura, Hiroyuki Watanabe, Masato Ibu

Multiple blockbuster hit director takes on the period piece
In his first samurai film, master veteran director Junya Sato whose name has become synonymous with such Japanese blockbuster hits as The Silk Road ('88) and Space Battleship Yamato ('10) evoking in great dramatic detail this seminal event in Japanese history including many of the unheralded members of the group of 18 assailants.

A Cinematic First! A Citizens' Group Makes an Epic Film
From conception to completion, Sakurada Gate Incident broke new ground in Japanese cinema as an Ibaraki Prefecture citizens' group project, something never before seen. 250 million dollars were spent on the film including the construction of a massive open set replica of the Edo Castle Sakurada Gate and environs, and filming throughout Ibaraki Prefecture. The film was made to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the incident.