BT1886

Irezumi

A deeply captivating, exploitative tale of lust and revenge, Irezumi marks my foray into Yasuzō Masumura’s filmography. Starring Ayako Wakao as Otsuya, the film follows a fiercely defiant young lover that is kidnapped and forced into sex work at a geisha house. She is then marked with a tattoo of a spider across her silky back, which grants her a newfound path towards bloody revenge against her captors and the world. Shot by renowned cinematographer, Kazuo Miyagawa (Rashomon, Floating Weeds), Irezumi boasts some incredible atmosphere due to Kazuo’s use of vivid colors and layered compositions - there are some magnificent shots in this film, including the unforgettably lurid title sequence paired with Hikaru Hayashi’s unsettling music. Real spine-tingling stuff. It’s a story all about the power women hold over men, both mentally and emotionally, and the destructive potential of sex, all wrapped up in a neat, little post-war bow.