Part of the 2026 season: Knowing Me, Knowing You
Hakkenden: Fiction and Reality
Hakkenden, 八犬伝
Director SORI Fumihiko
Cast YAKUSHO Koji, UCHINO Seiyo, TSUCHIYA Tao, KUROKI Haru
2024, 149 min, English subtitles
In early 19th-century Edo, celebrated novelist TAKIZAWA Bakin (YAKUSHO Koji) embarks on an ambitious story of eight samurai warriors, bound by a mystical orb that grants them supernatural powers to lift the curse afflicting the Satomi clan. Seeking an illustrator, Bakin turns to his close friend, the legendary ukiyo-e master KATSUSHIKA Hokusai (UCHINO Seiyo). Though Hokusai declines to collaborate, he continues to visit, eager to hear each new chapter as it unfolds.
Nearly three decades pass, but when his life’s work reaches its climax, Bakin’s private life takes its toll — in addition to family strife, he begins to lose his sight. Just as despair sets in, his devoted daughter-in-law, Omichi (KUROKI Haru), offers to assist him, rekindling his determination to complete the masterpiece.
Hakkenden has been adapted for film numerous times since the 1950s, but this adaptation is different. Masterfully directed by SORI Fumihiko (Pinpon, 2002), it effortlessly blends the intimate true story of some of Japan’s most renowned artistic historical figures with the world of fascinating heroes Bakin created, alongside breath-taking visual effects.
Contains fictitious action sequences
©2024 “Hakkenden: Fiction and Reality” Film Partners
公式サイトはこちら:https://www.hakkenden.jp/
Screening dates
Please note: Tickets for some screenings may not be available yet.
- Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) Saturday 7 February, 17:45
- Riverside Studios Wednesday 25 February, 20:00
- Exeter Phoenix Saturday 14 March, 15:30
- Brewery Arts Cinema Saturday 14 March, 17:00
- Firstsite Sunday 29 March, 11:00
- City Screen TBC
- Picturehouse @ FACT TBC
- Cinema City TBC
If you like this you may like the following
All films in this season
The Hotel of My Dream
Hakkenden: Fiction and Reality
The Man Who Failed to Die
What Should We Have Done?
The Final Piece
She Taught Me Serendipity
Ghost Killer
Adabana
Strangers in Kyoto
Petals and Memories
Ura Aka: L'Aventure
Teki Cometh
Conflagration
Blue Boy Trial
Kaneko's Commissary
The Real You
Silence of the Sea
Love Doesn't Matter to Me
Sham
The Last Blossom
Like Asura
I Am What I Am
ANGRY SQUAD: The Civil Servant and the Seven Swindlers
A Bad Summer
Missing Child Videotape
NEMURUBAKA: Hypnic Jerks





The Hotel of My Dream
Teki Cometh
Conflagration