MOVIE · 1969
Tenchu!
ActionAdventureCrimeDramaWar140 min
In the final years of the Tokugawa shogunate, a destitute ronin joins the Tosa clan, hoping service will pull him out of poverty. Instead he falls under the influence of Takechi, a ruthless leader who uses the swordsman’s desperation for his own ends. Shintarô Katsu is the hard-pressed samurai at the center of the story, with Tatsuya Nakadai and author Yukio Mishima among the figures moving through its world of clan politics and violence. Rooted in the Bakumatsu era and the history behind the Four Hitokiri, the film ties one man’s financial ruin to a wider struggle for power.
Find out what fits your taste.
Rate movies and shows in ReelRecs, save your next watch, and get personal recommendations from the Reel Recs online service. Free on iPhone and Android.
Where to watch in US
These offers have not all been recently verified. Check the provider for current availability.
We could not verify a streaming option for this country.
Offers can change. Rentals and purchases are separate from subscriptions.
More to consider
No Regrets for Our Youth (1946)
After her anti-fascist professor father is dismissed, Yukie is pulled from a sheltered upbringing into romance, political repression, and the upheaval surrounding World War II in Japan. Setsuko Hara is Yukie, a young wo…
Cruel Gun Story (1964)
Fresh out of prison, Togawa agrees to hijack an armored truck loaded with 120 million yen after a group of businessmen promise the payout will cover surgery for his sister, Rie, who was left in a wheelchair by the accid…
Humanity and Paper Balloons (1937)
In a poor Edo tenement, a masterless samurai waits for his late father’s former lord to offer him work while a disgraced hairdresser tries to recover his standing by abducting a wealthy pawnbroker’s daughter before her …
Catalogue checked October 30, 2026. Use ReelRecs with an assistant