| Black Belt | |
| Director: | Shunichi Nagasaki[1] |
| Music: | Naoki Sato |
| Distributor: | Toei Company |
| Country: | Japan |
| Language: | Japanese |
Black Belt, known as in Japan, is a 2007 Japanese martial arts drama film directed by Shunichi Nagasaki. It focuses mainly on the martial art of Karate. It is notable for excluding the usual exaggerations of the genre. The lead roles were played by karate experts, and no special effects were used.[2] [3] In the film, three students of an elderly karate master decides among themselves on who deserves their master's black belt.
The events take place in 1932 in Japanese-occupied Manchuria, in which the corrupt leaders of the Japanese army are trying to take over all the Karate dojos (a kind of training hall) for their own benefit. The Japanese army later arrives at the Shibahara dojo, and demands the former to leave as the dojo is now the property of the army. Taikan signals a challenge with Captain Tanihara, and Choei tries to stop him, causing the latter his arm being severely wounded. After driving the army out by dueling, the master Eiken Shibahara (Yosuke Natsuki) (whose dojo is located on the southernmost Japanese island of Kyushu) dies before passing on the Kuroobi (black belt) to his successor. Three of his pupils: Taikan (Tatsuya Naka 7th Dan JKA Shotokan karate), Giryu (Akihito Yagi 7th Dan Meibukan Gōjū-ryū Karate) and Choei (Yuji Suzuki, 1st Dan Kyokushin karate), have the task of deciding amongst themselves who deserves it most. At this point, their journeys lead them on different paths both in life and in the understanding of their master's teachings of martial arts. They are reunited in the end, to battle together against corruption and uphold tradition.
After they bury their master, they are forced to leave the dojo and go with the Japanese army. While on the way to the camp, they are encountered by the children of Captain Tanihara who sought retribution after their father committed suicide due a defeat by Giryu. Giryu is stabbed near the stomach, and fell to a cliff unconscious and was rescued afterwards by a boy named Kenta, and aided by his elder sister, Hana and his father, Kenkichi. Consequently, Taikan and Choeii are training new recruits in the military camp. During Giryu's stay at Kenkichi's household, he learns that a gang has been harassing his host family and expressed their desire to take Hana away to be sold to a brothel. Initially, Giryu refuses to fight the gangsters, but after being persuaded by Kenta, he decides to go with the latter. Giryu finds the gang's hideout, he initially gains the upperhand but was forced to stop after one of the gangsters managed to hold a knife around Kenta's neck. While the gangs beat Giryu, Kenta fortunately finds Taikan and the latter rushes to Giryu's aid. Having enough of Giryu's benevolence and hesitation in using karate to hurt people, Taikan leaves to focus on his duel with Takaomi Togo, another karate master which Taikan later kills despite the protests of Choei. Giryu and Kenta save Hana, as well as other girls that were abducted and Hana is reunited with Kenkichi. The Imperial Japanese Army later declares that Giryu is a criminal and General Hidehisa Goda orders for his arrest. Choei reprimands Taikan for his negligence in saving Giryu, as well as for killing Togo. The gangs and the army later found Giryu in an open field, Goda threatens to shoot Giryu if he does not comply with Goda's orders to surrender himself. While Giryu is advancing toward Goda, Taikan arrives and knocks Goda out and challenges Giryu to a final duel. Giryu and Taikan both exchanged blows until the former delivers a hammer fist to Taikan and the two fell to the ground out of exhaustion. Taikan later apologizes to Giryu for his past actions, saying he finally understood the meaning of their master's karate style. In his dying breath, he declares Giryu to be the true successor to their master's black belt.
The epilogue then reads that Giryu, with Choei's help, opened his own karate dojo while he and Taikan (in his memory) are performing kata.