During the ’70s, the films from Japan that I was aware of fell into two categories: Godzilla or directed by Akira Kurasowa. There were a few martial arts films, but it felt they were all from Hong Kong at the time. A lot of movies in Japan didn’t get imported to America. Sometimes you’d read descriptions of an interesting film in a movie magazine or an interview with of saxophonist John Zorn (Naked City). Rarely did these contemporary movies show up in the art houses or even VHS tapes. The Inugami Family became a massive hit in Tokyo in 1976, but never screened outside of Japan until now. The good news is after 50 years, the family centered mystery still feels fresh.
The wealthy patriarch of the Inugami family passes away surrounded by some of his loved ones. While there’s an eagerness to read the will, the lawyer lets them know that he can’t start the proceedings without having all the living family members in the room. The only major hang up with his grandson Kiyo who has gone into hiding after World War II. He is finally located and makes the trip to the lakeside estate. It’s a bit of a shock since his face was severally burned during battle so Kiyo wears a mask. When the lawyer gathers all together, he shocks the entire room. Turns out the old man has left all of his estate to outsider Tamayo (Yôko Shimada, the original Shogun miniseries). But there’s a catch. She must marry one of the three grandsons. If she marries someone else, she forfeits the money. Although if none of the three grandsons want to marry her, she gets to keep the money. If she forfeits or dies, the money gets split between the three grandsons and someone else. Naturally the entire family freaks out at the strange will that turns the family fortune into a dating show. A few of them doubt the identity to the burned grandson. Kiyo is forced to pull off his mask and reveal his remaining face. Before things can get cute and comedic in this will tale, bodies begin to drop. This is where detective Kousuke Kindaichi (Kôji Ishizaka, Ultraman) begins to investigate. He came originally as a guest of the lawyer in case there’s trouble. Turns out there’s a lot of trouble. What’s exactly going on in this family that’s on the verge of seeing their fortune vanish in the pocket of a strange woman. Can Detective Kindaichi expose what’s going on while the police keep hitting dead ends investigating the dead around the estate?
The Inugami Family is perfect viewing if you’re really into Rian Johnson’s Knives Out mysteries with Daniel Craig. There are unexpected twists on the lavish lakeside estate. This is an extremely colorful and deceitful family filled with suspects and the next victims. You can’t blame them for trying to thin out the family reunion in order to score the loot. The movie is based on the novel by Seishi Yokomizo. Turns out that director Kon Ichikawa adapted a few more of the Kousuke Kindaichi novels with Kôji Ishizakaôji as the detective. Maybe we’ll get more? This is a rich and colorful movie that plays well after all these years. Kon Ichikawa creates an atmosphere for the movie that modern directors beg to replicate. Nothing feels dated or static on the screen. You’ll stick around until Kindaichi pieces this murder mystery together. Shame this film has taken nearly half a century to be exported here. Welcome to America, The Inugami Family.
The Video is 1.50:1 anamorphic. The 4K restoration brings out the details of when Kiyo removes his mask. It’s a facial effect worthy of Rick Baker and Tom Savini. The Audio is Japanese DTS-HD MA 1.0 Mono. The quiet moments are very quiet. The movie is subtitled in English.
Aaron Gerow (23:12) gets into how The Inugami Family changed the Japanese Film Industry. This was the first movie released by Kadokawa Pictures in 1976. The company was dominate from until the late ’80s. The studio was founded by a publishing company that wanted turn their books into movies. Originally they tried to work with another film company, but he hated working with the industry. Thus he went into the business themselves. The film industry at that time was set up so studios provided their theater chain. Kadokawa went to book their films in “Western cinemas” that also allowed them to last a longer time. It killed the distribution system.
The Secrets of Kon Ichikawa’s Visual Style (44:08) features the director going through his film career. He made 69 feature films during his career. Kon goes into how he creates the title art since that adds to the story and atmosphere. He talks about shooting the Munich Olympics and hanging with Arthur Penn (Bonnie and Clyde).
Off Shots – The Day of Filming “The Secrets of Kon Ichikawa’s Visual Style” (8:25) are outtakes from the documentary made into a featurette. We see where Kon’s old office was located. He drew storyboards for the crew visiting him.
Verification: How the Inugami Family Was Made (30:04) is a vintage making-of documentary with cast and crew. They get into the novel and how the production finally happened.
The Birth of Kosuke Kindaichi (15:48) lets actor Koji Ishizaka explain what he did to achieve the detective character. He met director on a Toyota commercial. Things were strange at first, but the warmed up to each other. Their next meeting was for him to star in I Am A Cat, but there wasn’t really a role for him. The next time they talked, it was the offer of Kosuke Kindaichi. Koji had read all the books. He was eager to play the role.
The Path of the 4K Digital Restoration (11:31) lets us learn what happens when a negative is turned into a new transfer. We see the previous release versions and how this was an improvement. It’s not an easy process like when you dub a video at home. Color timing is important. They find the original timing labs for the first release. Editor Chizuko Osada visits the laboratory to also assist with the color timing and framing. We see all the people at the lab that work on the transfer. This is a great guide to understand what it takes to restore a 35mm film.
Theatrical Trailer (2:12) lets us know that there’s dispute over an inheritance, blood and murder.
Teaser Trailer (0:53) has the Toho logo. It promises a terrifying series of killings. “The most photogenic lake” is the last title card.
Limited Edition Booklet with photos and essays by Midori Suiren and Akihiko Ito. Turns out Columbo was very popular in Japan during the ’70s.
Radiance Films present The Inugami Family (Limited Edition). Directed by Kon Ichikawa. Screenplay by Norio Osada, Shin’ya Hidaka & Kon Ichikawa. Starring Kôji Ishizaka, Yôko Shimada, Teruhiko Aoi, Mieko Takamine, Mitsuko Kusabue, Miki Sanjō, Akira Kawaguchi, Ryôko Sakaguchi & Takeo Chii. Running Time: 146 minutes. Rating: Unrated. Release Date: September 15, 2026.
