On September 21, 2026, Eureka is releasing the Limited Edition set for Cruel Tales of the Bohachi, which includes 1973’s Bohachi Bushido: Code of the Forgotten Eight on 4K UHD/Blu-ray and 1974’s Bohachi Bushido: The Villain on Blu-ray (Region B).
Based on the popular manga by Lone Wolf and Cub creators Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima, Bohachi Bushido: Code of the Forgotten Eight is one of the standout films in the career of Teruo Ishii (Shogun’s Joy of Torture), known in Japan as the “King of Cult.” A bloody and erotic samurai tale starring an assassin with a death wish, it paved the way for Takashi Harada’s spiritual successor Bohachi Bushido: The Villain.
Code of the Forgotten Eight sees a nihilistic ronin, Shino Ashita (Tetsuro Tanba, Three Outlaw Samurai), join the sadistic Bohachi clan, a group of corrupt samurai who operate a prostitution ring. With nothing else to live for, he acts as their assassin in a war with a rival clan that poses a threat to their business. Then, in The Villain, the condemned criminal Kyushi Issho (Goro Ibuki, Hokuriku Proxy War) falls in with the infamous Bohachi samurai – and he too is drawn into a world of wanton violence and sexual sadism.
Prime examples of the ero guro jidaigeki (or, in other words, period films with a focus on eroticism and the grotesque), Code of the Forgotten Eight and The Villain are perfect portraits of the shifting depictions of sex and violence in Japanese cinema of the 1970s. The Masters of Cinema series is honoured to present both films for the first time on UK home video.
2-Disc Limited Edition Features:
- DISC ONE: 4K UHD – Code of the Forgotten Eight – 4K (2160p) UHD from a 4K digital restoration
DISC TWO: BLU-RAY – Code of the Forgotten Eight & The Villain – 1080p HD presentations
Features:
- Optional English subtitles, newly revised for this release
- Original Japanese mono audio tracks
- Audio commentary on Code of the Forgotten Eight by East Asian film expert and Midnight Eye co-founder Tom Mes
- New audio commentary on The Villain by genre cinema expert Arne Venema and film writer Stefan Hammond
- From Codes to Chaos – new video essay on the Bohachi Bushido films and Toei’s evolving production strategies in the 1970s by Japanese cinema expert Joe Hickinbottom
- Remembering Teruo Ishii – interview with director Shinya Tsukamoto (Testsuo: The Iron Man) about working with director Teruo Ishii
- Archival interview with actress Yuriko Hishimi
- Archival audio interview with Japanese filmmakers J-Taro Sugisaki and Takao Nakano
- Original theatrical trailer for Code of the Forgotten Eight
Technical Specs:
- Country: Japan
- Language: Japanese
- Year: 1973/1974
- Runtime: 164
- Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
- Subtitles: Optional English subtitles, newly revised for this release
- 2 Discs
This title is available for pre-order at The Goodie Emporium, a U.S.-based online store that currently has many Import Shaw Brothers/Golden Harvest/martial arts DVD/Blu-ray movies in-stock – with New titles being added regularly!
Watch the Trailers below:
