Demon Thistle (1927)
The vast majority of the commercial films made by Kinugasa in the 1920s have, like almost all Japanese films of the period, been lost. Even a fragmentary survival such as Oni azami is to be celebrated – the more so since the film marked the first of many appearances by popular star Chojiro Hayashi (1908-84) in Kinugasa films. The original story of Oni azami is credited to Fred Niblo, the American director of Blood and Sand (1922) and Ben-Hur (1925). It derives from The Red Lily (1924), a Ramón Novarro vehicle that had been a great success on its release in Japan.
Director:
Teinosuke Kinugasa
Writer:
Taizō Fuyushima
![]() |
Akiko Chihaya as Omitsu |
![]() |
Kazuo Hasegawa as Reizaburo Namiki |
| Directing | Teinosuke Kinugasa | Director |
| Writing | Taizō Fuyushima | Screenplay |
| Writing | Fred Niblo | Story |