Hanzo the Razor (かみそり 半蔵, Kamisori Hanzō) is a fictional character featured in the trilogy of Japanese chanbara films of the same name. The films star Shintaro Katsu as the title character.[1] He also produced the trilogy through his own Katsu Productions.[2]
After the decline of Daiei at the end of the 1960s, Shintaro Katsu established his own independent production company in 1967 called Katsu Productions.[3][4] In 1972, Katsu Productions released the chanbara film trilogy with the Hanzo the Razor: Sword of Justice based on a gekiga by Koike Kazuo.[3]
The film series, about an incorruptible law enforcer during the Edo period, has a strong sense of justice which dictates his every move.[3] The film incorporates elements of exploitation film, and is highly sexual: Hanzo has an outlandishly large penis which is a recurring theme, and he uses it to interrogate women, usually by rape, to reveal a cases' hidden secrets and truths.[5]