NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Arrow Blu-ray (March 2021): Celebrating International Women's Month (sarcasm) Arrow have transferred Teruo Ishii's Shogun's Joy of Torture to Blu-ray. It is on a dual-layered disc with a max'ed out bitrate. The 1080P is inconsistent with plenty of softer shots followed by crisper, more detailed, ones. This is no doubt the available source, that may be somewhat compromised. Or it may just have been how the film was shot. It looks very acceptable and pleasing in-motion - bright, rich, colors and clean in the 2.35:1 aspect ratio. There is depth and the overall HD presentation is a positive one - all factors considered.

NOTE: We have added 66 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Arrow Video use a linear PCM mono track (24-bit) in the original Japanese language. Effects generally centre around violence - thrashing bamboo sticks, shrieks and screams plus another score by Masao Yagi (Inferno of Torture, Yakuza Law, An Actor's Revenge, Orgies of Edo) which carries modest weight in the flat, hollow, mono. Arrow Video offer optional English subtitles on their Region FREE Blu-ray. The dialogue subtitle translation seems restrained while still maintaining explicit implications - we've added a few samples below.

The Arrow Blu-ray offers a new commentary by Japanese cinema expert Tom Mes (author of The Midnight Eye Guide to New Japanese Film). He talks about this unique, short-lived, 'torture' genre out of Japan. He's a bit hushed but covers extensive ground discussing other entries, reasons behind the evolution of the genre and alternate recommendation for those keen on the tattooing aspects of the film with references to the later Inferno of Torture. He is well prepared and insightful. Included is Teruo Ishii: Erotic-Grotesque Maestro - an exclusive 1/4 hour video interview with Patrick Macias (author of TokyoScope: The Japanese Cult Film Companion.) He talks about Shogun's Joy of Torture, the director and some of the films that Teruo Ishii did in the late 60s. We also get Jasper Sharp (author of Behind the Pink Curtain: The Complete History of Japanese Sex Cinema) discussing the history of torture in Japanese exploitation cinema for 25-minutes. There is an original trailer and an image gallery. The package has a reversible sleeve (see below) featuring original and newly-commissioned artwork by Jacob Phillips. or the first pressing there is an illustrated collectors’ booklet featuring new writing on the film by Mark Schilling.

Teruo Ishii's Shogun's Joy of Torture is.... very harsh. I had to turn it off three times. It seemed like there was a straight hour of torture, leering evil men, and a vengeful damaged woman, bondage, moans, screams, violations etc.. None of it seemed erotic and it would certainly be considered tasteless. There is also a fair amount of blood (see nudity and gore samples below,) a prominent male decapitation, inventive restraints, crucifixions, drowning and buckets of water thrown on poor gals in various stockades after they pass out - to awaken them for another round. The tattooing is artistic but Shogun's Joy of Torture is an uncomfortable viewing, to say the least. The Arrow Blu-ray offers the film in a competent technical transfer, the Mes commentary and other revealing extras. The historical value of this genre's mere existence is the fascinating edge to this depraved niche of films. Shogun's Joy of Torture is obviously not to everyone's tastes, but the thick-skinned who are curious are welcome to indulge in another of Arrow's complete Blu-ray packages of this lesser-examined, exploitation, genre.

Gary Tooze