Two outrageous samurai exploitation classics from the golden age of Japanese cult cinema

Eureka Entertainment announces CRUEL TALES OF THE BOHACHI, a stunning new Limited Edition set bringing together two of the most notorious samurai exploitation films ever produced. Teruo Ishii’s legendary BOHACHI BUSHIDO: CODE OF THE FORGOTTEN EIGHT arrives in 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray, alongside BOHACHI BUSHIDO: THE VILLAIN on Blu-ray, with both films making their UK debut on home video on 21 September 2026 as part of The Masters of Cinema Series. Limited to 2,000 copies, the set is packed with newly produced and archival special features and presented in an O-card slipcase with an exclusive collector’s booklet.

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.

Bohachi Bushido: The Villain presented in 1080p HD on Blu-ray Disc only

Cruel Tales of the Bohachi | Masters of Cinema Trailer — New & Exclusive https://youtu.be/zQH7nbgvmug