CRUEL TALES OF THE BOHACHI (Masters of Cinema) Limited Edition Two-disc (UHD + Blu-ray) - Pre-order 21 September 2026

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

Eureka Entertainment announces the release of CRUEL TALES OF THE BOHACHI, a stunning new collection bringing together two of the most notorious samurai exploitation films ever produced. Featuring Teruo Ishii's legendary BOHACHI BUSHIDO: CODE OF THE FORGOTTEN EIGHT in 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray, alongside BOHACHI BUSHIDO: THE VILLAIN on Blu-ray only, both films make their UK home-video debut on 21 September 2026 as part of The Masters of Cinema Series. Complete with a wealth of newly produced and archival special features, this strictly Limited Edition of 2,000 copies comes housed in an O-card slipcase and includes 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

LIMITED EDITION TWO-DISC (UHD + BLU-RAY) SPECIAL FEATURES*:

Limited Edition of 2,000 copies | Limited Edition O-card slipcase featuring new artwork by Poochamin | Limited Edition collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the Bohachi Bushido films by Jennifer Coates, author of Film Viewing in Postwar Japan, 1945–1968

DISC ONE - 4K ULTRA HD - CODE OF THE FORGOTTEN EIGHT

4K (2160p) UHD presentation of Code of the Forgotten Eight from a 4K digital restoration

DISC TWO - BLU-RAY - CODE OF THE FORGOTTEN EIGHT & THE VILLAIN

1080p HD presentations of Code of the Forgotten Eight and The Villain

• 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 
• * All extras subject to change