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
DETAILS:
Label: Eureka Entertainment
CRUEL TALES OF THE BOHACHI (Masters of Cinema) Limited Edition Two-disc (UHD + Blu-ray)
BOHACHI BUSHIDO: CODE OF THE FORGOTTEN EIGHT | BOHACHI BUSHIDO: THE VILLAIN
TETSURO TANBA | REIKO IKE | GORO IBUKI
Director TERUO ISHII and TAKASHI HARADA | 1973, 1974 | 83, 81 mins | JAPAN
Language JAPANESE | 2.35:1 OAR | SAMURAI / ACTION / EXPLOITATION
Region Free UHD / Region B Blu-ray | Cert. 18 | 21 SEPTEMBER 2026
Blu-ray Cat. No. EKA70642 | Blu-ray Barcode 5060000706420 | Blu-ray RRP £39.99
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
