CAUTION FOR NON-JAPANESE AUDIENCE

I won't review this movie, since its main line is the same as the previous 2003 Onmyoji. An evil supernatural force is somehow unleashed to wreck havoc upon the Empire, centering on the Imperial House, and saving the Empire is of course the regular job of Imperial astronomer and official shaman Abe Seimei (Nomura Mansai) -- while his buddy Minamoto Hiromasa (Ito Hideaki) is as a matter of course dragged into the biz that he never really digs. The role of THE evil falls into one of the greatest Japanese actors, belonging to the same league as the previous antagonist Sanada Hiroyuki, Nakai Kiichi.

But I have to throw in a caution here for non-Japanese audience, or, more precisely, for anybody unfamiliar with real Japanese history.

I was majorly shocked when browsing the reviews laddled out at sophisticated-looking web sites catering to movie releases (there were more than 16 of such sites).

All of them said "The Tokugawa Mikado is attacked by a mysterious force intent to avenge Mikado's treatment of Shinto priests."

The shock this statement and a lot of similar ones (such as "Japanese god Ame te Rasu Kami is a cross-dresser" -- this is a verbatim quote!) was added by the fact that some of those sites are cranked-up by Japanese persons.

How could any Japanese let not just a string of boldfaced typos, but also totally warped 'historical' references?

So -- just keep in mind, whenever you're out there browsing reviews of this second Takita blockbuster:

• Tokugawa is a warrior clan, led by a warlord. They became a dynasty of Shoguns since 1603 until 1868.
• A Shogun is the Emperor's underling. If anglicized, the title 'Shogun' means no more and no less than 'Great General'.
• 'Mikado' is one of the official terms to call an Emperor by. The most common term today is 'Tenno'.
• So, there has never been, there is never, and there will never ever be something like 'Tokugawa Mikado'.
• There are even mentions of "Tokugawa Mikado Daimyo" at those movie sites. A lesson not to employ webmasters with Alzheimer. 'Daimyo' means no more and no less than a warlord.
• The Tokugawa clan was founded in the year 1561.
• Minamoto Hiromasa and Abe Seimei lived in the Heian era, which stretched between the year 749 and 1185; even Abe Seimei didn't live that long and had died before the era ended.
• So, unless this involves time-machines, there is absolutely no way Abe Seimei and Minamoto Hiromasa to meet anyone by the name 'Tokugawa' during their lifetimes.
• 'Himiko' is not a name. It is a form of address. It means 'Little Princess'.
• Emperors never did anything like a slaughter of Shinto priests. Not even in the series of nightmares of one strapped into a German asylum's bed.
• The Goddess of the Sun, the one believed to be the archforeperson of the Japanese nation, is referred to, in Japanese, as Amaterasu-o-mi-kami.
• 'Goddess' means a female deity. This one is undoubtedly female, too.
• If you are into dungeons and dragons, dig older movies about the rise of Taira Masakado, a warlord who wanted to be an alternate Emperor of Japan in 10th century. Movies always say Taira invoked the underground evil dragon to lend him some power.
• Taira Masakado's demise was in the hands of Fujiwara Hidesato, and not by any supernatural duel -- but by archery.

REALITY CHECK

• The Tokugawa Clan & Shoguns since 1561 until 1868
• Emperors & Empresses of Japan since 660 B.C.E until Today
• Real Warlords of Japan
• Historically-Correct Samurai Armors
• Authentic Swords of Japanese Warlords
• Samurai Weapons
• Real Life in Heian Era (Abe Seimei's and Minamoto Hiromasa's era)
• The Basix of Japanese Beliefs: Shintoism, Buddhism, Confucianism, since the Year 600
• The Misadventure of Taira Masakado
• History of Japanese Dance & Music, including Minamoto Hiromasa's flute, the Japanese lute (biwa) of the evil one in this movie, and Abe Seimei's dance
• Meanings and Mistakes About Japanese Names, Nicknames & Titles
• The Real Abe Seimei's job
• All About Japanese Shintoism