Owls' Castle
# Owls' Castle

Owls' Castle (梟の城, Fukurō no Shiro) is a 1999 Japanese ninja-themed jidaigeki film directed by Masahiro Shinoda. It was co-written by Shinoda and Katsuo Naruse, and stars Kiichi Nakai It is the second adaptation of Ryōtarō Shiba's 1959 novel Fukurō no Shiro, the first being the 1963 film Castle of Owls.

## Cast

* Kiichi Nakai as Jūzō Tsuzura
* Takaya Kamikawa as Gohei Kazama
* Mayu Tsuruta as Kohagi
* Riona Hazuki as Kisaru
* Shōhei Hino as Kuroami
* Akiji Kobayashi
* Akira Nakao
* Mako Iwamatsu as Toyotomi Hideyoshi
* Jinpachi Nezu as Hattori Hanzō
* Kinnosuke Hannayagi as Ishida Mitsunari
* Shima Iwashita
* Masahiko Tsugawa
* Atsuo Nakamura

## Production

Nintendo was a production partner on the film, and the use of special effects and computer-generated imagery was widely touted in the film's marketing.

## Awards and accolades

* Nikkan Sports Film Awards: Ishihara Yujiro Award (1999).
* Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival: Best Director - Masahiro Shinoda (2000).
* Japanese Academy Awards: Best Art Direction - Yoshinobu Nishioka (2000). The film also received nine Japanese Academy Award nominations.
