The Inugami Family is the first of legendary director Kon Ichikawa’s movies about the Japanese fictional detective Kōsuke Kindaichi, often compared to famous private eyes like Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot.
When the head of a powerful pharmaceutical giant dies, detective Kindaichi (Koji Ishizaka) is summoned to investigate the curious goings-on surrounding the reading and fallout of his will. The revelations from the will-reading take an unexpected turn and things get spicy as a web of lies, shameful secrets and grisly murders unfurl. A situation only the brilliant but scruffy Kindaichi can resolve.
Kon Ichikawa may be better known in the West for films such as The Burmese Harp and An Actor’s Revenge, but The Inugami Family deserves more acclaim outside of Japan. The Blu-ray transfer is immaculate and showcases Ichikawa’s sumptuous and experimental cinematography. Most striking are the stylised, high-contrast black-and-white techniques he uses to show memories or scenes from the past. Another particularly memorable scene uses a strobing and overlapping effect to punctuate the tragedy and ethereal nature of a shameful passage in the Inugami family’s past. These visual flourishes would go on to inspire filmmakers such as Neon Genesis Evangelion creator Hideaki Anno, so this was truly groundbreaking stuff.
The pacing is brilliant, making the two-hour-plus runtime fly by. Every story beat and revelation is expertly plotted. If you are a fan of twists and turns in your story, you are in luck, as there are plenty. It also manages to stop itself from becoming convoluted, which is often a pitfall of a detective mystery involving so many characters.
It’s also reasonably gruesome, with some of the deaths being pretty nasty, albeit in the way ’70s practical effects could be. Some suspension of disbelief might need to be exercised when it comes to a particular papier-mâché severed head, but some of the other practical effects are very effective.
This being a Blu-ray release means that there are tons of excellent special features, which are essential viewing. The extras give much-needed cultural context around the creation and release of the film and how it ushered in a new era of Japanese blockbusters.
The Inugami Family is a masterful film that rivals any of the best whodunits you will see and is criminally underseen. Its influence on Japanese film making, marketing and distribution cannot be understated and the Blu-ray is a must-add to anyone’s collection.
BLU-RAY LIMITED EDITION SPECIAL FEATURES
- 4K restoration by Kadokawa Pictures
- Original uncompressed mono audio
- Newly filmed interview with Aaron Gerow on the film’s impact in Japan (2026)
- Secrets of Kon Ichikawa’s Visual Style – archival documentary (44 mins)
- Outtakes from Secrets of Kon Ichikawa’s Visual Style (8 mins)
- Archival making-of documentary, featuring interviews with director Kon Ichikawa, star Koji Ishizaka and editor Chizuko Osada (30 mins)
- Archival interview with star Koji Ishizaka (16 mins)
- Archival documentary on the 4K restoration process (12 mins)
- Trailer
- New and improved English subtitle translation
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Time Tomorrow
- Limited edition booklet featuring new writing by Yuka Kimbara
- Limited edition of 3000 copies, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings
The Inugami Family is Available on Blu-ray Now
