Movie

Night Drum

★ 5.9(14)19581h 35m

Drama History

IMDb

Night Drum is streaming on Criterion Channel in Canada. Availability checked 15 June 2026.

Where to watch Night Drum

🇨🇦 Canada

Criterion ChannelStream

Good to know

Director: Tadashi Imai
Release date: 1958-04-15
Runtime: 1h 35m
Language: Japanese
Status: Released
Country: Japan
Studio: Gendai Production

About Night Drum

Night Drum is a 1958 movie in the Drama and History genres, directed by Tadashi Imai, starring Rentaro Mikuni, Ineko Arima and Masayuki Mori. It has a runtime of 1 hour 35 minutes. It holds an average rating of 5.9/10 from 14 viewers. Below you can see where to watch Night Drum in Canada — across streaming, rental and purchase options — along with the full cast, trailer and viewer reviews.

Synopsis

Following a yearlong attendance upon his shogun in Edo, samurai Hikokuro makes a long-awaited return to his home and doting wife, Dane. Initially greeted by the effusive welcome of his family, spiteful whispers also reach his ear about an adulterous affair carried on, in his long absence, between his wife and a famous drummer. With Hikokuro’s honor imperiled by rumor, his family insists on a formal investigation into the veracity of the gossip. Through the combined testimony of many witnesses, a tale unwinds around the visits of a traveling musician hired to tutor the family heir, the spurned attentions of the man who started the rumor, and the ultimate truth behind the accusations. The conclusion of events prove as much an indictment of bushidō as it is of the reluctant parties involved. Adapted from a 1706 play by Chikamatsu Monzaemon and based on a true case.