The Japanese term “Jidaigeki” refers to what media genre?

“Jidaigeki” (時代劇) is a media genre that means “period dramas” in Japanese. The mediums include film, television, video games and theatre. The dramas are often set during the Edo period of Japanese history (the time period between 1603 to 1868). The early Meiji era also is a popular setting (Meiji era lasted between 1868 until 1912, when Emperor Meiji died).

Examples of Jidaigeki films include the 1941 production of “The 47 Ronin”, set in the early 18th century (1701 – 1703), the Academy award winning “Gate of Hell” (released in 1953, set in the year 1159) and “Seven Samurai” (1954), set during the year 1586.

Video games, such as “Ryu ga Gotoku Kenzan!”, released in 2008 for the PlayStation 3, set around the historical samurai Sakamoto Ryōma (1836 – 1867) and its spin-off “Ryū ga Gotoku Ishin!” released in 2014 for the PlayStation 3 and 4. The second video game was centered on Japanese swordman Miyamoto Musashi (1584 – 1645).

An example TV show “Zenigata Heiji”, set during the Edo period, focuses on a policeman named Heiji who catches criminals by throwing coins. The longest running version of this TV series ran from the 1960s to the 1980s (888 episodes) and was based on a series of stories created by Kodō Nomura with the first story appearing in print in 1931.