Earlier in the year, Australian anime publisher Siren Visual announced that they had acquired the license to Ayakashi Samurai Horror Tales, one of the earlier noitaminA works from 2006 and a title which has since gone out-of-print in North America. Recent updates to the companies website shows that they intend to release the series on the 24th January 2013 at a price of $49.95, alongside their other releases for the month Heartworn Highways and UN-GO. The release has a total runtime of 273 minutes and includes both the original Japanese and English dub.
Samurai Horror Tales is a collection of three short stories based on Japanese supernatural folklore.
Yotsuya Kaidan (Yotsuya Ghost Story)
In 18th Century Japan, a ronin samurai named Tamiya marries the beautiful Oiwa. But after the birth of their child, he begins to feel the burden of poverty. When Tamiya is offered a job by a local rich man, he must marry the rich man’s daughter in return. Conspiring to murder his wiife with the help of his servants; her vengeful spirit returns to haunt him when he remarries.
Tenshu Monogatari (Goddess Of The Dark Tower)
Tenshu Monogatari tells the story of forbidden love between a human and a god. Zushonosuke Himekaw is sent by his master, Lord Harima to retrieve a treasured falcon named Kojiro. He encounters a beautiful woman bathing in a lake and falls in love instantly. When his search for Kojiro leads him to the castle of Shirasagi-jo, he learns that it’s rumoured to be inhabited by the “forgotten gods”. There he re-unites with the beautiful woman of the lake and their forbidden romance begins, whilst a clash between Lord Harima’s army and the “forgotten gods” unfolds.
Bake Neko (Goblin Cat)
When a young samurai bride dies, the village druggist swears it’s the work of bakeneko (a catlike monster), which hunts each family member before revealing itself to horrified villagers, exposing a long forgotten scandal.