Japanese characters were usually portrayed as cruel and dishonourable in the Hong Kong martial arts films of the 1960s and 1970s. But such on-screen animosity did not stop Hong Kong production companies from collaborating with their Japanese counterparts.
Although Hong Kong wuxia film producers studied the action sequences in Japanese swordplay films to learn the techniques behind them, companies such as Shaw Brothers Studio were mainly interested in their advanced technology and efficient production methods.
Shaw sent a delegation to Japan to observe production at studios such as Shochiku, and Shaw stars such as Cheng Pei-pei visited the country for performance training.
Around 30 Japanese directors were brought to Hong Kong by Shaw, some of whom were given Chinese names to disguise their nationality from local viewers.
But the most famous Hong Kong-Japan collaboration was not from Shaw Brothers, but its โupstartโ rival Golden Harvest. It co-produced, with Japanโs Daiei Film Company, Zatoichi and the One-Armed Swordsman (1971), also known as Zatoichi Meets the One-Armed Swordsman.