Its the early 1600s. After a long period of civil wars Japan is finally
at peace. Evil forces seek to destroy that peace.
When yokai (evil spirits ot demons) appear
and start murdering his men judge Ooka, Echizen appoints warrior Ken,
Hiyouma to deal with them. [Ooka, Echizen aka Ooka, Tadasuke was an
actual judge in 1600's Japan.]
> >
"Shisiku!!!"
In battle
with the Wolf Men, Ken, Hiyouma is defeated, traped inside a cave.
While he's unconscious he's visited by a spirit which grants him the
power to transform into the super warrior Shiro Jishi Kamen (White Lion
Mask). Although skilled with bladed weapons Shiro Jishi Kamen's
prefered weapon is the whip. Unlike most other Japanese super heroes of
the 1970s Shiro Jishi Kamen has no named combat techniques. He just
fights the monsters with whip, swords and other bladed weapons. In episode 8 he generates a blindling light which weakens the yokai.
For hero White Lion Mask is actually rather scary looking. White Lion Mask rode a white horse, which iself wore a gold mask. When White Lion Mask turns back into the Ken, Hiyouma the horse disappears. Its summoned by White Lion Mask whistling. In episode 3 it responds to Ken, Hiyouma's whistle although he does not ride it until he's transformed. In episode 11 Ken, Hiyouma' calls for the horse which charges the yokai so he can get away from them to transform.
Other series regulars are this brave young woman, armed with throwing knives, Ooka, Looe and two comic relief characters who primary function is to act brave then faint when they actually face a monster. Every '70s era tokusatsu series had to have a least one regular child character and Shiro Jishi Kamen was no exception. This boy was braver and smarter than the two fools. In episode 6 after Ooka, Echizen and Ken, Hiyoum shoot arrows at bats, because yokai are disguising themselves as bats, the boy tries to shoot one with his slingshot while the other two adults stand there trembling in fear. The boy is missing from the second half of the series.
Infernal Devil - ruler of the Yokai, makes the usual threats to destroy the hero with his next evil scheme his yokai always appear in groups of at least three of the same type, until the final episode which features five previously defeated yokai (one of each from episodes 1, 2, 3, 7 and 10)
Episode 1: Wolf Man - armed with a sword, could breath out a deadly red gas, their leader had green eyes, other four had red eyes
Episode 2:: Karakasa-obake (umbrella monsters) - armed with swords, knives and blow guns under their tongues, they kille the guards than poison wells, there are 9 of them and they could fly
Episode 3: - pulled pole weaons out of their ears, there were sixth of these bare chested cyclops, though it only took three to wipe out Ooka, Echizen's guards. the leader could raise the dead as zombies
Episode 4: Bakeneko - there were five of these female, feline yokai who disguised themselvs as young women, their meowing can hypnotise humans, the leader dressed in blue can create illusions
Episode 5: - laugh a lot, can impersonate humans but it takes time for them to copy the person and they can be interupted, there were three of them, exploded when killed
Episode 6: - these female yokai are so vicious they even murder children, the red head is the leader, originally five of thse until the leader transformed a young woman into the sixth, they could transform them selves into statues
Episode 7: - there were three of these, they were each armed with swords and throwing knives and could disguise themselves as actual bats, sensitive to bright light and loud noises
Episode 8: - there were six of them, the first two killed by Ken, Hiyouma without having to transform, the leader could breath fire and call down lightning as well, when they first appeared you could easily recognize the leader he had a black basket over his head, the others were brown, they could also stretch their knecks out to let them look over tall fances
Episode 9:: - there was really only one of these yokai, which kidnapped children but it could make two more duplicates of itself and it had two forms hay and shadow, one was killed by Ken, Hiyouma without him having to transform
Episode 10: - orginally three of these creatures but after they defeated three human ninja their numbers dumbled to six
Episode 11: - orginally three of these creatures, then they rescued an assassin who was being crucified and made him a fourth one, armed with axes (I think there is a continunty error in this episode the fourth originally had red eyes but then suddenly he had yellow eyes and one of the others which oiiginally had black eyes had red I think they made a mistake on who which had which mask)
Episode 12: - samurai armor comes to life to murder people, started out just the two then they woke the their leader, the one in the middle, Ken, Hiyouma kills the first two without having to transform
Episode 13: - Infernal Devil restores five previously defeated yokai, one of each yokai from episodes 1, 2, 3, 7 and 10, after using a series of scenes cut from each yokai's previous episodes the five attack the two fools until Ken, Hiyoum comes to their rescue, later they go after Ooka, Echizen, Ken, Hiyouma is badly wounded, Echizen is captured and taken to their master (in hell?)'; Looe is basically ignored by the yoka, a mistake because of course she takes care of Echizen, Ken so he can become White Lion Mask and go rescue the judge and take out the yokai
In the finale episode Ken, Hiyouma is in no shape to fight, never the less he transforms into Shiro Jishi Kamen one last time, to enter the realm of the yokai to rescue the judge and defeat the remaiing five yokai and their master Infernal Devil. Shiro Jishi Kamen shows no sign of being weakened by Ken, Hiyouma's wounds, easily defeating the five restored yokai, however to defeat Infernal Devi.he has to sacrifce himself. Back on Earth, Ooka, Echizen' Ooka, Looe and the two fools finally realizing that Ken, Hiyouma was Shiro Jishi Kamen and a that a new star flying across the night sky was his spirit departing this life, cry.
The background music in this series doesn't seem to fit too me, too modern, should be in a 70s detective series not a period piece like this and the two comic relief characters are annoying.
