King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

G.I. Samurai (1979)

1979 film by Kōsei Saitō

Released
1979
Country
Japan
Language
Japanese
Genre
Kung fu film, Samurai film
Director
Kōsei Saitō
Screenplay
Toshio Kamata
Producer
Haruki Kadokawa
Music
Kentarō Haneda
Starring
Sonny Chiba, Jun Etō, Tsunehiko Watase, Isao Natsuyagi, Etsuko Shihomi, Hiroyuki Sanada, Hiroko Yakushimaru, Raita Ryū
Running time
139 minutes
Production company
Kadokawa Pictures
Distributor
Toho, Netflix
Budget
$9 million
Set in
Japan

G.I. Samurai (Japanese: 戦国自衛隊, Hepburn: Sengoku jieitai; lit. Sengoku Self Defense Force), also known as Time Slip, is a 1979 Japanese science fiction/action film focusing on the adventures of a modern-day Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) team that accidentally travels in time to the Warring States period (戦国時代, Sengoku jidai). The film stars Sonny Chiba, one of the top male Japanese actors of the time, and was based on a novel by Ryo Hanmura, a well-known writer of historical novels and science fiction. A remake was theatrically released in Japan in 2005 under the title Samurai Commando: Mission 1549.

Cast

More films directed by Kōsei Saitō

External links

Facts from Wikidata Q1032603 (CC0); quoted introduction from English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Data retrieved 2026-10-22.

Data: Wikidata (CC0 1.0); Wikipedia (English) (CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.