Decided to do a little digging on this because I think this could find a lot of new fans from the upcoming HK DVD from IVL, likely a port of the Kadokawa Classic range R2 Japanese DVD from some time back. Interestingly, though this is in some way based upon 'The Inugami Clan' book by Seishi Yokomizo, and appears to be the first adaptation of it, the characters and story have gone on to appear in various incarnations over the years it seems (before and after this film I think) - TV shows for example - and the latest is the 2006 remake of this particular story to feature them, headed once again by Kon Ichikawa, due for release at Christmas time in Japan.
I'm currently seeing masked faces, floppy hats, legs sticking out of the ground (upside down of course) all over the internet in various guises, looks pretty brooding but lighthearted too. Yes, it's an old muder mystery, Horror or something similar, and gives me strange feelings and memories of 'The Quiet Family' ('Happiness of the Katakuris') for some reason; looks like some family-based collusion, group crime with all the relatives under questioning. Not seen it or read the book (out there in English text), going to though, looks interesting.
Synopsis from AsianDVDGuide, "Based on Seishi Yokomizo's masterpiece mystery novel, "Inugami Family" is the hugely successful classic horror film directed by Kon Ichikawa. It tells a story of a strange will left by a wealthy man which reveals a peculiarly twisted set of relationships and triggers four deaths and several other murder attempts." Note : The film won Best Supporting Actress, Best Film, Best Japanese Film Director, Best Cinematography, Best Score Best Sound Recording, and a Readers Choice Award for Kon Ichikawa. [Source : IMDB]
'The Inugami Family' at Toho Kingdom.
Kon Ichikawa : Glass Houses by Moller Olaf.
Kon Ichikawa at Senses of Cinema.
Kon Ichikawa at Wikipedia.
'The Inugami Family' 2006 version by Kon Ichikawa, Official Site in Japanese.
Kousuke Kindaichi (The Detective) English Profile of film appearances at Black Hole.
'The Inugami Family' (1976) Trailer at YouTube.