A nameless ronin, or samurai with no master, enters a small village in feudal Japan where two rival businessmen are struggling for control of the local gambling trade. Taking the name Sanjuro Kuwabatake, the ronin convinces both silk merchant Tazaemon and sake merchant Tokuemon to hire him as a personal bodyguard, then artfully sets in motion a full-scale gang war between the two ambitious and unscrupulous men.
Direction
Kurosawa invented the body-count economy.
Acting
Mifune's shoulder shrugs speak volumes.
Editing
Toshiro's sideways glances cut like swords.
Director
Akira Kurosawa
Toshirō Mifune
Sanjuro Kuwabatake / The Samurai
Tatsuya Nakadai
Unosuke, gunfighter
Yōko Tsukasa
Nui
Isuzu Yamada
Orin
Daisuke Katō
Inokichi
Seizaburō Kawazu
Seibê - brothel operator
Takashi Shimura
Tokuemon, sake brewer
Hiroshi Tachikawa
Yoichiro
Yōsuke Natsuki
Kohei's Son
Eijirō Tōno
Gonji, Tavern Keeper
Kamatari Fujiwara
Tazaemon
Ikio Sawamura
Hansuke
Atsushi Watanabe
The Cooper (Coffin-Maker)
Susumu Fujita
Homma, Instructor Who Skips Town
Kyū Sazanka
Ushitora
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Kurosawa cited Dashiell Hammett's 'Red Harvest' as direct inspiration, essentially transplanting American noir to feudal Japan.
The famous dog carrying a human hand was accidental — a stray wandered onto set and Mifune insisted they keep rolling.
JP
