Samurai II: Duel at Ichijoji Temple (1955) Zoku Miyamoto Musashi: Ichijôji no kettô (original title)

Director:

Hiroshi Inagaki

Writers:

Hideji Hôjô (play)
Hiroshi Inagaki
(more)

Release Date:

20 October 1967 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Biography | Drama | History

Plot:

After years on the road establishing his reputation as Japan's greatest Samurai, Takezo returns to Kyoto...

Plot Keywords:

Young | Japan | Warrior | Jidai Geki | Samurai

Cast

Toshirô Mifune	...	Musashi Miyamoto (Takezo)
Koji Tsuruta	...	Kojiro Sasaki
Mariko Okada	...	Akemi
Kaoru Yachigusa	...	Otsu
Michiyo Kogure	...	Dayu Yoshino
Mitsuko Mito	...	Oko, Akemi's mother
Akihiko Hirata	...	Seijuro Yoshioka
Daisuke Katô	...	Toji Gion
Kuroemon Onoe	...	Priest Takuan
Sachio Sakai	...	Matahachi Honiden
Yû Fujiki	...	Denshichiro Yoshioka
Machiko Kitagawa	...	Kogure
Eiko Miyoshi	...	Osugi, Matahachi's mother
Eijirô Tôno	...	Baiken Shishido
Kenjin Iida	...	Jotaro
Akira Tani	...	Kawara-no-Gonroku
Ko Mihashi	...	Koetsu Honami
Kokuten Kôdô	...	Old Priest Nikkan
Yoshifumi Tajima	...	Yoshioka samurai
Keiko Kondo
Hisako Takihana
Ren Yamamoto
Ryû Kuze
Torahiko Hamada
Yoshio Inaba
Fumito Matsuo
Minoru Itô
Yasuhisa Tsutsumi
Ren Imaizumi
Rinsaku Ogata
Kenzô Tabu

Directed by
Hiroshi Inagaki

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Hideji Hôjô		play
Hiroshi Inagaki
Tokuhei Wakao
Eiji Yoshikawa		novel

Produced by
Kazuo Takimura	....	producer

Original Music by
Ikuma Dan

Cinematography by
Jun Yasumoto

Film Editing by
Eiji Ooi		(as Hideshi Ohi)

Production Design by
Kisaku Ito

Set Decoration by
Makoto Sono

Production Management
Boku Morimoto	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jun Fukuda	....	chief assistant director

Art Department
Kisaku Ito	....	consultant

Sound Department
Chôshichirô Mikami	....	sound

Camera and Electrical Department
Shigeru Mori	....	lighting technician

Other crew
Tukuho Gosai	....	choreographer
Yoshio Sugino	....	choreographer

Production Companies

• Toho Company

Distributors

• Toho Company (1967) (Japan) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Toho Company (????) (USA) (theatrical) (US version)
• Embassy Home Entertainment (1986) (USA) (VHS)
• Criterion Collection, The (1998) (2004) (2012) (USA) (DVD)
• Alive (1993) (France) (theatrical)
• Warrior (2001) (UK) (DVD)
• Wide Vision (2004) (Denmark) (DVD)

Also Known As:

"Zoku Miyamoto Musashi: Ichijôji no kettô" - Japan (original title)
"Duel at Ichijoji Temple" - USA
"Samurai (Part II)" - USA

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:M | USA:Not Rated

Filming Locations:

Toho Studios, Tokyo, Japan

Company:

Toho Company

Goofs:

Continuity: The levels of water and the mud in the rice paddies at Ichijoji Temple vary between shots.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)

Musashi battles the Yoshiokas

Although this is a samurai movie, story is far more than just sword fights. Musashi Miyamoto is perhaps the most famous swordsman in Japan. He starts from a humble beginning to become the best sword fighter in Japanese history.

Based on a novel by Eiji Yoshikawa, the second chapter of Musashi trilogy focuses on years of Musashi's development as a master swordsman. He challenges many famous fighters of his time. This included Yoshioka kendo school. Musashi defeats the headmaster there. This spawns a grudge match between the Yoshiokas and Musashi.

I've read Yoshikawa's novel before seeing the movie, and the fight sequences aren't as gritty as depicted in the novel. This is perhaps the producers intent not to portray Musashi as a mean swordsman.

This chapter also introduces Kojiro Sasaki - a master swordsman who is to become Musashi's arch rival.

You get to see young Toshiro Mifune , Kaoru Yachigusa, and Mariko Okada in their prime delivering their A list performances.

A very classy film that's worth watching.