Yojimbo (1961) Yôjinbô (original title)

Director:

Akira Kurosawa

Writers:

Akira Kurosawa (story)
Akira Kurosawa (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

13 September 1961 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure

Plot:

A crafty ronin comes to a town divided by two criminal gangs and decides to play them against each other to free the town.

Plot Keywords:

Samurai | Escape | Revolver | Fighting | Bodyguard

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 3 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Toshirô Mifune	...	Sanjuro Kuwabatake / The Samurai
Tatsuya Nakadai	...	Unosuke, gunfighter
Yôko Tsukasa	...	Nui
Isuzu Yamada	...	Orin
Daisuke Katô	...	Inokichi, Ushitora's rotund brother
Seizaburô Kawazu	...	Seibê - brothel operator
Takashi Shimura	...	Tokuemon, sake brewer
Hiroshi Tachikawa	...	Yoichiro
Yôsuke Natsuki	...	Kohei's Son
Eijirô Tôno	...	Gonji, tavern keeper
Kamatari Fujiwara	...	Tazaemon
Ikio Sawamura	...	Hansuke
Atsushi Watanabe	...	The Cooper (Coffin-Maker)
Susumu Fujita	...	Homma, instructor who skips town
Kyû Sazanka	...	Ushitora
Kô Nishimura	...	Kuma
Takeshi Katô	...	Ronin Kobuhachi
Ichirô Nakatani	...	First Samurai
Sachio Sakai	...	First Foot Soldier
Akira Tani	...	Kame
Namigoro Rashomon	...	Kannuki the giant
Yoshio Tsuchiya	...	Kohei
Gen Shimizu	...	Magotaro
Yutaka Sada	...	Matsukichi
Shin Ôtomo	...	Kumosuke
Shôichi Hirose	...	Ushitora Follower
Hideyo Amamoto	...	Yahachi
Shôji Ôki	...	Sukeju
Fuminori Ôhashi	...	Second Samurai
Hiroshi Yoseyama	...	Farmer
Senkichi Ômura	...	Traveler
Noriko Honma	...	Farmer's ex-wife
Ryusuke Nishio	...	Seibei Follower
Naoya Kusakawa	...	Seibei Follower
Nadao Kirino	...	Seibei Follower
Jun Ôtomo	...	Seibei Follower
Shinpei Takagi	...	Ushitora Follower
Akio Kusama	...	Ushitora Follower
Yasuzô Ogawa	...	Ushitora Follower
Hiroshi Takagi	...	Ushitora Follower
Jun'ichirô Mukai	...	Seibei Follower
Fumiyoshi Kamagaya	...	Seibei Follower
Ichirô Chiba	...	Second Foot Soldier
Haruya Sakamoto	...	Ushitora Follower
Rinsaku Ogata	...	Seibei Follower
Fumio Kogushi	...	Ushitora Follower
Yoko Terui	...	Woman at Seibei's house
Hiromi Mineoka	...	Woman at Seibei's house
Michiko Kawa	...	Woman at Seibei's house
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Takuzô Kumagai		(as Jirô Kumagai)
Jerry Fujio	...	Roku, samurai whose arm is cut (uncredited)

Directed by
Akira Kurosawa

Writing credits
Akira Kurosawa		(story)
Akira Kurosawa		(screenplay) &
Ryûzô Kikushima		(screenplay)

Produced by
Ryûzô Kikushima	....	executive producer
Akira Kurosawa	....	producer
Tomoyuki Tanaka	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Masaru Satô

Cinematography by
Kazuo Miyagawa

Film Editing by
Akira Kurosawa

Production Design by
Yoshirô Muraki

Costume Design by
Yoshirô Muraki

Makeup Department
Yoshiko Matsumoto	....	hair stylist
Junjiro Yamada	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Hiroshi Nezu	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Masanobu Deme	....	assistant director
Shirô Moritani	....	chief assistant director

Art Department
Koichi Hamamura	....	property master
Yoshifumi Honda	....	assistant art director

Sound Department
Choshichiro Mikami	....	sound recordist
Ichirô Minawa	....	sound effects editor
Masanobu Miyazaki	....	sound mixer
Zen Shida	....	assistant sound
Hisashi Shimonaga	....	sound recordist

Camera and Electrical Department
Masao Fukuda	....	still photographer
Choshiro Ishii	....	lighting technician
Shôji Kaneko	....	assistant lighting technician
Takao Saitô	....	assistant camera

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Masahiro Katô	....	costumer

Editorial Department
Reiko Kaneko	....	assistant editor

Transportation Department
Ginzo Osumi	....	transportation coordinator

Other crew
Hiroshi Kanesu	....	choreographer
Ryû Kuze	....	swordplay technique
Teruyo Nogami	....	script supervisor
Yoshio Sugino	....	swordplay instructor

Production Companies

• Kurosawa Production Co.
• Toho Company

Distributors

• Seneca International (1961) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) (1972) (USA) (TV) (network premiere)
• Action Film (1964) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Cowboy Pictures (2002) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Continental Home Vídeo (2002) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (2009) (USA) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (2010) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Madman Entertainment (2004) (Australia) (DVD)
• Palace Video (1983) (UK) (VHS)
• Palace Video (1983) (UK) (video) (Betamax)
• Sandrews (2003) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Tocantins (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Toho Company

Other Companies

• Toho Studios  sound stages

Also Known As:

"Yôjinbô" - Japan (original title)
"The Bodyguard" - International (English title) (literal title)
"Yojimbo the Bodyguard" - USA

Runtime:

110 min | USA:75 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Perspecta Stereo (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Germany:12 | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:M | USA:TV-MA (cable rating) | Argentina:16 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | USA:Unrated | UK:PG (video rating) (1993) | UK:A (original rating)

Filming Locations:

Japan

Company:

Kurosawa Production Co.

Trivia:

Tatsuya Nakadai, who plays the flamboyant, pistol-waving Unosuke here, also plays the main villain role in the Yojimbo sequel, Sanjuro (1962).

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Sanjuro practices throwing the knife at a leaf, the wire on the knife is clearly visible (the scene was filmed backwards; the knife was actually pulled off the leaf by the wire).

Quotes:

[first lines]
Farmer:[in Japanese] Wait, son.
Traveler:[in Japanese] Let me go, father. It's my chance.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Black Sunshine: Conversations with T.F. Mou (2010)

Sensational!

If I had to choose only one movie for film students to learn from, this would be it. Other films may be more profound, or their imagery more groundbreaking, but this one is so tightly constructed that nothing - not a frame, word, or gesture - is extraneous.

Toshiro Mifune, one of the world's most charismatic actors, is perfection as a tough loner of a samurai who takes it upon himself to clean up a town corrupted by two gambling clans. Swirling through and around him is a story that is both technically flawless and profoundly moving.

Kurosawa meticulously infuses every detail with meaning; there's a purpose behind every shot, and aspiring directors should pay close attention (why is the camera slightly tilted? why are there concubines in the background?). His economy of style was never more amazing; watch as the samurai rides into town, and the director establishes the atmosphere with exactly one jaw-dropping shot. And the story is equally well-crafted, with no plot holes and no inconsistencies.

A wonderful tale that rolls beautifully from start to finish. See it, see it, see it!!