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 | Ronin | Bodyguard | Revolver | Fighting

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
Junjirô 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
Kôichi Hamamura	....	property master
Yoshifumi Honda	....	assistant art director

Sound Department
Chôshichirô 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
Chôshirô 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
• WoWow (2012) (Japan) (TV)

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

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Perspecta Stereo (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

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

Filming Locations:

Japan

Company:

Kurosawa Production Co.

Trivia:

"Yojimbo" means "bodyguard" in Japanese.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the initial fight scene The Samurai cuts the first two adversaries in the mid-section, then slices the last man's arm off. That last man is first seen from behind holding the sword in his right arm above his head, but the arm holding the sword shown moments later is a left arm.

Quotes:

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

Movie Connections:

Referenced in City of God (2002)

Kurosawa.

Only a handful of directors know atmosphere the way Akira Kurosawa does, only a handful. Yojinbo opens with a tracking shot of a ronin samurai walking down a dusty road. The camera wisely stays behind the samurai, played by Toshiro Mifune, so we cannot see his face or expressions. This samurai is desperate. Mifune has no master and no money. Kurosawa doesn't let you see his desperation, instead focusing on the back of his head and his profile to set up one of the most memorable characters in cinema history. The film has been copied many times, its practically the most influential film of the modern action genre. Yojinbo isn't action packed however, Kurosawa takes his time setting up characters and plot. The fact that this masterless samurai has deep compassion for strangers is different than most modern action movies alone. Toshiro Mifune is magical in the lead role. His presence is felt all throughout the film even when he isn't on camera. All film buffs should watch this film, it is a perfect example of a director and actor with confidence in their craft.