The Men Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail (1945)

A Japanese general and his men disguise themselves as monks in order to pass an enemy border patrol.

Director:

Akira Kurosawa

Writers:

Nobumitsu Kanze (play), Akira Kurosawa

Stars:

Denjirô Ôkôchi, Susumu Fujita, Ken'ichi Enomoto

Cast

Cast overview:
Denjirô Ôkôchi	...	Benkei
Susumu Fujita	...	Togashi
Ken'ichi Enomoto	...	Porter
Masayuki Mori	...	Kamei
Takashi Shimura	...	Kataoka
Akitake Kôno	...	Ise
Yoshio Kosugi	...	Suruga
Hanshirô Iwai	...	Yoshitsune (as Shubo Nishina)
Dekao Yokoo	...	Hidachibo
Yasuo Hisamatsu	...	Kajiwara's Messenger
Sôji Kiyokawa	...	Togashi's Messenger

Storyline

In 1185, the Heike family fights against the Minamoto family. After a bloody naval battle in the Pacific Ocean, Yoshitsune Minamoto defeats the enemy and the survivals commit suicide. When the triumphant Yoshitsune arrives in Kyoto, his brother, the Shogun Yoritomo, is lured and orders his men to arrest Yoshitsune. However, Yoshitsune escapes with six loyal samurais led by Benkei and they head to the country of his only friend Idehira Fukiwara. Nearby the border, after crossing the forest disguised as monks, their smiley conveyor Suruga discloses that they are Yoshitsune and the six samurais and advises that the fearful Kagiwara and his soldiers are waiting for them in the border to arrest them. Yoshitsune disguises as a carrier and Benkei has to convince Kagiwara that they are six monks traveling to collect donation to build a large temple in Kyoto.

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Plot Keywords:

samurai | royalty | japan | 12th century | 1180s | 

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Taglines:

BANNED for 8 years in Japan!

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

28 February 1960 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Men Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail

Filming Locations:

Toho Studios, Tokyo, Japan

Company Credits

Production Co:

Toho Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

59 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film is based on both the Noh play "Ataka" and the Kabuki play "The Subscription List", both being taken from historical folklore.

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Connections

Featured in Great Performances: Kurosawa (2000)

User Reviews

Curious, Good, Not Very Long

This film is just less than an hour long and tells a simple tale about a warrior with his six followers (one is a "driver" who almost reminds me of a Japanese Stan Laurel) and their quest to move on. They disguise themselves as monks. The film is set in the year 1195. The second half of the film is better, where they have to prove to others that they indeed are monks. The tension, including facing otherwise certain death, is extremely well done. I labeled the film curious due to its simplicity in telling the story. Kurosawa is rarely this straightforward, usually there are interesting twists and turns. That said, this watchable, there is a little comic relief, but it is not A list Kurosawa. Thats fine in and of itself.