Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto (1954)

Depicts the early life of the legendary warrior Musashi Miyamoto; his years as an aspiring warrior, an outlaw and finally a true samurai.

Director:

Hiroshi Inagaki

Writers:

Hideji Hôjô (play), Hiroshi Inagaki

Stars:

Toshirô Mifune, Mariko Okada, Rentarô Mikuni

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Toshirô Mifune	...	Musashi Miyamoto (Takezo)
Rentarô Mikuni	...	Honiden Matahachi
Kurôemon Onoe	...	Takuan Osho
Kaoru Yachigusa	...	Otsu
Mariko Okada	...	Akemi
Mitsuko Mito	...	Oko, Matahachi's wife
Eiko Miyoshi	...	Osugi, Matahachi's mother
Akihiko Hirata	...	Seijuro Yoshioka
Kusuo Abe	...	Temma Tsujikaze
Eitarô Ozawa	...	Terumasa Ikeda (as Sakae Ozawa)
Akira Tani	...	Kawarano-Gonroku
Seijirô Onda	...	Chief Official
Fumindo Matsuo	...	Petty Official
Masanobu Ôkubo	...	Petty Official
Takuzô Kumagai	...	Villager

Storyline

Depicts the early life of the legendary warrior Musashi Miyamoto; his years as an aspiring warrior, an outlaw and finally a true samurai.

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Plot Keywords:

japanese history | fiance | village | glory seeker | glory | 

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Biography | Drama | History | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

18 November 1955 (USA)

Also Known As:

Musashi Miyamoto

Company Credits

Production Co:

Toho Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Won a special honorary Academy Award for Outstanding Foreign Language Film in 1955.

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Quotes

Otsu: As I was gazing at you, Takezo-san, bound and hanging, I saw that I too was bound by an unseen rope. And I could not cut the rope by myself. Takezo-san, I cannot go back. Take me with you.
Musashi Miyamoto (Takezo): [choking back sobs] Do you hate me?
Otsu: Once. But now...

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Connections

Followed by Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island (1956)

User Reviews

A milestone in Japanese postwar social development.

The importance of the Miyamo Musashi saga has been lost somewhat today, even in Japan. These were not just early high-quality color samurai movies, not just great films-- they were a nationwide event, and a milestone in Japanese social evolution. The early 50s were a time of postwar healing, and there were unsettled questions about the national character. The Miyamo Musashi saga used the past to dramatize issues of morality-- and, even more important at the time, morale. Japan had no problem westernizing and living under the rule of law under terms imposed by victors in war-- the knotty issue was, how much of the past do we keep alive in our daily thoughts and actions, and just how much of the real Japan, the one we remember, will our children and grandchildren inherit, once the aftermath of global war has subsided? Watch these films with such then-important issues in mind, and your experience will be deepened and enriched. All three episodes are directed by Hiroshi Inagaki and star Toshiro Mifune as Miyamoto-san, in a performance that is perfection. Miyamoto Musashi shows the young samurai aspirant as a hot-headed, imperfect man, neither hero nor monster-- but possessed of a fierce dark force that could impel him toward either outcome. The question of women looms large in this trilogy-- how to treat them, what kind of woman to honor and what kind to avoid, and just how the diametrically-opposite traits of women work in the world, whether at odds or in harmony with those of men. All these issues are played out without preachiness, in the actions of real people, well-drawn characters whom we meet and get to know before the episode ends in a series of parting of ways. (continued on the page for Ichijoji no Ketto)