An elder ronin samurai arrives at a feudal lord's home and requests an honorable place to commit suicide. But when the ronin inquires about a younger samurai who arrived before him things take an unexpected turn.
Related News
-
Film Review: Hiroshima (1953) by Hideo Sekigawa
25 September 2018 | AsianMoviePulse -
Shinobu Hashimoto, Scriptwriter for Akira Kurosawa, Dies at 100
20 July 2018 | Variety -
10 Westerns Inspired by Samurai Movies, from ‘The Magnificent Seven’ to ‘A Fistful of Dollars’ (Photos)
22 May 2018 | The Wrap
User Lists
Related lists from IMDb users
Share this Rating
Title: Harakiri (1962)
Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.
8 wins & 2 nominations.
See more awards »
Learn more
More Like This
Samurai Rebellion
(1967)
Drama
Director:
Masaki Kobayashi
Stars:
Toshirô Mifune,
Yôko Tsukasa,
Gô Katô
Drama
|
War
Director:
Masaki Kobayashi
Stars:
Tatsuya Nakadai,
Michiyo Aratama,
Chikage Awashima
High and Low
(1963)
Crime
|
Drama
|
Mystery
Director:
Akira Kurosawa
Stars:
Toshirô Mifune,
Yutaka Sada,
Tatsuya Nakadai
Drama
|
History
|
War
Director:
Masaki Kobayashi
Stars:
Tatsuya Nakadai,
Michiyo Aratama,
Tamao Nakamura
The Sword of Doom
(1966)
Action
|
Drama
Director:
Kihachi Okamoto
Stars:
Tatsuya Nakadai,
Michiyo Aratama,
Yûzô Kayama
Sanjuro
(1962)
Action
|
Crime
|
Drama
Director:
Akira Kurosawa
Stars:
Toshirô Mifune,
Tatsuya Nakadai,
Keiju Kobayashi
Kwaidan
(1964)
Drama
|
Fantasy
|
Horror
Director:
Masaki Kobayashi
Stars:
Rentarô Mikuni,
Michiyo Aratama,
Misako Watanabe
Throne of Blood
(1957)
Drama
Director:
Akira Kurosawa
Stars:
Toshirô Mifune,
Minoru Chiaki,
Isuzu Yamada
Yojimbo
(1961)
Action
|
Drama
|
Thriller
Director:
Akira Kurosawa
Stars:
Toshirô Mifune,
Eijirô Tôno,
Tatsuya Nakadai
Woman in the Dunes
(1964)
Drama
|
Thriller
Director:
Hiroshi Teshigahara
Stars:
Eiji Okada,
Kyôko Kishida,
Hiroko Itô
Drama
|
History
|
War
Director:
Masaki Kobayashi
Stars:
Tatsuya Nakadai,
Michiyo Aratama,
Kokinji Katsura
Sansho the Bailiff
(1954)
Drama
Director:
Kenji Mizoguchi
Stars:
Kinuyo Tanaka,
Yoshiaki Hanayagi,
Kyôko Kagawa
Edit
Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Tatsuya Nakadai | ... | Hanshiro Tsugumo | |
 |
Akira Ishihama | ... | Motome Chijiiwa |
| Shima Iwashita | ... | Miho Tsugumo | |
| Tetsurô Tanba | ... | Hikokuro Omodaka | |
|
|
Masao Mishima | ... | Tango Inaba |
| Ichirô Nakatani | ... | Hayato Yazaki | |
|
|
Kei Satô | ... | Masakazu |
|
|
Yoshio Inaba | ... | Jinai Chijiiwa |
| Hisashi Igawa | ... | Retainer | |
|
|
Tôru Takeuchi | ... | Retainer |
|
|
Yoshirô Aoki | ... | Umenosuke Kawabe |
| Tatsuo Matsumura | |||
| Akiji Kobayashi | |||
|
|
Kôichi Hayashi | ||
|
|
Ryûtarô Gomi | ||
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Plot Synopsis
Storyline
Peace in 17th-century Japan causes the Shogunate's breakup of warrior clans, throwing thousands of samurai out of work and into poverty. An honorable end to such fate under the samurai code is ritual suicide, or hara-kiri (self-inflicted disembowelment). An elder warrior, Hanshiro Tsugumo (Tatsuya Nakadai) seeks admittance to the house of a feudal lord to commit the act. There, he learns of the fate of his son-in-law, a young samurai who sought work at the house but was instead barbarically forced to commit traditional hara-kiri in an excruciating manner with a dull bamboo blade. In flashbacks the samurai tells the tragic story of his son-in-law, and how he was forced to sell his real sword to support his sick wife and child. Tsugumo thus sets in motion a tense showdown of revenge against the house. Written by Kevin Rayburn <kprayb01@homer.louisville.edu>
Taglines:
The World Has Never Understood Why the Japanese Prefer Death to Dishonor! See more »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
Edit
See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
JapanLanguage:
JapaneseRelease Date:
4 August 1964 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Harakiri See more »Filming Locations:
Kyoto, Kyoto, JapanCompany Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
MonoColor:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1
Edit
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
Stage-trained actor Tatsuya Nakadai and older film actor Rentarô Mikuni could not agree on an acceptable speaking voice while sharing the film stage. Nakadai spoke loudly and Mikuni spoke softly each citing their related acting experiences for their choice. They strongly disagreed with each other. The director, Masaki Kobayashi, halted filming and stated that he would not resume until both the actors came to an agreement. They did; stopping the shooting for three days. See more »Goofs
After Motome's seppuku, when Omodaka steps forward and chops Motome's head off (supposedly), he visibly stops his swing before striking Motome's neck (naturally, since real swords were used). See more »Quotes
Hanshiro Tsugumo: After all, this thing we call samurai honor is ultimately nothing but a facade.See more »
Frequently Asked Questions
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.Contribute to This Page
Enjoy a night in with these popular movies available to stream now with Prime Video.
"Harakiri" ("Seppuku") (Japanese, 1962): It is the 17th century. A young Samurai warrior arrives at a mansion, asking to perform his ritual death there. In a series of flashbacks, we learn who he is, why he came, and what has occurred since. Although quietly told by another ex-warrior (about whom we also learn more), this is an interesting story that builds in complexity and tension. Debates about rituals and appearances may at first seem to hold more significance in old Japan than in the contemporary United States, but it is not difficult to translate and implement such thoughts. Love, honor, duty, family, children, saving "face", determination, desperation they all exist in OUR everyday lives. Dramatically photographed in beautiful black & white, given a strong Japanese score, and paced so that even the mildly patient will be glad they saw it, "Harakiri" is epically huge, and a must-see for story & film lovers.