Down-on-his-luck veteran Tsugumo Hanshirō enters the courtyard of the prosperous House of Iyi. Unemployed, and with no family, he hopes to find a place to commit seppuku—and a worthy second to deliver the coup de grâce in his suicide ritual. The senior counselor for the Iyi clan questions the ronin’s resolve and integrity, suspecting Hanshirō of seeking charity rather than an honorable end. What follows is a pair of interlocking stories which lay bare the difference between honor and respect, and promises to examine the legendary foundations of the Samurai code.
Stars: Tatsuya Nakadai, Akira Ishihama, Shima Iwashita, Tetsuro Tamba, Masao Mishima, Ichirō Nakatani
Crew: Yasuhiko Takiguchi (Novel), Masaki Kobayashi (Director), Shinobu Hashimoto (Screenplay), Hideo Nishizaki (Sound), Toru Takemitsu (Original Music Composer), Shigemasa Toda (Art Direction)
Country: Japan
Language: 日本語
Studio: Shochiku
Runtime: 135 minutes
Quality: HD
Released: Sep 15, 1962
IMDb: 2.6
