File:Yojimbo_film_poster.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
Yojimbo
Sign in to saveis a 1961 Japanese jidaigeki film directed by Akira Kurosawa, who also co-wrote the screenplay and was one of the producers. The film stars Toshiro Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Yoko Tsukasa, Isuzu Yamada, Daisuke Katō, Takashi Shimura, Kamatari Fujiwara, and Atsushi Watanabe. In the film, a rōnin arrives in a small town where competing crime lords fight for supremacy. The two bosses each try to hire the newcomer as a bodyguard.
OverviewAI-generated
Yojimbo is a 1961 Japanese black-and-white drama film directed by Akira Kurosawa, who also served as screenwriter and film editor. Produced by Tomoyuki Tanaka and Toho, the movie features Toshirō Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Yōko Tsukasa, and Isuzu Yamada in its cast. The narrative is set in Japan, where filming also took place. Masaru Sato composed the score, while Yoshirō Muraki handled production design.
The film has a runtime of 110 minutes and is part of the Sanjuro Collection. It has been distributed by Toho and Netflix, with availability on platforms such as HBO Max, Amazon Channel, and Criterion Channel. Yojimbo has generated derivative works including A Fistful of Dollars, Last Man Standing, Django, and The Warrior and the Sorceress. Critical assessments include an IMDb rating of 8.2, a Metascore of 93, and a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 96%.
Synthesized by Vinony from 45 facts across 4 sources: Wikidata, TMDb, OMDb, IMDb. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.
Film · TMDB
8.1A nameless ronin, or samurai with no master, enters a small village in feudal Japan where two rival businessmen are struggling for control of the local gambling trade. Taking the name Sanjuro Kuwabatake, the ronin convinces both silk merchant Tazaemon and sake merchant Tokuemon to hire him as a personal bodyguard, then artfully sets in motion a full-scale gang war between the two ambitious and unscrupulous men.
Cast
- Toshirō Mifune as Sanjuro Kuwabatake / The Samurai
- Tatsuya Nakadai as Unosuke, gunfighter
- Yōko Tsukasa as Nui
- Isuzu Yamada as Orin
- Daisuke Katō as Inokichi
- Seizaburō Kawazu as Seibê - brothel operator
Themes
- japan
- samurai
- swordplay
- gambling
- sword
- bodyguard
- black and white
- fighting
- family
- intrigue
This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.
Ratings
IMDb
8.2/10
141,960 votes
Rotten Tomatoes
96%
Metacritic
93/100
- Year
- 1961
- Runtime
- 110 min
- Genres
- Action, Drama, Thriller
- Rated
- Not Rated
- Awards
- Nominated for 1 Oscar. 5 wins & 2 nominations total
via OMDb · IMDb
Key facts
- Film.name
- Yojimbo
- Film.image
- Yojimbo film poster.jpg
- Film.caption
- Theatrical release poster
- Film.director
- Akira Kurosawa
- Film.story
- Akira Kurosawa
- Film.cinematography
- Kazuo Miyagawa
- Film.editing
- Akira Kurosawa
- Film.music
- Masaru Sato
- Film.distributor
- Toho
- Film.runtime
- 110 minutes
- Film.country
- Japan
- Film.language
- Japanese
- Film.gross
- $2.5 million ()
- Japanese.kanji
- 用心棒
- Japanese.revhep
- Yōjinbō
- Japanese.l
- Bodyguard
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- film
- Genre
- drama film
- Country of origin
- Japan
- Original language
- Japanese
- Followed by
- Sanjuro
- Based on
- Red Harvest
- Director
- Akira Kurosawa
- Screenwriter
- Akira Kurosawa
- Composer
- Masaru Sato
- Producer
- Tomoyuki Tanaka
- Production company
- Toho
- Cinematographer
- Takao Saito
- Narrative location
- Japan
- Filming location
- Japan
- Duration
- 110
- FilmAffinity ID
- 228616
- Distribution format
- video on demand
Show 12 more facts
- publication date
- 1961-00-00
- film editor
- Akira Kurosawa
- title
- 用心棒
- color
- black-and-white
- production designer
- Yoshirō Muraki
- derivative work
- The Warrior and the Sorceress
- distributed by
- Netflix
- assessment
- Bechdel test
- capital cost
- 90870000
- box office
- 351000000
- review score
- 8.2/10
- Commons category
- Yojimbo
Sources (10)
via Wikidata · CC0
~17 min read
Encyclopedic overview
18 sectionsContents
- Plot
- Cast
- Production
- Writing
- Casting
- Filming
- Music
- Release
- Box office
- Critical response
- Sequel
- Legacy
- See also
- References
- Explanatory notes
- Footnotes
- Sources
- External links
is a 1961 Japanese jidaigeki film directed by Akira Kurosawa, who also co-wrote the screenplay and was one of the producers. The film stars Toshiro Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Yoko Tsukasa, Isuzu Yamada, Daisuke Katō, Takashi Shimura, Kamatari Fujiwara, and Atsushi Watanabe. In the film, a rōnin arrives in a small town where competing crime lords fight for supremacy. The two bosses each try to hire the newcomer as a bodyguard.
Based on the success of Yojimbo, Kurosawa's next film, Sanjuro (1962), was altered to incorporate the lead character of this film. In both films, the character wears a rather dilapidated dark kimono bearing the same family mon.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Yojimbo” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.