Yojimbo

1961 · 1h50 · Film

Directed by Akira Kurosawa

Starring Toshirō Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Yōko Tsukasa, Daisuke Katō, Takashi Shimura, Eijirō Tōno

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A 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.

Original title

用心棒

Original language

Japanese

Screenplay

Akira Kurosawa, Ryūzō Kikushima

Cast

Daisuke Katō, Takashi Shimura, Eijirō Tōno, Kamatari Fujiwara, Ikio Sawamura

Updated July 22, 2026

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