103 minutes
7/12/1955
After years on the road establishing his reputation as Japan's greatest fencer, Takezo returns to Kyoto. Otsu waits for him, yet he has come not for her but to challenge the leader of the region's finest school of fencing. To prove his valor and skill, he walks deliberately into ambushes set up by the school's followers. While Otsu waits, Akemi also seeks him, expressing her desires directly. Meanwhile, Takezo is observed by Sasaki Kojiro, a brilliant young fighter, confident he can dethrone Takezo. After leaving Kyoto in triumph, Takezo declares his love for Otsu, but in a way that dishonors her and shames him. Once again, he leaves alone.
Toshirō Mifune
as Musashi Miyamoto a.k.a. Takezo
Koji Tsuruta
as Kojiro Sasaki
Kaoru Yachigusa
as Otsu
Mariko Okada
as Akemi
Michiyo Kogure
as Lady Yoshino
Akihiko Hirata
as Seijuro Yoshioka
Mitsuko Mito
as Oko
Kurôemon Onoe
as Takuan
Sachio Sakai
as Matahachi Honiden
Yū Fujiki
as Denshichiro Yoshioka
Machiko Kitagawa
as Kogure
Eiko Miyoshi
as Osugi
Eijirō Tōno
as Baiken Shishido
Kenjin Iida
as Jotaro
Kō Mihashi
as Honami Koetsu
Yoshibumi Tajima
as Yoshioka samurai
Keiko Kondo
as (uncredited)
Hisako Takihana
as (uncredited)
Ren Yamamoto
as (uncredited)
Ryū Kuze
as (uncredited)
Torahiko Hamada
as (uncredited)
Yoshio Inaba
as (uncredited)
Fumindo Matsuo
as (uncredited)
Minoru Itō
as (uncredited)
Yasuhisa Tsutsumi
as (uncredited)
Ren Imaizumi
as (uncredited)
Rinsaku Ogata
as (uncredited)
Kenzō Tabu
as (uncredited)
Kokuten Kōdō
as Old Priest Nikkan (uncredited)
Daisuke Katō
as Toji Gion