After the fall of his clan, masterless samurai Hanshirō arrives at the estate of Lord Iyi, asking permission to end his life through ritual suicide. The clan’s senior counsellor doubts the ronin’s sincerity, suspecting he’s simply looking for charity. But Hanshirō is not what he seems, and his quiet determination hides a deeper purpose. Masaki Kobayashi’s gripping period drama, winner of the Cannes Special Jury Prize, is a bold critique of hypocrisy, a stirring portrait of individual will, and is now hailed as one of the greatest achievements in Japanese cinema.

Reviews

‘It would be wrong for me to reveal the details of the story Tsugumo tells. What I can say is that it is heartbreaking.’
★★★★★
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times