Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island (1956) on Netflix
NR19561h 45mActionAdventureDrama
Takezo has left the life of a knight errant and farms at the edge of a village. Otsu and Akemi follow him, and Sasaki Kojiro waits a year for their duel.
- Netflix3.8/5
- IMDb7.5/107,327 votes
- Rotten TomatoesNot available
Trailer
Plot summary
In Nara, Takezo watches a martial arts tournament and kneels to apologize when a challenger takes offense at a shout from Jotaro. A monk tells him that Lord Yagyu, the Shogun's combat arms teacher, wants to see him in Edo. There a young swordsman, Sasaki Kojiro, cripples an opponent during an audition match for a post. Takezo comes upon four samurai killed with single strokes and a note signed by Sasaki claiming responsibility for them. The two men meet, acknowledge each other's skill, and agree to fight at the East Gate; Takezo then leaves a note putting the match off for a year. On the road with Jotaro and the horse trader Kumagoro, he is attacked by bandits and decides to settle in the village they have been raiding.
Cast
- Kurôemon Onoeas Takuan
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island (1956)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Samurai III was made in 1956, only after the Allied occupation of Japan ended, because the occupation had initially restricted films promoting feudal values and shut down the samurai genre.
- The film's hero Miyamoto Musashi was a real swordsman who lived 1584-1645 and was famed for his two-handed fighting technique and Zen ink brush painting; his actual duel with Sasaki took place on 13 April 1612 on Ganryu Island, off Bizen Province.
- Director Hiroshi Inagaki had already filmed this same duel in 1951 as Kanketsu Sasaki Kojirô: Ganryû-jima kettô, casting Mifune in a brief appearance as Miyamoto that still won him a share of top billing, and Kabuki actor Tomoemon Otani, who played women's roles on stage, as Sasaki.
