Yojimbo
用心棒
“Kill one or a hundred... you only hang once”
Synopsis
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.
Part of the Sanjuro Collection
Stream the entire interconnected saga and experience every installment in chronological storyline order.
Trailers, Teasers & Extra Featurettes
Official promotional previews, behind-the-scenes footage, and exclusive clips.
Yojimbo (1961) Original Trailer [4K]
Type: Trailer • Published 2023-05-08
Top Cast
Explore Star Directory →
Toshirō Mifune
Sanjuro Kuwabatake / The Samurai
Tatsuya Nakadai
Unosuke, gunfighter
Yōko Tsukasa
Nui
Isuzu Yamada
Orin
Daisuke Katō
Inokichi
Seizaburō Kawazu
Seibê - brothel operator
Takashi Shimura
Tokuemon, sake brewer
Hiroshi Tachikawa
Yoichiro
Yōsuke Natsuki
Kohei's Son
Eijirō Tōno
Gonji, Tavern Keeper
Kamatari Fujiwara
Tazaemon
Ikio Sawamura
Hansuke
Atsushi Watanabe
The Cooper (Coffin-Maker)
Susumu Fujita
Homma, Instructor Who Skips Town
Kyū Sazanka
Ushitora
Kō Nishimura
Kuma
Takeshi Katō
Ronin Kobuhachi
Ichirō Nakatani
First Samurai
Release History & Theatrical Window
Venice Film Festival
Festival / Special Debut
September 13, 1961
Wide Cinema Exhibition
January 1, 1999
Physical Home Media
Key Information & Fast Facts
- Director
- Akira Kurosawa
- Screenplay & Story
- Ryuzo Kikushima, Akira Kurosawa
- Original Score
- Masaru Satō
- Original Title
- 用心棒
- Country of Origin
- Japan
- Spoken Languages
- Japanese
- Runtime
- 1h 50m
- Production Studios
- TOHO
Creative Leadership & Key Crew
Akira Kurosawa
Ryuzo Kikushima, Akira Kurosawa
Masaru Satō
Kazuo Miyagawa
Akira Kurosawa
Ryuzo Kikushima, Tomoyuki Tanaka, Akira Kurosawa
Department Leadership Roster
Akira Kurosawa
Director
Kazuo Miyagawa
Director of Photography
Akira Kurosawa
Editor
Ryuzo Kikushima
Screenplay
Masaru Satō
Original Music Composer
Akira Kurosawa
Screenplay
Akira Kurosawa
Producer
Yoshirō Muraki
Costume Design
Yoshirō Muraki
Production Design
Age Classification & Content Advisories
Official viewer rating standards and content warnings across international classification boards.
NR: Not Rated — Evaluated outside standard classification boards.
International Certification Matrix
Mature — Recommended for viewers 15 and older.
FSK 12 — Restricted to viewers aged 12 and older.
Tous publics — Universal audience.
Parental Guidance — Unlikely to upset children 8 and older.
Not Rated — Evaluated outside standard classification boards.
Production Stills & Gallery
Official cinematic photography and background stills for Yojimbo.
Featured In Curated Collections
Editorial lists, community rankings, and cinematic collections featuring Yojimbo.
Movie Collection
Roger Ebert's Great Movies
Every film from Roger Ebert's 'Great Movies' essays. 罗杰·伊伯特的伟大电影： 收录了已故美国著名国民级影评人罗杰·伊伯特（Roger Ebert）在其经典的《伟大电影》（Great Movies）系列专栏文章中推荐、评论过的所有影史经典佳作。 *注：榜单源数据中包含部分剧集/迷你剧，由于本片单只收录纯电影，故不再收录以下非电影条目：* • [#092] Dekalog (1989) *(Updated via Automated ETL Pipeline: 2026-10-18 07:39:08 UTC+8)*
Letterboxd's Top 500 Films
Letterboxd's Top 500 Films. Ranks narrative feature films by average member rating (minimum 25,000 ratings). Excludes documentaries, shorts, and TV series. Letterboxd 官方 Top 500 电影榜单： 根据用户平均评分排名的剧情长片（最低2.5万评价门槛）。已排除纪录片、短片及剧集。 *(Updated via Automated ETL Pipeline: 2026-10-18 07:35:27 UTC+8)*
TSPDT - 1000 Greatest Films
They Shoot Pictures, Don't They? (TSPDT) - The 1,000 Greatest Films. A definitive meta-list aggregating thousands of critics' polls, historical rankings, and director top 10s to represent the ultimate critical consensus in cinema history. TSPDT 影史最伟大的1000部电影： 全球最权威的电影元榜单，由该网站汇总世界各大电影刊物历史评选结果及数千名影评人、学者的个人十佳榜单，通过算法加权计算得出的终极共识。 *片单说明：* 本片单只收录纯电影，以下剧集或迷你剧不予收录： • [#335] Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980) • [#514] Twin Peaks: The Return (2017) • [#614] Edvard Munch (1974) • [#703] The Sorrow and the Pity (1969) • [#890] Elephant (1989) • [#925] Heimat (1984) • [#968] Doomed Love (1978) 以下作品在 TMDB 被拆分为多个独立电影条目；本片单按作品/章节顺序连续收录，且每个分拆条目均沿用同一 TSPDT 名次： • [#171] Dekalog (1989) — 展开为 10 部电影 • [#988] Olympia (1938) — 展开为 2 部电影 *(Updated via Automated ETL Pipeline: 2026-10-18 07:30:01 UTC+8)*
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Frequently Asked Questions About Yojimbo
Quick factual answers about cast, synopsis, director, box office, and release information.
What is Yojimbo about?
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.
Who directed Yojimbo?
Yojimbo was directed by Akira Kurosawa.
Who stars in Yojimbo?
The principal cast of Yojimbo includes Toshirō Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Yōko Tsukasa, Isuzu Yamada, Daisuke Katō.
When was Yojimbo released and how long is it?
Yojimbo was released in 1961 with a total runtime of 1h 50m.
Who composed the musical score for Yojimbo?
The original motion picture soundtrack for Yojimbo was composed by Masaru Satō.
What is the age rating and content advisory for Yojimbo?
Yojimbo holds official age classifications: AU: M (Mature — Recommended for viewers 15 and older.); DE: 12 (FSK 12 — Restricted to viewers aged 12 and older.); FR: U (Tous publics — Universal audience.); GB: PG (Parental Guidance — Unlikely to upset children 8 and older.); US: NR (Not Rated — Evaluated outside standard classification boards.).