Throne of Blood
蜘蛛巣城
Synopsis
Returning to their lord's castle, samurai warriors Washizu and Miki are waylaid by a spirit who predicts their futures. When the first part of the spirit's prophecy comes true, Washizu's scheming wife, Asaji, presses him to speed up the rest of the spirit's prophecy by murdering his lord and usurping his place. Director Akira Kurosawa's resetting of William Shakespeare's "Macbeth" in feudal Japan is one of his most acclaimed films.
Trailers, Teasers & Extra Featurettes
Official promotional previews, behind-the-scenes footage, and exclusive clips.
Marlon James on Akira Kurosawa’s THRONE OF BLOOD | Adventures in MoviegoingOfficial
Type: Featurette • Published 2026-09-01
Top Cast
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Toshirō Mifune
Taketoki Washizu
Isuzu Yamada
Lady Asaji Washizu
Takashi Shimura
Noriyasu Odagura
Akira Kubo
Yoshiteru Miki
Hiroshi Tachikawa
Kunimaru Tsuzuki
Minoru Chiaki
Yoshiaki Miki
Takamaru Sasaki
Kuniharu Tsuzuki
Gen Shimizu
Washizu samurai
Kokuten Kōdō
Military Commander
Kichijirō Ueda
Washizu's workman
Eiko Miyoshi
Old Woman at castle
Chieko Naniwa
Old Ghost Woman
Nakajirō Tomita
Military Commander #2
Yū Fujiki
Washizu samurai
Sachio Sakai
Washizu samurai
Shin Ōtomo
Washizu samurai
Yoshio Tsuchiya
Washizu samurai
Yoshio Inaba
Military Commander #3
Release History & Theatrical Window
Venice Film Festival
Festival / Special Debut
January 15, 1957
Wide Cinema Exhibition
March 8, 2017
Physical Home Media
Financials & Box Office Performance
Production Budget
Undisclosed
Filming & production cost
Worldwide Gross
$13K
Total global ticket sales
Key Information & Fast Facts
- Director
- Akira Kurosawa
- Screenplay & Story
- Shinobu Hashimoto, Ryuzo Kikushima, Akira Kurosawa, Hideo Oguni
- Original Score
- Masaru Satō
- Original Title
- 蜘蛛巣城
- Country of Origin
- Japan
- Spoken Languages
- Japanese
- Runtime
- 1h 48m
- Worldwide Gross
- $13K
- Production Studios
- TOHO, Kurosawa Production
Creative Leadership & Key Crew
Akira Kurosawa
Shinobu Hashimoto, Ryuzo Kikushima, Akira Kurosawa, Hideo Oguni, William Shakespeare
Masaru Satō
Asakazu Nakai
Akira Kurosawa
Akira Kurosawa, Sōjirō Motoki
Department Leadership Roster
Akira Kurosawa
Director
Shinobu Hashimoto
Screenplay
Ryuzo Kikushima
Screenplay
Akira Kurosawa
Screenplay
Hideo Oguni
Screenplay
Akira Kurosawa
Producer
Sōjirō Motoki
Producer
Masaru Satō
Original Music Composer
Asakazu Nakai
Director of Photography
Akira Kurosawa
Editor
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 16 — Restricted to viewers aged 16 and older.
Interdit aux moins de 10 ans — 10+ only.
Suitable only for 12 years and over.
Not Rated — Evaluated outside standard classification boards.
Production Stills & Gallery
Official cinematic photography and background stills for Throne of Blood.
Featured In Curated Collections
Editorial lists, community rankings, and cinematic collections featuring Throne of Blood.
FILMS
Movie Collection
1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die (All editions 2003-2024). A cumulative list including films subsequently removed in later editions. Totaling 1,260 films as of Nov 2024. 《1001部死前必看的电影》（2003-2024 全版本累积版）： 包含自2003年首版至2024年11月德语版修订的所有影片。即使在后期版本中被剔除的电影也予以保留。 *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：* • [#019] Lovers Rock (2020) • [#418] Dekalog (1989) *(Updated via Automated ETL Pipeline: 2026-10-18 07:40:36 UTC+8)*
S&S Directors - Greatest Films
Sight and Sound’s Directors’ 100 Greatest Films of All Time 2022. Every decade since 1992, Sight and Sound has complemented its celebrated critics’ poll by formally sounding out the world’s leading directors on the ten films they believe to be the greatest of all time. 《视与听》2022年导演评选影史百大电影： 由全球 480 位知名导演共同票选出的影史最伟大电影。 *(Updated via Automated ETL Pipeline: 2026-10-18 07:36:57 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 Throne of Blood
Quick factual answers about cast, synopsis, director, box office, and release information.
What is Throne of Blood about?
Returning to their lord's castle, samurai warriors Washizu and Miki are waylaid by a spirit who predicts their futures. When the first part of the spirit's prophecy comes true, Washizu's scheming wife, Asaji, presses him to speed up the rest of the spirit's prophecy by murdering his lord and usurping his place. Director Akira Kurosawa's resetting of William Shakespeare's "Macbeth" in feudal Japan is one of his most acclaimed films.
Who directed Throne of Blood?
Throne of Blood was directed by Akira Kurosawa.
Who stars in Throne of Blood?
The principal cast of Throne of Blood includes Toshirō Mifune, Isuzu Yamada, Takashi Shimura, Akira Kubo, Hiroshi Tachikawa.
When was Throne of Blood released and how long is it?
Throne of Blood was released in 1957 with a total runtime of 1h 48m.
How much did Throne of Blood make at the box office?
Throne of Blood grossed $13K in worldwide ticket sales.
Who composed the musical score for Throne of Blood?
The original motion picture soundtrack for Throne of Blood was composed by Masaru Satō.
What is the age rating and content advisory for Throne of Blood?
Throne of Blood holds official age classifications: AU: M (Mature — Recommended for viewers 15 and older.); DE: 16 (FSK 16 — Restricted to viewers aged 16 and older.); FR: 10 (Interdit aux moins de 10 ans — 10+ only.); GB: 12 (Suitable only for 12 years and over.); US: NR (Not Rated — Evaluated outside standard classification boards.).