Throne of Blood (1957)
Kumonosu-jô (original title)Reference View | Change View
- Not Rated
- 1h 50min
- Drama
- 22 Nov 1961 (USA)
- Movie
A war-hardened general, egged on by his ambitious wife, works to fulfill a prophecy that he would become lord of Spider's Web Castle.
Director:
Writers:
Awards:
- 4 wins & 1 nomination.
- See more »
Reviews:
Photos and Videos
Complete, Cast awaiting verification
| Toshirô Mifune | ... |
Taketoki Washizu
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| Isuzu Yamada | ... |
Lady Asaji Washizu
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| Takashi Shimura | ... |
Noriyasu Odagura
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| Akira Kubo | ... |
Yoshiteru Miki
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Hiroshi Tachikawa | ... |
Kunimaru Tsuzuki
(as Yôichi Tachikawa)
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| Minoru Chiaki | ... |
Yoshiaki Miki
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Takamaru Sasaki | ... |
Kuniharu Tsuzuki
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| Gen Shimizu | ... |
Washizu samurai
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| Kokuten Kôdô | ... |
Military Commander
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| Kichijirô Ueda | ... |
Washizu's workman
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| Eiko Miyoshi | ... |
Old Woman at castle
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| Chieko Naniwa | ... |
Old Ghost Woman
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Nakajirô Tomita | ... |
Second Military Commander
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Yû Fujiki | ... |
Washizu samurai
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Sachio Sakai | ... |
Washizu samurai
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| Shin Ôtomo | ... |
Washizu samurai
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| Yoshio Tsuchiya | ... |
Washizu samurai
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| Yoshio Inaba | ... |
Third Military Commander
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Takeo Oikawa | ... |
Miki party member
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Akira Tani | ... |
Washizu soldier
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| Ikio Sawamura | ... |
Washizu soldier
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| Yutaka Sada | ... |
Washizu samurai
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| Seijirô Onda | ... |
Second Miki party member
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Shinpei Takagi | ... |
Commander
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Masao Masuda | ... |
Commander
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Mitsuo Asano | ... |
Washizu samurai
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| Shôbun Inoue | ... |
Servant
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| Asao Koike | ... |
Tsuzuki soldier
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| Takeshi Katô | ... |
Guard killed by Washizu
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Hitoshi Takagi | ... |
Tsuzuki guard
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Michiya Higuchi | ... |
Tsuki guard
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Senkichi Ômura | ... |
Washizu samurai
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Gorô Sakurai | ... |
Servant
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Shirô Tsuchiya | ... |
Commander
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Takeo Matsushita | ... |
Commander
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Jun Ôtomo | ... |
Commander
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Kamayuki Tsubono | ... |
Servant
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Fuminori Ôhashi | ... |
Samurai
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Isao Kimura | ... |
Phantom samurai
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| Seiji Miyaguchi | ... |
Phantom samurai
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| Nobuo Nakamura | ... |
Phantom samurai
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Directed by
| Akira Kurosawa | ||
Written by
| Hideo Oguni | ... | (screenplay by) & |
| Shinobu Hashimoto | ... | (screenplay by) & |
| Ryûzô Kikushima | ... | (screenplay by) & |
| Akira Kurosawa | ... | (screenplay by) |
| William Shakespeare | ... | (based on the play "Macbeth" by) (uncredited) |
Produced by
| Akira Kurosawa | ... | producer |
| Sôjirô Motoki | ... | producer |
Music by
| Masaru Satô | ||
Cinematography by
| Asakazu Nakai | ||
Editorial Department
| Chozo Obata | ... | negative cutter |
Production Design by
| Yoshirô Muraki | ||
Costume Design by
| Yoshirô Muraki | ||
Makeup Department
| Masanori Kobayashi | ... | makeup artist (as M. Kobayashi) |
| Yoshiko Matsumoto | ... | hair stylist |
| Junjirô Yamada | ... | hair stylist |
Production Management
| Hiroshi Nezu | ... | production supervisor |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
| Yoshimitsu Banno | ... | assistant director (as Yoshimitsu Sakano) |
| Hiromichi Horikawa | ... | chief assistant director |
| Mimachi Norase | ... | chief assistant director |
| Ken Sano | ... | assistant director |
| Shoya Shimizu | ... | assistant director |
| Yasuyoshi Tajitsu | ... | assistant director |
| Michio Yamamoto | ... | assistant director |
Art Department
| Kôhei Ezaki | ... | art supervisor |
| Kôichi Hamamura | ... | property master |
| Yoshifumi Honda | ... | assistant art director |
| Kaneko | ... | props |
Sound Department
| Ichirô Minawa | ... | sound effects editor |
| Masanao Uehara | ... | assistant sound |
| Fumio Yanoguchi | ... | sound recordist |
Special Effects by
| Eiji Tsuburaya | ... | special effects (uncredited) |
Camera and Electrical Department
| Masao Fukuda | ... | still photographer |
| Shozo Hada | ... | assistant lighting technician |
| Kyuichirô Kishida | ... | lighting technician |
| Takao Saitô | ... | assistant camera |
Costume and Wardrobe Department
| Taiki Mori | ... | costumer |
Script and Continuity Department
| Teruyo Nogami | ... | script supervisor |
Additional Crew
| Fabrice Arduini | ... | french adaptation: original version with subtitles |
| Shigeru Endo | ... | horseback riding instructor |
| Ikemichi Hashimoto | ... | accountant |
| Ienori Kaneko | ... | horseback riding instructor |
| Keiko Tsubai | ... | french adaptation: original version with subtitles |
| Pascal Vincent | ... | press attache: France (re-release: 2001) |
Production Companies
- Toho (presents)
- Kurosawa Production Co.
Distributors
- Toho (1957) (Japan) (theatrical)
- Curzon Film Distributors (1957) (United Kingdom) (theatrical) (subtitled)
- Globe Films International (1959) (Italy) (theatrical)
- Brandon Films (1961) (United States) (theatrical) (as 'Throne of Blood') (subtitled)
- Television och Smalfilm (1965) (Sweden) (theatrical)
- Mainostelevisio (MTV3) (1965) (Finland) (tv) (as MTV1)
- Yleisradio (YLE) (1971) (Finland) (tv)
- Kommanditbolaget Mårten Kihlman Ky & Co (1982) (Finland) (theatrical)
- Los Films del Búho (1983) (Spain) (theatrical)
- Atlantic Film (1994) (Sweden) (theatrical)
- La Sept Video (1999) (France) (VHS)
- Alive (2001) (France) (theatrical) (re-release)
- Arte Vidéo (2001) (France) (DVD)
- BFI Video (2001) (United Kingdom) (DVD) (as 'Throne of Blood')
- Cowboy Pictures (2002) (United States) (theatrical) (re-release) (as 'Throne of Blood')
- Toho Video (2002) (Japan) (DVD)
- The Criterion Collection (2004) (United States) (DVD) (as 'Throne of Blood')
- Sandrew Metronome Distribution (2006) (Finland) (DVD)
- Sandrew Metronome Distribution (2006) (Finland) (DVD) (as part of Akira Kurosawa Box 5)
- Sandrews (2006) (Sweden) (DVD)
- Wild Side Vidéo (2006) (France) (DVD)
- KSM (2008) (Germany) (DVD)
- The Criterion Collection (2009) (United States) (DVD) (as 'Throne of Blood')
- trigon-film (2012) (Austria) (theatrical)
- trigon-film (2012) (Germany) (theatrical)
- trigon-film (2012) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
- WOWOW (2012) (Japan) (tv)
- trigon-film (2012) (Germany) (DVD) (special edition)
- trigon-film (2012) (Switzerland) (DVD) (special edition)
- A Contracorriente Films (2014) (Spain) (DVD)
- The Criterion Collection (2014) (United States) (DVD) (as 'Throne of Blood')
- trigon-film (2014) (Switzerland) (Blu-ray)
- A Contracorriente Films (2015) (Spain) (theatrical)
- Future Film (2015) (Finland) (Blu-ray) (DVD) (6-disc Akira Kurosawa: Samurai Masterpiece Collection)
- Star Media Entertainment (2015) (Norway) (DVD) (Akira Kurosawa - Samurai Masterpiece Collection 1950-1962)
- Star Media Entertainment (2015) (Norway) (DVD) (on 'Akira Kurosawa - Samurai Masterpiece Collection 1950-1962')
- Carlotta Films (2016) (France) (theatrical) (re-release) (restored version)
- The Consulate General of Japan (1971) (India) (theatrical) (Bombay)
- Théâtre du Temple (France) (theatrical)
- BBC Two (1972) (United Kingdom) (tv)
- Leopardo Filmes (2020) (Portugal)
- Madman Entertainment (2024) (Australia)
- Madman Films (2024) (New Zealand)
- Media Home Entertainment (United States) (VHS) (as Media Home Video)
- Palador Pictures (2007) (India) (video)
- The Criterion Collection (United States) (DVD) (as 'Throne of Blood')
- Tocantins (Brazil) (VHS)
Special Effects
Other Companies
- C.D.C. (Italian post-synchronized version made by)
- Fono Roma (post-synchronization: Italian dubbed version)
- Toho Studios (sound stages)
Storyline
| Plot Summary |
After securing a major victory on the battlefield, Taketoti Washizu and one of his commanders, Yoshiaki Miki, find themselves lost in the maze-like Spider's Web forest. They come across a spirit-like seer who tells them of their future: both have been promoted because of their victory that day; Washizu will someday be the Great Lord of the Spider's Web castle while Miki's son will someday rule as Great Lord as well. When they arrive at the castle, they learn that the first part of the prophecy is correct. Washizu has no desire to become Great Lord but his ambitious wife urges him to reconsider. When the current Great Lord makes a surprise visit to his garrison outpost, Washizu is again promoted to commander of his vanguard but his wife reminds him of the danger that comes with the position. As pressure mounts, Wahizu takes action leading to its inevitable conclusion. Written by garykmcd |
| Plot Keywords | |
| Taglines | From the creator of "Rashomon" and "Ikiru" See more » |
| Genres | |
| Parents Guide | View content advisory » |
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Additional Details
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Did You Know?
| Trivia | Originally, Akira Kurosawa was planning on building merely a facade castle for the film, but this proved to be an impractical step, prompting the building of full castle sections to use in shooting. These were built with the help of United States Marines who were based in the area. See more » |
| Goofs | When the witch runs in the forest, she briefly can be seen wearing sneakers. See more » |
| Movie Connections | Featured in A Japanese Film Festival (1957). See more » |
| Quotes |
Lady Asaji Washizu:
Admirable, my Lord. You, who would soon rule the world, allow a ghost to frighten you. See more » |