Kagemusha

"The Shadow of a man can never stand up and walk on its own."

1980 3h 0m JA

🙌

7.8

BANGER

★7.8TMDB · 774

ActionDramaHistoryWar

Synopsis

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A feudal epic presenting the tale of a petty thief who is recruited to impersonate Shingen, an aging warlord, in order to avoid attacks by competing clans. The impostor becomes comfortable living his life among nobility, but his responsibilities to his station grow more demanding the longer he occupies it.

“The Shadow of a man can never stand up and walk on its own.”

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Cast

Tatsuya Nakadai
Shingen Takeda / Kagemusha
Tsutomu Yamazaki
Nobukado Takeda
Kenichi Hagiwara
Katsuyori Takeda
Jinpachi Nezu
Sohachiro Tsuchiya
Hideji Ōtaki
Masakage Yamagata
Daisuke Ryū
Nobunaga Oda
Masayuki Yui
Ieyasu Tokugawa
Kaori Momoi
Otsuyanokata

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Akira Kurosawa
Writers: Akira Kurosawa, Masato Ide, Akira Kurosawa
Languages: Japanese
Countries: Japan, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

At 180 minutes, this is a three-hour-plus commitment — longer than 95% of films ever made.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 67% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

46 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Japan, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Akira Kurosawa, shot by Shoji Ueda. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Shinichiro Ikebe. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Akira Kurosawa shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Tatsuya Nakadai and Tsutomu Yamazaki and Kenichi Hagiwara carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Akira Kurosawa directs. Shoji Ueda behind the camera. Shinichiro Ikebe scores. Akira Kurosawa cuts. A long sit — settle in. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in Japan, United States of America. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1At 180 minutes, this is a three-hour-plus commitment — longer than 95% of films ever made.
2Earned back only 67% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
346 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
4International production across 2 countries: Japan, United States of America.
5Directed by Akira Kurosawa, shot by Shoji Ueda. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Shinichiro Ikebe. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Akira Kurosawa shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Tatsuya Nakadai and Tsutomu Yamazaki and Kenichi Hagiwara carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "The Shadow of a man can never stand up and walk on its own.".
10IMDB entry: tt0080979 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 14 themes, including "japan", "samurai", "army", "emperor".