When the Last Sword Is Drawn

2003 2h 17m JA

👍

7.4

SOLID

★7.4TMDB · 124

ActionDramaHistory

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Kanichiro Yoshimura is a samurai and family man who can no longer support his wife and children on the low pay he receives from his small-town clan. He is forced by his love for his family to leave for the city in search of higher pay to support them.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Cast

Kiichi Nakai
Kanichiro Yoshimura
Koichi Sato
Hajime Saito
Yui Natsukawa
Shizu / Mitsu
Takehiro Murata
Chiaki Ono
Miki Nakatani
Nui
Yuji Miyake
Jiroemon Ohno
Masato Sakai
Okita Soji
Atsushi Ito
Young Chiaki Ono

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Yojiro Takita
Writers: Takehiro Nakajima
Languages: Japanese
Countries: Japan

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

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $4.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 62% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 23 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Yojiro Takita, shot by Takeshi Hamada. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Kiichi Nakai and Koichi Sato and Yui Natsukawa carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0359692 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Yojiro Takita directs. Takeshi Hamada behind the camera. Joe Hisaishi scores. Nobuko Tomita cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $4.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Earned back only 62% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
3Released 23 years ago.
4Directed by Yojiro Takita, shot by Takeshi Hamada. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Joe Hisaishi. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Nobuko Tomita shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Kiichi Nakai and Koichi Sato and Yui Natsukawa carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt0359692 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 12 themes, including "japan", "samurai", "civil war", "based on novel or book".