Sanshiro Sugata, Part Two

1945 1h 23m JA

😐

6.0

MID

★6.0TMDB · 63

ActionDramaAdventure

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A few years after his breakthrough, Sanshiro resumes his path to judo mastery—testing his discipline against an American prizefighter and later facing vengeful karate brothers. As rival schools and public spectacle push him toward violence, he must reconcile strength with restraint and the true spirit of his art.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Denjirō Ōkōchi
Shogoro Yano
Susumu Fujita
Sanshiro Sugata
Ryūnosuke Tsukigata
Gennosuke Higaki / Teshin Higaki, Gennosuke's younger brother
Akitake Kōno
Genzaburo Higaki
Yukiko Todoroki
Sayo
Sōji Kiyokawa
Yujiro Toda
Masayuki Mori
Yoshima Dan
Seiji Miyaguchi
Kohei Tsuzaki

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Akira Kurosawa
Writers: Akira Kurosawa
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

RUNTIME

Did you know

83 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

81 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Sanshiro Sugata Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Akira Kurosawa, shot by Takeo Itō. 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 Seiichi Suzuki. 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 Yoshie Yaguchi 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

Denjirō Ōkōchi and Susumu Fujita and Ryūnosuke Tsukigata carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Akira Kurosawa directs. Takeo Itō behind the camera. Seiichi Suzuki scores. Yoshie Yaguchi cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

183 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
281 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Part of the "Sanshiro Sugata Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
5Directed by Akira Kurosawa, shot by Takeo Itō. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Seiichi Suzuki. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Yoshie Yaguchi shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Denjirō Ōkōchi and Susumu Fujita and Ryūnosuke Tsukigata carry the top of the cast.
9IMDB entry: tt0038268 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 63 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
11Released under 22 different titles around the world.