Sanshiro Sugata
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65% Critic Match

Sanshiro Sugata

6.5 / 10 1943 1h 19mNR Japanese
Drama

Storyline

A hotheaded youth in 1880s Meiji Japan apprentices to judo master Shōgorō Yano, trading brute jujutsu bravado for discipline and humility. As Sanshirō matures, he proves judo’s spirit against old-guard challengers—including a deadly duel—while falling for his vanquished opponent’s daughter. Based on the novel by Tsuneo Tomita, son of Tomita Tsunejirō, the earliest disciple of judo.

Cast & Crew

Denjirō Ōkōchi

Denjirō Ōkōchi

Shogoro Yano

Lead
Susumu Fujita

Susumu Fujita

Sanshiro Sugata

Yukiko Todoroki

Yukiko Todoroki

Sayo Murai

Ryūnosuke Tsukigata

Ryūnosuke Tsukigata

Gennosuke Higaki

Takashi Shimura

Takashi Shimura

Hansuke Murai, Sayo's father

Ranko Hanai

Ranko Hanai

Osumi Kodana

SA

Sugisaku Aoyama

Tsunetami Iimura

Ichirō Sugai

Ichirō Sugai

Police Chief Mishima

What People Are Saying

4.0
A staggering achievement of craft and ambition. Akira Kurosawa's vision lands with breathtaking precision.
Manohla Dargis, The New York Times
3.0
Every frame feels alive. Sanshiro Sugata is the rare release that takes its audience seriously.
Anthony Lane, The New Yorker