Miyamoto Musashi kanketsuhen: kettô Ganryûjima (1956)

Miyamoto Musashi kanketsuhen: kettô Ganryûjima: Directed by Hiroshi Inagaki. With Kôji Tsuruta, Toshirô Mifune, Kaoru Yachigusa, Michiko Saga. Musashi Miyamoto is challenged to a duel by a confident swordsman Sasaki Kojiro. He agrees to fight him in a year’s time.

“This is the 3rd and last episode of the u0026quot;Miyamoto Musashiu0026quot; or also called u0026quot;Samouraiu0026quot; trilogy, from director Inagaki with famous Japanese actor Toshiro Mifune. The 1st episode having won the 1956 Oscar award of best foreign movie ! Inagakiu0026#39;s directing is refined and perfect, scenery is beautiful especially the sunset duel, choreography of combats is marvellous. Inagakiu0026#39;s directing and Mifuneu0026#39;s great acting bring life to Musashiu0026#39;s legend and depict him with a lot of humanity.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThis episode has the most significance for Japanese with the famous combat between Miyamoto Mifune, invincible samourai of more than 60 duels armed with a wooden sword, and Sasaki Kojiro, most formidable adversary and skillful swordsman armed with an extremely long sword, on the beach of Ganryu Island at sunset. The trilogy shows the life of Japanu0026#39;s most famous samourai and one of itu0026#39;s main philosopher, with the u0026quot;Gorin-no-shou0026quot; treaty of 5 rings, with his sword techniques and Budhism life philosophy. In summary, the 1st episode is how he becomes an adult man, the 2nd how he becomes an invincible swordsman and the 3rd how he becomes a legend. Subplots being his relationship with Otsu who sacrifices her life for Musashi.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThis trilogy is among Japanu0026#39;s two samourai masterpieces with Kurosawau0026#39;s u0026quot;Seven Samuraisu0026quot;, mainly because of the directing/acting and Musashiu0026#39;s aura. Other Must-see Sword movies are recent movie Gohatto (or Tabou, 1999), Kurosawau0026#39;s u0026quot;Ame agaruu0026quot; (After the rain, 1999), u0026quot;Yojimbou0026quot; (The bodyguard) and u0026quot;Sugata Sanshirou0026quot; (The Judo saga).”