Musashi Miyamoto (1961)

Directed by
 Budget

Musashi Miyamoto (known at the box office as The Zen and Sword) is a 1961 film,Directed by Uchida Tomu.

## Plot

in The 17th century, The main character of the film, Takedzo (later renamed Miyamoto Musashi ), leads a life of a fierce beast who lives only for struggle and war. At the beginning of the film, he is shown crawling in the mud around the soldiers killed in the Battle of Sekigahara to find a young fellow countryman Matahashi, who joined him when recruiting for military action. Having found Matahashi, the two of them take refuge with a widow named Oko and her daughter Akemi, who live looting on the battlefields. The widow seduces Matahashi and carries him away with her to another province and start a new life there.

Takedzo tries to return to his home village, but she is surrounded by soldiers looking for deserters from the battlefield, including him. He still persistently tries to break into the village in order to convey the news about Matahashi, who is waiting for his grandmother and a bride named Otsu, and also to check how his sister Ogin is living. However, Matahashi's grandmother blames Takedzo for the disappearance of her grandson, and when he sneaks into her house secretly at night, she will hand him over to the soldiers. Takedzo will be able to get away with his legs, but he will be forced to live as an outcast for many days, hiding in the mountains. Priest Takuan promises to the representative of the military authorities that he will lead Takedzo to them, but on condition that he himself determines his fate. Having lured Takedzo out of the forest, the priest Takuan invites the angry crowd, who demanded the execution of the outcast, to hang him from a tree alive, leaving him to die a slow death, which is done under the general approval of the villagers. Observing everything that happens, Otsu sincerely sympathizes with Takedzo and one night cuts the rope and frees him. They run together, but divided on the way, agree to meet at the Khanada bridge.

Otsu will come first to the Hanada Bridge and stay with an elderly couple living next to the bridge, help them with the housework and wait for Takedzo, whom she loved with all her heart. Takedzo will be intercepted by the priest Chikuan and offer him to make a choice - either to lead a further lifestyle as an outcast and a fugitive, or he will go to study at a monastery, comprehending science. Takedzo agrees.

## Cast

* Shinmen Musashi (Professor of Sakushu Miyamoto Village): Nishinosuke Nakamura (Nishinosuke Manya)

* Honorary Tamatachi (Musashi's childhood friend): Isao Kimura

* Kou (Kokoya/Robbery): Minoru Kogure
* Cedar (Matahachi's mother): Chieko Naniwa

* Terumasa Ikeda (Himeji castle owner/Zen no Tomo): 6th band Bando Yosuke ( 8th band Bando Mitsugoro )
* Norima Tsujifu (Band): Kunio Kaga
* Ogin (Musashi's older sister): Akiko Kazami
* Aoki Tanzaemon (Ikeda vassal): Tokue Hanazawa
* Gonroku Fuchikawa (House Taike I): Kyushu Abe
* Kisuke Bamboo Shop: Seiji Miyaguchi (Literature Theater)

* Old Bamboo Shop: Harue Akagi
* Shichihoji Temple: Shojiro Ogasawara
* The old man in the village: Kinnosuke Takamatsu
* Villagers: Koji Arima , Noboru Umezawa , Shiro Osaki , Ryuichi Nagashima
* Villagers: Kinji Nakamura , Kinjiro Toyama , Hanzo Kataoka
* Terao's Wife: Tsukako Okajima
* Ghost: Akira Shioji

* Commuter (Matahachi's marriage): Wakaba Irie (newcomer)
* Akemi (fostered daughter): Satomi Oka

* Sotanzawaan (Zen monk): Rentaro Mikuni

## Staff

* Director: Tomu Uchida
* Production: Hiroshi Okawa
* Original: Eiji Yoshikawa
* Planning: Yo Tsuboi , Kimiharu Tsujino , Takaya Ogawa
* Script: Masashige Naruzawa , Naoyuki Suzuki
* Photo: Makoto Tsuboi
* Music: Akira Ifukube
* Art: Takatoshi Suzuki
* Record: Masaki Hatta
* Device: Mineo Ueba
* Decoration: Toshio Miyagawa
* Recording: Hiroo Nozu
* Lighting: Hiroshi Watada
* Edit: Shintaro Miyamoto
* Assistant Director: Kosaku Yamashita , Yoshiharu Tomita , Kiyoshi Sugino
* Progress chief: Ryosaku Ueki

## Sequels

* 1962 - " Miyamoto Musashi - 2: Duel at Mount Hannya " / Miyamoto Musashi: Hannyazaka no kettô
* 1963 - " Miyamoto Musashi - 3: Mastering the technique of two swords " / Miyamoto Musashi: Nitôryû kaigen
* 1964 - " Miyamoto Musashi - 4: Duel at the Ichijôji Temple " / Miyamoto Musashi: Ichijôji no kettô
* 1965 - " Miyamoto Musashi - 5: Duel on Ganryu Island " / Miyamoto Musashi: Ganryû-jima no kettô

* The Tomu Uchida series is considered a pentalogy (that is, 5 films), but the director shot another film with the same hero in 1971, "Swords of Death" (Shinken shobu), which is not considered to be the sixth part, but a separate film, as it were, adjacent to the series and complementary to it.