Yojimbo Blu-ray

Release Year: 1961

Runtime: 110 min

Director: Akira Kurosawa

Cast: Toshirō Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Yōko Tsukasa, Isuzu Yamada, Daisuke Katō

Studios: TOHO

A nameless ronin, or samurai with no master, enters a small village in feudal Japan where two rival businessmen are struggling for control of the local gambling trade. Taking the name Sanjuro Kuwabatake, the ronin convinces both silk merchant Tazaemon and sake merchant Tokuemon to hire him as a personal bodyguard, then artfully sets in motion a full-scale gang war between the two ambitious and unscrupulous men.

Special Features:

Restored high-definition digital transfer, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack

Optional DTS-HD Master Audio Perspective 3.0 soundtrack, preserving the original simulated stereo effects.

Audio commentary

By film historian and Kurosawa scholar Stephen Prince.

A 45-minute documentary on the making of Yojimbo

Created as part of the Toho Masterworks series Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create, featuring Kurosawa, actor Tatsuya Nakadai, production designer Yoshiro Muraki, and longtime Kurosawa collaborator Teruyo Nogami.

Theatrical teaser and trailer

Stills gallery

Of behind-the-scenes photos.

PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by film scholar Alexander Sesonske and comments from Kurosawa and his cast and crew.

Technical Specifications:

• dts-HD Master Audio