Sanshiro Sugata

Sanshiro Sugata
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Akira Kurosawa
Screenplay by	Akira Kurosawa Tsuneo Tomita
Based on	Sanshiro Sugata by Tsuneo Tomita
Produced by	Keiji Matsuzaki
Starring	Denjirō Ōkōchi Susumu Fujita Yukiko Todoroki Takashi Shimura
Cinematography	Akira Mimura
Edited by	Toshio Gotō Akira Kurosawa
Music by	Seiichi Suzuki
Production company	Toho Studios
Distributed by	Toho Company Ltd.
Release date	March 25, 1943 (1943-03-25)
Running time	79 / 97 minutes
Country	Japan
Language	Japanese

Sanshiro Sugata (Japanese: 姿三四郎, Hepburn: Sugata Sanshirō, a.k.a. Judo Saga) is a 1943 Japanese martial arts drama film and the directorial debut of the Japanese film director Akira Kurosawa.^[1] First released in Japan on 25 March 1943 by Toho film studios, the film was eventually released in the United States on 28 April 1974. The film is based on the novel of the same name written by Tsuneo Tomita, the son of prominent judoka Tsunejirō Tomita. It follows the story of Sanshiro, a talented though willful youth, who travels to the city in order to learn Jujutsu. However, upon his arrival he discovers a new form of self-defence: Judo. The main character is based on Saigō Shirō.^[2]

The film is seen as an early example of Kurosawa's immediate grasp of the film-making process, and includes many of his directorial trademarks, such as the use of wipes, weather patterns as reflections of character moods, and abruptly changing camera speeds. The film itself was quite influential at the time, and has been remade on no fewer than five occasions. It spawned a sequel, Sanshiro Sugata Part II, which was released in 1945 and also directed by Kurosawa.