| Director | Akira Kurosawa |
|---|---|
| Budget | ¥90.9 million |
| Box office | $2.5 million |
In 1860, during the final years of the Edo period, a rōnin wanders through a desolate countryside. Stopping at a farmhouse for water, he overhears an elderly couple lamenting that their only son has run off to join the "gamblers" in a nearby town, which is overrun with criminals and contested by two rival yakuza gangs. In the town, the rōnin stops at a small izakaya (tavern).