Japan Harakiri sits in the top 4% of Japan films on this catalog — ranked #206 of 4,579 by TMDB audience score.
Synopsis
切腹
“The world has never understood why the Japanese prefer death to dishonor! Winner of Prix Special du Jury at Cannes 1963 provides the answer!!”
Down-on-his-luck veteran Tsugumo Hanshirō enters the courtyard of the prosperous House of Iyi. Unemployed, and with no family, he hopes to find a place to commit seppuku—and a worthy second to deliver the coup de grâce in his suicide ritual. The senior counselor for the Iyi clan questions the ronin’s resolve and integrity, suspecting Hanshirō of seeking charity rather than an honorable end. What follows is a pair of interlocking stories which lay bare the difference between honor and respect, and promises to examine the legendary foundations of the Samurai code.
Reception Benchmarks
Ranked #206 of 4,579 Japan films indexed here (96th percentile by TMDB audience score).
Rating is +1.5 points above the Japan average of 6.9/10.
Among Japan Action productions specifically: #95 of 1,714 (top 6%).
Audience Engagement
838 audience reviews — more than 96% of Japan films in our index.
Popularity sits at the 87th percentile among Japan films.
Titles With Overlapping Themes
Films and series that share thematic tags with Harakiri. Number on each card indicates how many keywords overlap.
Other Titles From Shochiku
Action + Drama in Japan
444 Japan titles in our catalog blend the Action and Drama genres. Below: the top-rated of them (excluding Harakiri itself).
The 1961–1963 Japan Window
Harakiri tops the 44 Japan films we index from this three-year window. Cards below list the runners-up in descending audience order.
The 1960s Japan Landscape
Catalog density by release year across the 1960s in Japan, 202 titles in total. Highlighted year (yellow) is when Harakiri premiered alongside 18 others.
Position in Catalog
Released alongside 18 other Japan films in 1962.
The 162nd Japan title from Japan we index (earliest catalogued entry: 1899).
Our Japan catalog contains 4,579 titles in total (2,908 films).
Thematic Fingerprint
Tags on Harakiri, grouped by how common each theme is across the full Asian catalog. Rare tags are more distinctive signals.
- shogunate · 5
- flashback · 28
- poverty · 24
- ronin · 18
- 17th century · 12
- asia · 9
- bushi · 9
- seppuku · 7
- japan · 454
- revenge · 210
- samurai · 128
- jidaigeki · 61
- suicide · 51
Production Details
| Primary Country | Japan |
|---|---|
| Original Language | Japanese |
| Production Companies | Shochiku |
| Runtime | 2h 15m |
| Release Date | September 15, 1962 |
| IMDb | tt0056058 |