Japan Yojimbo sits in the top 9% of Japan films on this catalog — ranked #427 of 4,579 by TMDB audience score.
Synopsis
用心棒
“Seven Samurai if it Was Just One Samurai!”
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.
Audience Engagement
1,265 audience reviews — more than 98% of Japan films in our index.
Review volume (98th percentile) outruns trending popularity (82th) — a durable title with sustained audience attention.
Reception Benchmarks
Ranked #427 of 4,579 Japan films indexed here (91st percentile by TMDB audience score).
Rating is +1.2 points above the Japan average of 6.9/10.
Among Japan Drama productions specifically: #181 of 1,933 (top 9%).
Titles With Overlapping Themes
Films and series that share thematic tags with Yojimbo. Number on each card indicates how many keywords overlap.
Other Titles From TOHO
Drama + Thriller in Japan
142 Japan titles in our catalog blend the Drama and Thriller genres. Below: the top-rated of them (excluding Yojimbo itself).
The 1960–1962 Japan Window
Among 45 Japan films we catalog from this window, Yojimbo places #4 — near the top of its class.
The 1960s Japan Landscape
Yojimbo premiered in 1961 — a quieter year for Japan cinema with only 10 titles in our catalog. The 1960s overall landed 202 films and series across 10 years of activity.
Position in Catalog
Released alongside 9 other Japan films in 1961.
The 145th 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 Yojimbo, grouped by how common each theme is across the full Asian catalog. Rare tags are more distinctive signals.
- intrigue · 4
- asian western · 4
- criterion · 3
- revolver · 1
- feudal japan · 26
- fighting · 22
- edo period · 19
- ronin · 18
- swordplay · 16
- bodyguard · 10
- black and white · 10
- japan · 454
- samurai · 128
- family · 74
- jidaigeki · 61
- sword · 36
- 19th century · 32
- gambling · 31
Production Details
| Primary Country | Japan |
|---|---|
| Original Language | Japanese |
| Production Companies | TOHO |
| Runtime | 1h 50m |
| Release Date | April 25, 1961 |
| IMDb | tt0055630 |