Story perspectives

Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s First Jidaigeki ‘Samurai and Prisoner’ Debuts

8/5/2026

Summary

Story summary

Kiyoshi Kurosawa released “The Samurai and the Prisoner” in select theaters on Friday.
The film adapts Honobu Yonezawa’s 2021 novel Kokurojo and is Kurosawa’s first jidaigeki.
Set during Oda Nobunaga’s siege, Lord Araki Murashige (Masahiro Motoki) imprisons strategist Kuroda Kanbei (Masaki Suda) to investigate murders at Arioka Castle.
Cinematographer Yasuyuki Sasaki, editor Kôichi Takahashi and Janus Films use long takes and minimal sword action to emphasize dialogue.

History

Historical Context

In June 1582, Akechi Mitsuhide betrayed Oda Nobunaga at Kyoto’s Honno-ji temple, ending the daimyo’s campaign to unify Japan. Mitsuhide’s 13,000-man force surrounded the fortified temple while Nobunaga’s guard numbered only dozens, creating a power vacuum. Thirteen days later Toyotomi Hideyoshi returned with about 30,000 troops, won the Battle of Yamazaki and set the stage for his own unification—context reflected in Kurosawa’s film.

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Story summary

Kiyoshi Kurosawa released “The Samurai and the Prisoner” in select theaters on Friday.
The film adapts Honobu Yonezawa’s 2021 novel Kokurojo and is Kurosawa’s first jidaigeki.
Set during Oda Nobunaga’s siege, Lord Araki Murashige (Masahiro Motoki) imprisons strategist Kuroda Kanbei (Masaki Suda) to investigate murders at Arioka Castle.
Cinematographer Yasuyuki Sasaki, editor Kôichi Takahashi and Janus Films use long takes and minimal sword action to emphasize dialogue.

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