

Throne of Blood
Returning to their lord's castle, samurai warriors Washizu and Miki are waylaid by a spirit who predicts their futures. When the first part of the spirit's prophecy comes true, Washizu's scheming wife, Asaji, presses him to speed up the rest of the spirit's prophecy by murdering his lord and usurping his place. Director Akira Kurosawa's resetting of William Shakespeare's "Macbeth" in feudal Japan is one of his most acclaimed films.
TMDB
7.9/10
1,032 votes
IMDb
Not rated yet
View on IMDb
- Status
- Released
- Budget
- —
- Box office
- $13.4K
- Language
- Japanese
- japan
- samurai
- based on novel or book
- prophecy
- castle
- siege
- ambition
- betrayal
- black and white
- ghost
- jidaigeki
- sengoku period
Top billed cast


















Behind the camera
Director
Music
Produced in
Japan
Where to watch
All optionsAvailability for United States. Provided by JustWatch through the TMDB API.
Gallery












Videos
Release dates
United StatesUS
- TheatricalNR15 Jan 1957
United KingdomGB
- Theatrical126 Jan 1958
AustraliaAU
- Theatrical (limited)MRe-Release26 Oct 2024
CzechiaCZ
- TVČT223 Nov 2008
DenmarkDK
- Theatrical1 Oct 1965
FranceFR
- Premiere1015 Jan 1957
- Theatrical1027 Apr 1966
- Physical8 Mar 2017
GermanyDE
- Theatrical1615 Jan 1957
ItalyIT
- PremiereVenice Film Festival5 Sept 1957
- Theatrical9 Oct 1959
JapanJP
- TheatricalG15 Jan 1957
NetherlandsNL
- PhysicalALDVD15 Mar 2005
PhilippinesPH
- TheatricalKurosawa Film Festival14 Sept 2010
South KoreaKR
- Theatrical16 Apr 2004
Frequently asked questions
Throne of Blood was released on 15 January 1957.
Audience reviews
2- C8/10
CRCulver
8/23/2018
One of a number of films that Akira Kurosawa made in the 1950s and which have become classics, <i>Throne of Blood</i> is the director's adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth, set in feudal Japan but showing that lust for power is a perennial feature of human society. Washizu (the Macbeth character, Toshiro Mifune) is a soldier serving the lord of Spiders-Web Castle. While riding through a forest with his comrade and ch…
- C7/10
CinemaSerf
4/20/2023
I think that this is a superb tragi-adventure story that stands out well amongst the numerous loose adaptations of Shakespeare that have been made over the years. Kurosawa takes the Scottish play and gives it the "Noh" treatment that delivers an enigmatic and tautly directed rendition of a story of betrayal, power and insanity. Toshirô Mifune is magnificent as "Washizu" who after getting lost with his colleague (Mino…
Member reviews
Sign in to rate and review. Browsing stays free and open.
Sign inMember comments
0Sign in to post a comment. Browsing stays free and open.
Sign in











