


A hotheaded youth in 1880s Meiji Japan apprentices to judo master Shōgorō Yano, trading brute jujutsu bravado for discipline and humility. As Sanshirō matures, he proves judo’s spirit against old-guard challengers—including a deadly duel—while falling for his vanquished opponent’s daughter. Based on the novel by Tsuneo Tomita, son of Tomita Tsunejirō, the earliest disciple of judo.

Denjirō Ōkōchi
Shogoro Yano

Susumu Fujita
Sanshiro Sugata

Yukiko Todoroki
Sayo Murai

Ryūnosuke Tsukigata
Gennosuke Higaki

Takashi Shimura
Hansuke Murai, Sayo's father

Ranko Hanai
Osumi Kodana
Sugisaku Aoyama
Tsunetami Iimura

Ichirō Sugai
Police Chief Mishima

Yoshio Kosugi
Master Saburo Kodama

Kokuten Kōdō
Buddhist Priest
Michisaburō Segawa
Wada
Akitake Kōno
Yoshima Dan

Sōji Kiyokawa
Yujiro Toda
Kunio Mita
Kohei Tsuzaki
Akira Nakamura
Toranosuki Niiseki
Eisaburo Sakauchi
Nemoto
Ko Yamamuro
Torakichi

Ichirō Ryūzaki
Monma's pupil (uncredited)
Akira Kurosawa
Akira Kurosawa
Released