The Blossom and the Sword
1973·Action·2h 29m
7.1
★
Tai Kato’s early 20th century set yakuza epic about an ordinary merchant girl (Hiroko Maki) who crosses paths with an assassin (Tetsuya Watari). The encounter sends her to jail as a suspected accomplice. Years later she marries a yakuza boss, whose gang is affiliated with working class people.
Directed by Tai Katō
yakuza
IMDB
N/A
Cast
Hiroko Maki
Mine Kondô
Tetsuya Watari
Seijirô Tanaka
Tōru Abe
Tsuyoshi Kishimoto
Kinya Kitaoji
Captain Sakagami
Gō Katō
Toyohiko Kagawa
Kunio Murai
Minoru Ôhama
Meichō Soganoya
Kinzô Nagata
Kin Sugai
Okin
Akira Shioji
Kamatari Fujiwara
Michiko Otsuka
Bontarō Miake
Crew
Tai Katō
Director
Tai Katō
Screenplay
Hajime Kaburagi
Original Music Composer
Popular Reviews
1 review
Hannah
8.8★ · 05/25/25
you would never guess this from the poster (lowkey embarrassed to log this bc of that actually pls ignore it it is not representative of this film), but this was like 3 minutes of bad choices away from being an almost unprecedented feminist epic and the best thing tai kato ever made.
as always with kato, the cinematography is absolutely insane. this might be my favorite looking film from him yet. impeccable blocking, low angles, crowded frames, beautiful lighting, it's all there.
as rarely with kato, an interesting female character with agency and dimension takes on the majority of the films focus. mine is smart, tough and such a breath of fresh air when it comes to the treatment of women in much of the rest of kato's filmography. sadly, her agency is consequently undermined by a specific scene later in the film that i have major issues with. this would have five stars from me if it weren't for that scene. boooo! so disappointing. still loved it but :(
as always with kato, the cinematography is absolutely insane. this might be my favorite looking film from him yet. impeccable blocking, low angles, crowded frames, beautiful lighting, it's all there.
as rarely with kato, an interesting female character with agency and dimension takes on the majority of the films focus. mine is smart, tough and such a breath of fresh air when it comes to the treatment of women in much of the rest of kato's filmography. sadly, her agency is consequently undermined by a specific scene later in the film that i have major issues with. this would have five stars from me if it weren't for that scene. boooo! so disappointing. still loved it but :(
you would never guess this from the poster (lowkey embarrassed to log this bc of that actually pls ignore it it is not representative of this film), but this was like 3 minutes of bad choices away from being an almost unprecedented feminist epic and the best thing tai kato ever made.
as always with kato, the cinematography is absolutely insane. this might be my favorite looking film from him yet. impeccable blocking, low angles, crowded frames, beautiful lighting, it's all there.
as rarely with kato, an interesting female character with agency and dimension takes on the majority of the films focus. mine is smart, tough and such a breath of fresh air when it comes to the treatment of women in much of the rest of kato's filmography. sadly, her agency is consequently undermined by a specific scene later in the film that i have major issues with. this would have five stars from me if it weren't for that scene. boooo! so disappointing. still loved it but :(
as always with kato, the cinematography is absolutely insane. this might be my favorite looking film from him yet. impeccable blocking, low angles, crowded frames, beautiful lighting, it's all there.
as rarely with kato, an interesting female character with agency and dimension takes on the majority of the films focus. mine is smart, tough and such a breath of fresh air when it comes to the treatment of women in much of the rest of kato's filmography. sadly, her agency is consequently undermined by a specific scene later in the film that i have major issues with. this would have five stars from me if it weren't for that scene. boooo! so disappointing. still loved it but :(
