Sanshiro Sugata, Part Two (1945)
1945 · Feature film · 83 min · dir. Akira Kurosawa
- Drama
Synopsis
A few years after his breakthrough, Sanshiro resumes his path to judo mastery—testing his discipline against an American prizefighter and later facing vengeful karate brothers. As rival schools and public spectacle push him toward violence, he must reconcile strength with restraint and the true spirit of his art.
Synopsis from TMDb
Details
- Director
- Akira Kurosawa
- Writer
- Tsuneo Tomita
- Composer
- Seiichi Suzuki
- Cinematography
- Takeo Itō
- Studio
- TOHO
- Released
- 1945-05-03
- Original title
- 續 姿三四郎
- Series
- Sanshiro Sugata Collection
- Running time
- 83 minutes
Cast & crew
Akira Kurosawa Director- Akitake Kōno
Ryūnosuke Tsukigata
Yukiko Todoroki
Ichirō Sugai
Kokuten Kōdō
Susumu Fujita
Denjirō Ōkōchi
Masayuki Mori
Reviews on the Internet Archive
★★★ · Sanshiro Sugata Part Two · Dijo Ann Johns · 2026-06-02
Kurosawa’s "Sanshiro" sequel feels like a step up from his debut. Unlike the first film, where the re‑edits and censoring left things a bit messy, this one holds together better. The action sequences don’t quite hit the mark—they’re serviceable but nowhere near Kurosawa’s later brilliance. What makes it worth watching, though, is how much more weight is given to Sanshiro’s inner battles. His emotional conflict and moral struggles are explored with "somewhat" sharper intensity, giving the story more depth than the original. It’s not top‑tier Kurosawa, but compared to the first part, it’s a…
