Kagemusha (1980)

Overview · Where to watch · Cast & crew · Reviews

The Shadow of a man can never stand up and walk on its own.

Akira Kurosawa's lauded feudal epic presents the tale of a petty thief who is recruited to impersonate Shingen, an aging warlord, in order to avoid attacks by competing clans. When Shingen dies, his generals reluctantly agree to have the impostor take over as the powerful ruler. He soon begins to appreciate life as Shingen, but his commitment to the role is tested when he must lead his troops into battle against the forces of a rival warlord.

• Released: 1980-04-26
• Genres: Action, Drama, History, War
• Runtime: 3h 0m
• Status: Released
• TMDB rating: 7.8/10 from 770 votes

Directed by Akira Kurosawa.

Top cast

• Tatsuya Nakadai as Shingen Takeda / Kagemusha
• Tsutomu Yamazaki as Nobukado Takeda
• Kenichi Hagiwara as Katsuyori Takeda
• Jinpachi Nezu as Sohachiro Tsuchiya
• Hideji Ōtaki as Masakage Yamagata
• Daisuke Ryū as Nobunaga Oda
• Masayuki Yui as Ieyasu Tokugawa
• Kaori Momoi as Otsuyanokata
• Mitsuko Baisho as Oyunokata
• Hideo Murota as Nobufusa Baba

Full cast & crew

Where to watch Kagemusha

• United States: rent on Google Play Movies, YouTube; buy on Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube
• United Kingdom: rent on Google Play Movies, YouTube; buy on Google Play Movies, Sky Store, YouTube
• Canada: buy on Apple TV Store

Movies like Kagemusha

If you enjoyed Kagemusha, these movies have a similar feel:

• The Hidden Fortress (1958)
• Kingdom III: The Flame of Destiny (2023)
• 11 Rebels (2024)
• Buddha: The Great Departure (2011)
• Throne of Blood (1957)
• Sword of the Stranger (2007)
• Fate/Grand Order the Movie: Divine Realm of the Round Table: Camelot 1 Wandering; Agateram (2020)
• 47 Ronin (2013)
• The Man in the Iron Mask (1998)
• Kingdom 2: Far and Away (2022)
• DragonHeart (1996)
• The Scarlet and the Black (1983)

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