The Hidden Fortress
What you make of another's kindness is up to you.
1958 | 139m | Japanese
Popularity: 3 (history)
| Director: | Akira Kurosawa |
|---|---|
| Writer: | Akira Kurosawa, Shinobu Hashimoto, Hideo Oguni, Ryuzo Kikushima |
| Staring: |
| In feudal Japan, during a bloody war between clans, two cowardly and greedy peasants, soldiers of a defeated army, stumble upon a mysterious man who guides them to a fortress hidden in the mountains. | |
| Release Date: | Dec 28, 1958 |
|---|---|
| Director: | Akira Kurosawa |
| Writer: | Akira Kurosawa, Shinobu Hashimoto, Hideo Oguni, Ryuzo Kikushima |
| Genres: | Adventure, Action, Drama |
| Keywords | japan, male friendship, jidaigeki, sengoku period, feudal japan, 16th century, mountain fortress |
| Production Companies | TOHO |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $57,673
Budget: $0 |
| Updates |
Updated: Nov 30, 2025 Entered: Nov 30, 2025 |
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| Toshirō Mifune | General Rokurota Makabe |
| Minoru Chiaki | Tahei |
| Kamatari Fujiwara | Matashichi |
| Misa Uehara | Princess Yuki |
| Susumu Fujita | General Hyoe Tadokoro |
| Takashi Shimura | General Izumi Nagakura |
| Ikio Sawamura | Gambler (uncredited) |
| Kōji Mitsui | Guard (uncredited) |
| Takeo Oikawa | Guard (uncredited) |
| Yū Fujiki | Guard (uncredited) |
| Yutaka Sada | Guard (uncredited) |
| Haruo Suzuki | Horseman (uncredited) |
| Haruya Sakamoto | Horseman (uncredited) |
| Hiroyoshi Yamaguchi | Horseman (uncredited) |
| Minoru Itō | Horseman (uncredited) |
| Shigekatsu Kanazawa | Horseman (uncredited) |
| Shin Ōtomo | Horseman (uncredited) |
| Yoshio Tsuchiya | Horseman (uncredited) |
| Eiko Miyoshi | Maid (uncredited) |
| Toranosuke Ogawa | Magistrate (uncredited) |
| Kokuten Kōdō | Old Man (uncredited) |
| Etsurō Saijō | Samurai (uncredited) |
| Fuminori Ōhashi | Samurai (uncredited) |
| Masayoshi Nagashima | Samurai (uncredited) |
| Takeshi Katō | Samurai (uncredited) |
| Toshiko Higuchi | Slave Girl (uncredited) |
| Kichijirō Ueda | Slave Trader (uncredited) |
| Nakajirō Tomita | Slave Buyer (uncredited) |
| Yoshibumi Tajima | Slave Buyer (uncredited) |
| Akira Tani | Soldier (uncredited) |
| Haruo Nakajima | Soldier (uncredited) |
| Ichirō Chiba | Soldier (uncredited) |
| Makoto Satō | Soldier (uncredited) |
| Ryū Kuze | Soldier (uncredited) |
| Sachio Sakai | Soldier (uncredited) |
| Senkichi Ōmura | Soldier (uncredited) |
| Shōichi Hirose | Soldier (uncredited) |
| Takuzō Kumagai | Soldier (uncredited) |
| Yoshio Kosugi | Soldier (uncredited) |
| Rinsaku Ogata | Young Man (uncredited) |
| Tadao Nakamaru | Young Man (uncredited) |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| Akira Kurosawa | Screenplay, Editor, Director |
| Eiji Tsuburaya | Visual Effects |
| Shinobu Hashimoto | Screenplay |
| Junjirō Yamada | Hairstylist |
| Yoshirō Muraki | Production Design |
| Kazuo Yamasaki | Director of Photography |
| Hideo Oguni | Screenplay |
| Yōichi Matsue | Assistant Director |
| Masaru Satō | Original Music Composer |
| Ichirō Inohara | Gaffer |
| Ryuzo Kikushima | Screenplay |
| Masaji Nonagase | Assistant Director |
| Masahiro Katō | Costume Designer |
| Yoshiko Matsumoto | Hairstylist |
| Yoshimitsu Banno | Assistant Director |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Akira Kurosawa | Producer |
| Sanezumi Fujimoto | Producer |
| Organization | Category | Person |
|---|
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 19 | 29 | 12 |
| 2024 | 5 | 23 | 32 | 15 |
| 2024 | 6 | 22 | 37 | 14 |
| 2024 | 7 | 23 | 41 | 15 |
| 2024 | 8 | 23 | 49 | 12 |
| 2024 | 9 | 14 | 21 | 11 |
| 2024 | 10 | 18 | 27 | 12 |
| 2024 | 11 | 14 | 21 | 9 |
| 2024 | 12 | 16 | 28 | 10 |
| 2025 | 1 | 16 | 21 | 11 |
| 2025 | 2 | 13 | 22 | 3 |
| 2025 | 3 | 6 | 18 | 1 |
| 2025 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 1 |
| 2025 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 8 | 2 | 5 | 1 |
| 2025 | 9 | 3 | 4 | 2 |
| 2025 | 10 | 5 | 35 | 2 |
| 2025 | 11 | 13 | 67 | 2 |
| 2025 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
Trending Position
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 11 | 962 | 979 |
Now though top billing and much of the screen time is afforded to Kurosawa regular Toshirô Mifune ("Gen. Makabe") this film really belongs to the two opportunistic farmers "Matakichi" (Kamatari Fujiwara) and "Tahei" (Minori Chiaki). These two chancers learn of a fortune in gold hidden away after the ... ir land is invaded by their neighbours. Off they set to discover it, and along the way stumble upon the general in his mountain-top eerie. Now it's not really a fortress, more a big shack at the top of a hill, but they soon discover it hides something way more valuable than gold. The Princess "Yuki" (Misa Uehara) who is wanted by her enemies even more than the treasure. Their bumbling ineptitude and curiosity married with their greed and of course - acute sense of self preservation - leads them to join with the fleeing couple and for all four to try and smuggle the princess and the loot to the safety of an adjacent kingdom where safety awaits. What ensues now is a series of entertaining and perilous adventures that allow each character to take centre stage. Mifune is very much in his element as the loyal, chivalrous - and pretty lethal - general; the Princess is no shrinking violet either and along the way we are entertained to an engaging assessment of the venality, mendacity and couragousness of war - it brings out the best and the worst in everyone. There is an almost Laurel and Hardy feeling to the end of this perfectly paced adventure film, which certainly raises a smile and I thoroughly enjoyed this.