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SYNOPSIS
A swordsman, writer and artist who lived between 1584 and 1645, Miyamoto Musashi is a near-mythic figure in Japanese history and an icon of Japanese popular culture. The first film based on his life was produced in the silent period, followed by dozens more made over the next decades. In the early 1960s, Toei launched into an entire series focused on the legendary samurai – a five-part saga adapted from the works of Eiji Yoshikawa and completed under the direction of Tomu Uchida between 1961 and 1965.

Miyamoto Musashi charts the origins of the eponymous swordsman (Kinnosuke Nakamura) following his participation in the Battle of Sekigahara and traces his path towards the way of the samurai. In Miyamoto Musashi II: Showdown at Hannyazaka Heights, Musashi emerges from a period of learning and contemplation, soon coming into conflict with a rogue group of ronin. Then, in Miyamoto Musashi III: Birth of the Two Sword Style, the samurai develops his personal style of swordsmanship and first encounters Kojiro Sasaki (Ken Takakura), who will become his arch-rival. His feud with Sasaki intensifies in Miyamoto Musashi IV: Duel at Ichijyo-ji and Miyamoto Musashi V: Duel at Ganryu Island, ultimately leading to an epic final battle.

A greatly accomplished samurai saga featuring two titans of Japanese cinema in Kinnosuke Nakamura and Ken Takakura, Toei’s Miyamoto Musashi films deserve to stand with the Zatoichi series as one of the great samurai sagas of the 1960s. The Masters of Cinema Series is honoured to present all five films on Blu-ray from new 4K restorationsby Toei.

SPECIAL FEATURES
Limited Collector's Edition Box Set [2000 copies]
Limited edition hardbound slipcase featuring new art by John Dunn [2000 copies]
Limited edition 100-page collector’s book featuring translated writing by Miyamoto Musashi, notes on each film in Toei’s Musashi series by Japanese cinema expert Joe Hickinbottom and a new essay on the films’ stars by Jennifer Coates, author of Film Viewing in Postwar Japan, 1945-1968 [2000 copies]
1080p HD presentations on Blu-ray from new 4K restorations by Toei
Optional English subtitles, newly revised for this release
New audio commentary on Miyamoto Musashi with Japanese cinema expert Jonathan Wroot
New audio commentary on Miyamoto Musashi II: Showdown at Hannyazaka Heights with critic and Japanese cinema specialist Jasper Sharp
Live by the Sword – new video essay on Miyamoto Musashi in history and popular culture by Jonathan Clements, author of A Brief History of Japan: Samurai, Shōgun and Zen: The Extraordinary Story of the Land of the Rising Sun
A Legendary Swordsman – new appreciation of Toei’s Miyamoto Musashi saga by film critic Tony Rayns
On Otsu and Other Women – new interview with Japanese cinema scholar Jennifer Coates on female representation in Toei’s Miyamoto Musashi saga
Trailers

Good find—didn’t expect it to leak this early. Curious to see what the final specs look like once Toei confirms it, especially whether we’re getting a proper remaster or just a basic upscale. Will keep an eye out for updates.

I never thought I'd be able to chuck the Animeigo DVD off of my shelf.

What A Disgrace wrote: Thu Nov 20, 2025 3:24 pm I never thought I'd be able to chuck the Animeigo DVD off of my shelf.

There is a Stuart Galbraith commentary on that not present on this new release I believe.

A great announcement, was really hoping these would show up. I thought Radiance might get them, or perhaps Arrow as they did some Uchida titles previously, but good on Eureka for managing to get all of these and do a proper box set. Happy they didn't just do the first three and possible never do the other two, as they did for Abashiri Prison and Red Peony Gambler (three if you include 1971's Miyamoto Musashi VI: Swords of Death, which they seem to be skipping).

How do these compare with Inagaki's Samurai trilogy?

I am curious about that too! From the write up it appears as if we are getting the equivalent of the first of the Inagaki film in the first film here (though the Inagaki film rather briskly skipped over that Battle of Sekigahara moment to get Matahachi and Takezo involved with the two women; and then the other two films in the Inagaki trilogy, Duel at Ichijoji Temple and Duel At Ganryu Island, appear to form parts IV and V here. So I would assume that we are going to get a lot more expansion of the in between material between those poles. I wonder if that may make the character of Otsu seem less aggravating if she has more time afforded to her compared to how that character came across in the Inagaki trilogy!

I've seen both, though it's been over a decade and I can't recall either with any particular clarity, but I remember feeling that Mifune's portrayal of Miyamoto gave off big "Jedi Knight" vibes, whereas Nakamura's take on the character felt like a far more feral portrayal, like a beast becoming a man over the course of five films.

Hey, check out MoC with their not westernising the name order of the main character. Presumably only because it’s a historical personage since all the other names in the description are still sadly flipped. It’s got to be more confusing for non Japanese speakers presumably when they flip some names and not others.