A nameless ronin, or samurai with no master, enters a small village in feudal Japan where two rival businessmen are struggling for control of the local gambling trade. Taking the name Sanjuro Kuwabatake, the ronin convinces both silk merchant Tazaemon and sake merchant Tokuemon to hire him as a personal bodyguard, then artfully sets in motion a full-scale gang war between the two ambitious and unscrupulous men.
三船敏郎
as Sanjuro Kuwabatake / The Samurai
仲代達矢
as Unosuke, gunfighter
司葉子
as Nui
山田五十鈴
as Orin
加東大介
as Inokichi
河津清三郎
as Seibê - brothel operator
志村喬
as Tokuemon, sake brewer
太刀川寛
as Yoichiro
夏木陽介
as Kohei's Son
東野英治郎
as Gonji, Tavern Keeper
藤原釜足
as Tazaemon
沢村いき雄
as Hansuke
