Release calendarTop 250 moviesMost popular moviesBrowse movies by genreTop box officeShowtimes & ticketsMovie newsIndia movie spotlight
    What's on TV & streamingTop 250 TV showsMost popular TV showsBrowse TV shows by genreTV news
    What to watchLatest trailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily entertainment guideIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsEmmysToronto Int'l Film FestivalHispanic Heritage MonthIMDb Stars to WatchSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll events
    Born todayMost popular celebsCelebrity news
    Help centerContributor zonePolls
For industry professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign in
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • FAQ
IMDbPro

The Men Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail

Original title: Tora no o o fumu otoko-tachi
  • 1945
  • Not Rated
  • 59m
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
4.7K
YOUR RATING
The Men Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail (1945)
AdventureDramaThriller

A Japanese general and his men disguise themselves as monks in order to pass an enemy border patrol.A Japanese general and his men disguise themselves as monks in order to pass an enemy border patrol.A Japanese general and his men disguise themselves as monks in order to pass an enemy border patrol.

  • Director
    • Akira Kurosawa
  • Writers
    • Nobumitsu Kanze
    • Akira Kurosawa
    • Gohei Namiki
  • Stars
    • Denjirô Ôkôchi
    • Susumu Fujita
    • Ken'ichi Enomoto
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.7/10
    4.7K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Akira Kurosawa
    • Writers
      • Nobumitsu Kanze
      • Akira Kurosawa
      • Gohei Namiki
    • Stars
      • Denjirô Ôkôchi
      • Susumu Fujita
      • Ken'ichi Enomoto
    • 40User reviews
    • 27Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos50

    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    + 43
    View Poster

    Top cast11

    Edit
    Denjirô Ôkôchi
    Denjirô Ôkôchi
    • Benkei
    Susumu Fujita
    Susumu Fujita
    • Saemon Togashi
    Ken'ichi Enomoto
    Ken'ichi Enomoto
    • Porter
    Masayuki Mori
    Masayuki Mori
    • Kamei
    Takashi Shimura
    Takashi Shimura
    • Kataoka
    Akitake Kôno
    Akitake Kôno
    • Ise
    Yoshio Kosugi
    • Suruga
    Hanshirô Iwai
    • Yoshitsune
    • (as Shubo Nishina)
    Dekao Yokoo
    • Hidachibo
    Yasuo Hisamatsu
    • Kajiwara's Messenger
    Sôji Kiyokawa
    Sôji Kiyokawa
    • Togashi's Messenger
    • Director
      • Akira Kurosawa
    • Writers
      • Nobumitsu Kanze
      • Akira Kurosawa
      • Gohei Namiki
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews40

    6.74.7K
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    6
    7
    8
    9
    10

    Featured reviews

    gkbazalo

    Early Kurosawa is very enjoyable

    I have watched this several times and enjoyed each viewing. It's a very early Kurosawa, apparently done on a shoestring of a budget. However, we can already see Kurosawa's talents in pacing and setting up shots. Kenichi Enomoto as the porter appears out of place at first with his over the top mannerisms and broad comedy, but he fits into the story and breaks up the slower pace of some of the scenes. For Kurosawa and samurai fans, I think this will be more than just a curiosity. This has an early appearance of Masayuki Mori (the murdered husband in Roshomon) and a fairly early appearance of Takashi Shimura (leader of the seven samurai). I recommend this for the usual suspects.
    7claudio_carvalho

    Gives the Sensation that It Will Be Continued...

    In 1185, the Seike family fights against the Minamoto family. After a bloody naval battle in the Pacific Ocean, Yoshitsune Minamoto (Shubo Nishina) defeats the enemy and the survivals commit suicide. When the triumphant Yoshitsune arrives in Kyoto, his brother, the Shogun Ioromoto, is lured and orders his men to arrest Yoshitsune. However, Yoshitsune escapes with six loyal samurais led by Benkei (Denjirô Ôkôchi) and they head to the country of his only friend Idehira Fukiwara.

    Nearby the border, after crossing the forest disguised as monks, their smiley conveyor Suruga (Yoshio Kosugi) discloses that they are Yoshitsune and the six samurais and advises that the fearful Kagiwara and his soldiers are waiting for them in the border to arrest them. Yoshitsune disguises as a carrier and Benkei has to convince Kagiwara that they are six monks traveling to collect donation to build a large temple in Kyoto.

    "Tora no o wo Fumu Otokotachi" is the third feature of Master Akira Kurosawa that shows his talent even with very limited budget. The acting is superb and Denjirô Ôkôchi performs a very wise samurai. Yoshio Kosugi is annoying and funny at the same time, with his chuckles. The conclusion is a little disappointing and gives the sensation that the story will be continued. The subtitles in the Brazilian DVD from Continental Distributor have synchronicity problems many times, and I had to use the rewind to read them. My vote is seven.

    Title (Brazil): "Os Homens que Pisaram na Cauda do Tigre" ("The Men that Stepped on the Tail of the Tiger")
    10Casey_Moriarty

    I love this movie!

    Akira Kurosawa was, well, a genius.

    This early film is only further proof.

    Before he made Rashomon, the Seven Samurai and Ran he made this and it's great.

    The cast is fantastic. Kenichi Enomoto is especially great as the porter. That character is brilliant comic relief, which is especially evident in the scene where he attempts to dance.

    Jason Biggs doing a stupid dance in American Pie is not funny. Kenichi Enomoto doing a stupid dance in Tora no o wo fumu otokotachi is.

    The rest of the cast is great, too.

    The characters are wonderful. There's of course the cowardly porter, and the clever character who, pretending to be a monk, has to think quickly and it's fun to watch.

    Not only that, there is some very fine music and dialogue in this.

    Only problem: Too short. . . but then again, I could say the same about the Seven Samurai and Ran. A great movie is always too short.

    Highly recommended.
    7boblipton

    Early Kurosawa

    So, seven outlawed noblemen are.... here we see the roots of THE SEVEN SAMURAI. Except that in an hour and writing by himself, Kurosawa winds up concentrating solely on one of them, Denjirô Ôkôchi.

    Kurosawa would later note that he preferred to work with other writers, so that other characters could come to the fore. Anyway, they're trying to get past a barrier and to safety in a time of war. Sounds a bit like THE HIDDEN FORTRESS, doesn't it? According to my reading, all of Toho's actresses had been sent out of Tokyo because of bombing. Otherwise he might have made the other movie in 1945. There's surely a hint of it, when the noblemen they are trying to keep safe is said to look like a girl.
    crossbow0106

    Curious, Good, Not Very Long

    This film is just less than an hour long and tells a simple tale about a warrior with his six followers (one is a "driver" who almost reminds me of a Japanese Stan Laurel) and their quest to move on. They disguise themselves as monks. The film is set in the year 1195. The second half of the film is better, where they have to prove to others that they indeed are monks. The tension, including facing otherwise certain death, is extremely well done. I labeled the film curious due to its simplicity in telling the story. Kurosawa is rarely this straightforward, usually there are interesting twists and turns. That said, this watchable, there is a little comic relief, but it is not A list Kurosawa. Thats fine in and of itself.

    More like this

    Sanshiro Sugata, Part Two
    6.0
    Sanshiro Sugata, Part Two
    Sanshiro Sugata
    6.7
    Sanshiro Sugata
    No Regrets for Our Youth
    7.1
    No Regrets for Our Youth
    The Most Beautiful
    5.6
    The Most Beautiful
    One Wonderful Sunday
    7.2
    One Wonderful Sunday
    Scandal
    7.2
    Scandal
    The Quiet Duel
    7.3
    The Quiet Duel
    Drunken Angel
    7.6
    Drunken Angel
    The Lower Depths
    7.2
    The Lower Depths
    I Live in Fear
    7.3
    I Live in Fear
    The Idiot
    7.1
    The Idiot
    Dodes'ka-den
    7.3
    Dodes'ka-den

    Related interests

    Still frame
    Adventure
    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama
    Cho Yeo-jeong in Parasite (2019)
    Thriller

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Production had to be halted briefly during production of the film as Japan surrendered, bringing an end to the hostilities of World War II. Akira Kurosawa recollected breaking during production to listen to the address by Emperor Hirohito on August 15th, 1945.
    • Connections
      Featured in Great Performances: Kurosawa (2000)

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    FAQ14

    • How long is The Men Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • February 28, 1960 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • Japan
    • Language
      • Japanese
    • Also known as
      • Die Männer, die auf des Tigers Schwanz traten
    • Filming locations
      • Toho Studios, Tokyo, Japan(Studio)
    • Production company
      • Toho
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 59m
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    Follow IMDb on social
    Get the IMDb App
    For Android and iOS
    Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • License IMDb Data
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.