Throne of Blood

film by Kurosawa Akira [1957]

Also known as: “Kumonosu-jo”

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July 14, 2026

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Throne of Blood is a 1957 Japanese film directed by Akira Kurosawa. It is an adaptation of William Shakespeare's play Macbeth, with the story transposed to feudal Japan.1

The film follows the general Washizu, who, after a victory in battle, encounters a spirit in a castle who prophesies that he will become the lord of that castle. Driven by ambition and his wife's manipulation, Washizu murders his own lord, Duncan, and seizes the castle. However, his reign is marked by paranoia and further bloodshed as he eliminates rivals and faces rebellion. The prophecy that no man born of woman can harm him proves to be his undoing when he is killed by a warrior who was delivered by caesarean section.1

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Kurosawa Akira
Films of the 1950s
…the same title, Kumonosu-jo (Throne of Blood) was adapted from Shakespeare’s Macbeth, and Donzoko (1957; The Lower Depths) was from Maxim Gorky’s drama: each of these films is skillfully Japanized. Throne of Blood, which reflects the style of the sets and acting of the Japanese Noh play and uses…
Read More
…the same title, Kumonosu-jo (Throne of Blood) was adapted from Shakespeare’s Macbeth, and Donzoko (1957; The Lower Depths) was from Maxim Gorky’s drama: each of these films is skillfully Japanized. Throne of Blood, which reflects the style of the sets and acting of the Japanese Noh play and uses…
Read More