Zen and Sword: Limited Edition Box Set – Eureka Video (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Dates: Japan, 1961 (Miyamoto Musashi), Japan, 1962 (Miyamoto Musashi II: Showdown at Hannyazaka Heights), Japan, 1963 (Miyamoto Musashi III: Birth of the Two Sword Style), Japan, 1964 (Miyamoto Musashi IV: Duel at Ichijyo-ji), Japan, 1965 (Miyamoto Musashi V: Duel at Ganryu Island)
Director: Tomu Uchida (All Films)
Cast: Kinnosuke Nakamura, Wakaba Irie, Chieko Naniwa, Rentarô Mikuni, Michiyo Kogure, Ryôsuke Kagawa, Mikijirô Hira, Ken Takakura, Chieko Higashiyama, Kei Satô, Koreya Senda, Takahiro Tamura, Kôtarô Satomi

Release Date: February 23rd, 2026
Approximate Running Times: 110 Minutes 15 Seconds (Miyamoto Musashi), 106 Minutes 39 Seconds (Miyamoto Musashi II: Showdown at Hannyazaka Heights), 103 Minutes 59 Seconds (Miyamoto Musashi III: Birth of the Two Sword Style), 127 Minutes 58 Seconds (Miyamoto Musashi IV: Duel at Ichijyo-ji), 120 Minutes 50 Seconds (Miyamoto Musashi V: Duel at Ganryu Island)
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (All Films)
Rating: 15 (UK)
Sound: LPCM Stereo Japanese (All Films)
Subtitles: English (All Films)
Region Coding: Region B
Retail Price: £54.99 (UK)

"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.." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5 (All Films)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "rom new 4K restorations by Toei."

Miyamoto Musashi and Miyamoto Musashi II: Showdown at Hannyazaka Heights come on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 44.2 GB

Feature: 21.8 GB (Miyamoto Musashi), 21.2 GB (Miyamoto Musashi II: Showdown at Hannyazaka Heights)

Miyamoto Musashi III: Birth of the Two Sword Style and Miyamoto Musashi IV: Duel at Ichijyo-ji come on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 44.8 GB

Feature: 19.6 GB (Miyamoto Musashi III: Birth of the Two Sword Style), 24.1 GB (Miyamoto Musashi IV: Duel at Ichijyo-ji)

Miyamoto Musashi V: Duel at Ganryu Island comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 44.2 GB

Feature: 33.3 GB

All of the sources are in excellent shape; flesh tones and colors look correct, image clarity and black levels are strong, compression is solid, and there are no issues with digital noise reduction. That said, Miyamoto Musashi IV: Duel at Ichijyo-ji has one sequence that reverts to black and white, while every other moment from each film is in color.

Audio: 4.5/5 (All Audio Tracks)

Each film comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in Japanese with removable English subtitles. All tracks are of high quality; dialogue is always clear, the sound is well-balanced, and ambient effects are effectively represented.

Extras:

Extras on disc one include a theatrical trailer for Miyamoto Musashi (3 minutes, LPCM mono Japanese with non-removable English subtitles), a Toei Bulletin for Miyamoto Musashi (3 minutes 14 seconds, LPCM mono Japanese with non-removable English subtitles), a theatrical trailer for Miyamoto Musashi II: Showdown at Hannyazaka Heights (3 minutes 7 seconds, LPCM mono Japanese with non-removable English subtitles), a Toei Bulletin for Miyamoto Musashi II: Showdown at Hannyazaka Heights (3 minutes 48 seconds, LPCM mono Japanese with non-removable English subtitles), an audio commentary with Japanese cinema expert Jonathan Wroot for Miyamoto Musashi, and an audio commentary with film critic and Japanese cinema specialist Jasper Sharp for Miyamoto Musashi II: Showdown at Hannyazaka Heights.

Extras on disc two include a theatrical trailer for Miyamoto Musashi III: Birth of the Two Sword Style (3 minutes 10 seconds, LPCM mono Japanese with non-removable English subtitles), a theatrical trailer for Miyamoto Musashi IV: Duel at Ichijyo-ji (3 minutes 16 seconds, LPCM mono Japanese with non-removable English subtitles), and Toei Bulletin for Miyamoto Musashi IV: Duel at Ichijyo-ji (2 minutes 21 seconds, LPCM mono Japanese with non-removable English subtitles).

Extras on disc three include still galleries: Miyamoto Musashi (88 images), Miyamoto Musashi II: Showdown at Hannyazaka Heights (79 images), Miyamoto Musashi III: Birth of the Two Sword Style (65 images), Miyamoto Musashi IV: Duel at Ichijyo-ji (61 images), and Miyamoto Musashi V: Duel at Ganryu Island (89 images), a theatrical trailer for Miyamoto Musashi V: Duel at Ganryu Island (3 minutes 8 seconds, LPCM mono Japanese with non-removable English subtitles), a Toei Bulletin for Miyamoto Musashi V: Duel at Ganryu Island (2 minutes 26 seconds, LPCM mono Japanese with non-removable English subtitles), an new appreciation of Toei’s Miyamoto Musashi saga by film critic Tony Rayns titled A Legendary Swordsman (27 minutes 37 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with Japanese cinema scholar Jennifer Coates on female representation in Toei’s Miyamoto Musashi saga titled On Otsu and Other Women (17 minutes 6 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), and Live by the Sword a 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 (15 minutes 25 seconds, LPCM stereo English with removable English subtitles for Japanese film clips).

Other extras include a hardbound slipcase (limited to 2,000 copies) and a 100-page book (limited to 2,000 copies) with cast & crew information for each film, an essay titled Two Paths to the Way: Miyamoto Musashi on Screen in Post-War Japan written by Joe Hickinbottom, an essay titled Heart vs Head: Opposing Star Personas in Miyamoto Musashi written by Jennifer Coates, a translated writing by Miyamoto Musashi titled The Book of Five Rings, a translated writing by Miyamoto Musashi titled The Way of Walking Alone, posters, glossary of terms, and information about the transfer titled Notes on Viewing.

Summary:

Tomu Uchida directed these five Miyamoto Musashi films. He’s known for Bloody Spear at Mount Fuji, The Mad Fox, and A Fugitive from the Past.

Miyamoto Musashi: After being on the losing side of the Battle of Sekigahara, Takezo’s life becomes embroiled in turmoil, and he embarks on a journey of self-discovery.

Miyamoto Musashi II: Showdown at Hannyazaka Heights: After a period of self-reflection, Takezo is reborn as Miyamoto Musashi and embarks on a quest to become the most skilled swordsman.

Miyamoto Musashi III: Birth of the Two Sword Style: In his quest for knowledge, Miyamoto Musashi crosses paths with Sasaki Kojiro, a swordsman who would become his archrival. 

Miyamoto Musashi IV: Duel at Ichijyo-ji: In his continued search for swordsmen who can challenge him, Miyamoto Musashi encounters Kojiro, his most formidable opponent to date.

Miyamoto Musashi V: Duel at Ganryu Island: Only Sasaki Kojiro stands in the way of Miyamoto Musashi completing his journey.

The first film not only serves as an origin story for Takezo, who becomes Miyamoto Musashi, but also does an excellent job introducing and fleshing out characters who will play a role throughout the five films. When Takezo’s friend Matahachi runs away with a woman and her mother, who saved them, Matahachi’s mother blames him for her son’s death. Although her son is still alive, this sets in action a series of events that make Takezo a fugitive. After a series of failed attempts to capture Takezo, it is a monk named Takuan who brings him to justice. For his punishment they hang him from a tree and let the weather conditions slowly break him down. Nearing death, a woman’s act of kindness saves him from certain death. Later on when he crosses paths with Takuan, instead of turning him in, he becomes his mentor.

Miyamoto Musashi II: Showdown at Hannyazaka Heights picks right up where its predecessor left off. The protagonist, a free man, has been reborn as Miyamoto Musashi and embarks on a journey as a wandering swordsman, challenging all opponents. While he tries to strengthen his skills as a fighter, someone from his past who holds a grudge tries to derail him by sabotaging his training and challenging him to a duel that threatens his progress.

Miyamoto Musashi III: Birth of the Two Sword Style begins in the aftermath of the events that concluded Miyamoto Musashi II: Showdown at Hannyazaka Heights. This film introduces two new characters in Miyamoto Musashi’s journey, a young boy who he mentors, and Sasaki Kojiro, a gifted swordsman whose path is destined to collide with Miyamoto Musashi’s. This time around he faces new obstacles and old grudges.

Miyamoto Musashi IV: Duel at Ichijyo-ji begins with a recap of the three films that preceded it. Although characters from the protagonists' past play a role in the unfolding story, the main conflict arises from a clan that refuses to accept defeat. When Miyamoto Musashi kills two of their men in duels, they abandon chivalry in their quest to kill him. The main action set piece features a duel between the protagonist and 73 fighters, transitioning from color to black and white. This shift in color enhances the scene's impact.

Miyamoto Musashi IV: Duel at Ichijyo-ji begins with a lengthy 9-minute recap of the four films that preceded it. When the narrative picks up where its predecessor left off, we find Miyamoto Musashi in anguish after killing a child who was one of the leaders of the clan that tried to ambush him. Along the way he meets a young boy whose father has just died and left him alone, and Miyamoto Musashi finds retribution by taking him in. The finale and series climax see Miyamoto Musashi duel Sasaki Kojiro.

While these films are about a protagonist looking to strengthen his skills as a swordsman, their narratives tend to heavily favor dialogue over action. The action sequences in these films are expertly crafted and consistently impactful, despite their brevity. Each film reserves its most significant action moments for the finale. Most of these scenarios see Miyamoto Musashi greatly outnumbered, including one scene where he faces 73 opponents.

All around, the cast are outstanding in their roles, especially Kinnosuke Nakamura’s (Revenge) portrayal of Miyamoto Musashi. He delivers an exemplary performance that not only showcases his character's physical prowess but also his contemplative side. Another performance of note is Wakaba Irie (The Island Closest to Heaven) in the role of Otsu. Although Otsu’s love for Miyamoto Musashi is strong, his singular focus is his destiny as a swordsman, and it's not until the fourth film that he finally professes his love for her. Although Ken Takakura (Abashiri Prison) had been in 89 films over 7 years before Miyamoto Musashi III: Birth of the Two Sword Style, most of these roles were unnamed characters or bit parts. The Miyamoto Musashi films gave him an early notable role before he had his breakout as an actor.

While it can be challenging to match the quality of the first film, each of the following films maintains a high standard. Some films feature more action than others, and among them, Miyamoto Musashi III: Birth of the Two Sword Style stands out with the fastest pacing of the five films. All of these films excel in an area that can sometimes be overlooked in similar productions: the significant amount of time they dedicate to the stories of not only their protagonists but also their supporting characters. In conclusion, Tomu Uchida’s Miyamoto Musashi is an epic series where everything comes together seamlessly, making it a must-see for fans of samurai films.

Eureka Video has done an exceptional job with this release; each film comes with a solid audio/video presentation, and there is a wealth of insightful extras, notably an outstanding 100-page book. That said, Zen and Sword is a leading contender for release of the year; it's a must-have for fans of samurai cinema, and it's the type of release that should convince you to go region-free, if you are not already. Highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer