ZEN & SWORD (Masters of Cinema) Standard Edition Three-disc Blu-ray - Pre-order 24 August 2026

Sweeping five-film samurai epic starring Kinnosuke Nakamura and Ken Takakura

Eureka Entertainment to reissue ZEN & SWORD: THE MIYAMOTO MUSASHI SAGA AT TOEI, a five-film chronicle capturing the rise and legacy of Japan’s legendary swordsman. Newly restored in 4K by Toei, the films are available as part of The Masters of Cinema Series. Available from 24 August 2026 in a standard edition.

A swordsman, writer and artist who lived from circa 1583 until 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 Kojiro intensifies in Miyamoto Musashi IV: Duel at Ichijo-ji Temple and ultimately concludes in Miyamoto Musashi V: Duel at Ganryu Island.

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.

STANDARD EDITION THREE-DISC BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES:

• 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 
• 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
• Package design by John Dunn
• Trailers

PRESS

“Filled with action, intrigue and well-placed drama, the life of Musashi Miyamoto was a fascinating one, and these movies are worth your time in order to discover that life for yourself” – Inside Pulse

“This is a film series that samurai film fans simply cannot miss” – CineGeek