Battle of the Japan Sea main backdrop
Battle of the Japan Sea main poster

Battle of the Japan Sea

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6.0/10 • 7

1969-08-012h 8m

WarHistoryDrama

Japan and Russia clash in what comes to be known as the Russo-Japanese War. An attempt by the Japanese fleet and army to take Port Arthur fails, and a Russian fleet bears down on the Sea of Japan. Admiral Heihachiro Togo sends his fleet to confront the Russians, with results which stun both nations. Meanwhile, Major Genjiro Akashi makes secret negotiations with the Bolshevik revolutionaries in Russia, negotiations that have repercussions far beyond the conflict at hand.

Directors
Seiji Maruyama
Writters
Toshio Yasumi

Top Billed Cast

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  1. Toshirō Mifune

    Toshirō Mifune

    Admiral Heihachiro Togo

  2. Tatsuya Nakadai

    Tatsuya Nakadai

    Major Genjiro Akashi

  3. Yūzō Kayama

    Yūzō Kayama

    Cmdr. Hirose

  4. Chishū Ryū

    Chishū Ryū

    General Maresuke Nogi

  5. Susumu Fujita

    Susumu Fujita

    Uemura

  6. Mitsuko Kusabue

    Mitsuko Kusabue

    Mrs. Togo

  7. Ryūtarō Tatsumi

    Ryūtarō Tatsumi

    General Gonbei Yamamoto

  8. Matsumoto Hakuō I

    Matsumoto Hakuō I

    The Emperor Meiji

  9. Toshio Kurosawa

    Toshio Kurosawa

    Pfc. Maeyama

Reviews1

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watchman Avatar

watchman

Dec 23, 2013

6.5/10

Seiji Maruyama’s sanitized docu-drama, retelling the Japanese conduct of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905, which culminated with Japan’s stunning naval victory in the Tsushima Strait. Tsushima’s significance is practically mythic, amounting to a national symbol. From a director who has shown reverence for military values, you might expect a painstakingly conscientious propaganda film. That’s what you get here, complete with diagrams and explanatory narration. The emphasis is about equal between historic personalities and epic battles, both depicted with detachment and restraint, both almost bloodless by the standards of today. Confrontations are dignified, carnage is comparatively decorous. Toshiro Mifune and a debonair Tatsuya Nakadai stand out among a fine studio cast. Foreign actors playing Russians… well, less was expected of them. The unseen star is technical director Eiji Tsuburaya. At times you can all but smell the coal smoke from his model warships. The English subtitles are so flawed that they conclude with an apology. They’re still preferable to the English-language version incongruously dubbed by an American vocal cast.

Media

  • Battle of the Japan Sea poster
  • Battle of the Japan Sea poster
  • Battle of the Japan Sea poster

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Status
Released
Original Language
Japanese
Budget
$973,000.00
Revenue
$960,000.00
Keywords
japanmanchurianaval combatrussian historyimperial japan1900srusso-japanese warhistory of japanport arthur