he must be allowed to use his own methods to control him. The priest believes that he can straighten Takezo out, but Takezo again escapes with Otsu's help. Otsu now understands that Takezo was trying to shield her from the knowledge that Matahachi had abandoned her, and begs him to let her travel with him. They flee together but are soon tracked down. Otsu is captured, but Takezo fights his way out. Takezo learns that Otsu has been taken to Himeji Castle and breaks in to rescue her, but is once more tracked down by the priest Takuan. He is tricked and locked in a room in the castle for three years, told to study the ways of the samurai to earn his release while Otsu safely waits for him in a hiding place chosen by Takuan. The end of the film shows Takezo being released and granted his samurai name 'Musashi Miyamoto.' He then leaves to search for enlightenment, leaving two messages for Otsu: "Soon I will be back" and "Forgive me." Historical background The film begins in the year 1600 with Tokugawa Ieyasu's victory in the battle of Sekigahara, which cleared the path to the Shōgunate for Tokugawa Ieyasu; however, it took three more years to consolidate the position of power over the other clans. The historical Miyamoto Musashi is believed to have fought in this battle. Cast Toshiro Mifune as Miyamoto Musashi a.k.a. Takezo Rentarō Mikuni as Honiden Matahachi Kuroemon Onoe as priest Takuan (Takuan Sōhō) Kaoru Yachigusa as Otsu Mariko Okada as Akemi Mitsuko Mito as Oko Eiko Miyoshi as Osugi, Matahachi's mother Akihiko Hirata as Seijuro Yoshioka Kusuo Abe as Temma Tsujikaze Eitaro Ozawa as Terumasa Ikeda Akira Tani as Kawarano-Gonroku Seijiro Onda as chief official Fumito Matsuo as petty official 1 Masanobu Ôkubo as petty official 2 Jiro Kumagai as villager 1 Akira Sera as villager 2 Yasuhisa Tsutsumi as villager 1 Yutaka Sada as soldier 1 Shigeo Kato as soldier 2 Junichirō Mukai as soldier 3 Kiyoshi Kamoda as roving warrior 1 Michio Sakurai as roving warrior 2 Kyoro Sakurai as roving warrior 3 Masao Masuda as woodcutter Daisuke Katō Kanta Kisaragi Yoshio Kosugi Sōjin Kamiyama William Holden as narrator in the original U.S. version (uncredited) Production Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto was the second Toho film production in color and the first in the Eastman Color process. Release Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto was