"Robe" of Variety found the film to have an "overlong unfolding story" that "rarely stops for a rest" and ultimately declared the film a "programmer". References Sources External links The Sword of Doom: Calligraphy in Blood an essay by Geoffrey O’Brien at the Criterion Collection 1966 films Japanese black-and-white films Japanese epic films Films directed by Kihachi Okamoto 1960s Japanese-language films Jidaigeki films Samurai films Films with screenplays by Shinobu Hashimoto Films produced by Sanezumi Fujimoto Films scored by Masaru Sato Films based on Japanese novels Films set in Bakumatsu 1960s Japanese films