Movies Like The Heir’s First Journey

If you liked The Heir’s First Journey (1961), a movie directed by Kokichi Uchide, here are 20 movies with a similar feel, based on TMDB's recommendations. Each one links to its cast, trailer and where it's streaming.

1
Kamui (2009)
★ 6.1/10
A rebellious ninja in 17th century Japan takes refuge with a fisherman and his family.
2
Samurai Rebellion (1967)
★ 8.2/10
The mother of a feudal lord's only heir is kidnapped by the lord. Her husband and his samurai father must decide whether to accept the unjust decision, or risk death to rescue her.
3
Double Suicide (1969)
★ 7/10
Successful and married with children, paper-mill owner Jihei knows better than to contradict the strict social and moral codes of 18th-century Japan. But when he meets the lovely courtesan Koharu, he becomes a man…
4
Kill! (1968)
★ 7/10
A pair of down-on-their-luck swordsmen arrive in a dusty, windblown town, where they become involved in a local clan dispute. One, previously a farmer, longs to become a noble samurai. The other, a former samurai…
5
Rurouni Kenshin Part III: The Legend Ends (2014)
★ 7.7/10
Shishio sets sail in his ironclad ship to bring down the government. In order to stop him, Kenshin trains with his old master to learn his final technique.
6
Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning (2021)
★ 7.7/10
Before he was a protector, Kenshin was a fearsome assassin known as Battosai. But when he meets gentle Tomoe Yukishiro, a beautiful young woman who carries a huge burden in her heart, his life will change forever.
7
Rurouni Kenshin Part I: Origins (2012)
★ 7.5/10
In 1868, after the Bakumatsu war ends, the ex-assassin Kenshin Himura traverses Japan with an inverted sword, to defend the needy without killing.
8
Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto (1954)
★ 7.2/10
Struggling to elevate himself from his low caste in 17th century Japan, Miyamoto trains to become a mighty samurai warrior.
9
Rurouni Kenshin: The Final (2021)
★ 7.7/10
In 1879, Kenshin and his allies face their strongest enemy yet: his former brother-in-law Enishi Yukishiro and his minions, who've vowed their revenge.
10
Assassination (1964)
★ 7.1/10
In 1863, when American warships approach Japan, an enigmatic ronin becomes an important figure in a complex game of power between the Shogunate and the empire.
11
Zatoichi: Darkness Is His Ally (1989)
★ 6.4/10
Older, wiser but still a wandering loner, the blind, peace-loving masseur Ichi seeks a peaceful life in a rural village. When he's caught in the middle of a power struggle between two rival Yakuza clans, his reputation…
12
Rurouni Kenshin Part II: Kyoto Inferno (2014)
★ 7.6/10
Kenshin has settled into his new life with Kaoru and his other friends when he is approached with a request from the Meiji government. Makoto Shishio, a former assassin like Kenshin, was betrayed, set on fire and left…
13
New Tale of Zatoichi (1963)
★ 7/10
Wishing to find peace, Zatoichi travels to his old village but only finds trouble when he ends up in a love triangle and finds old scores have followed him home.
14
Mumon: The Land of Stealth (2017)
★ 6.4/10
Raised suckling poison arrows among the sparring Iga ninja factions, Mumon is a carefree 16th-century mercenary. When the ninja council makes a power play to defeat the young Nobukatsu Oda struggling to step into his…
15
The Men Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail (1952)
★ 6.7/10
A fugitive lord and his six retainers disguise themselves as monks to bluff their way through a hostile checkpoint.
16
The Tale of Zatoichi (1962)
★ 7.3/10
The adventures of a blind, gambling masseur and master swordsman. Zatoichi targets a yakuza-controlled village, because war with a neighbouring town's smaller gang is brewing.
17
Ran (1985)
★ 8/10
Shakespeare's King Lear is reimagined as a singular historical epic set in sixteenth-century Japan where an aging warlord divides his kingdom between his three sons.
18
Zatoichi (2003)
★ 7.2/10
Blind traveler Zatoichi is a master swordsman and a masseur with a fondness for gambling on dice games. When he arrives in a village torn apart by warring gangs, he sets out to protect the townspeople.
19
Gojoe: Spirit War Chronicle (2001)
★ 6.8/10
Benkei, a master fighter and killer, vows never to take another life after his conversion to Buddhism. His faith in pacifism, however, is shaken and ultimately broken by the attacks from a trio of fighters known only…
20
Inu-Oh (2022)
★ 7.5/10
A cursed dancer and a blind musician — both ostracized by society — become business partners and inseparable friends as their larger-than-life concerts propel them to stardom in 14th century Japan.