Japanese director Hiroshi Inagaki created his
Samurai Trilogy
of motion pictures between 1954 and 1956. Adapted from
Musashi
- an Eiji Yoshikawa novel regarded as Japan's equivalent to
Gone with the Wind
- the three features chronicle the life story of the legendary Musashi Miyamoto, a swordsman, writer and artist. Inagaki dramatizes his transition from wild, undisciplined young man to wise and noble warrior. The installments include:
Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto
(1954),
Samurai II: Duel at Ichijoji Temple
(1955), and
Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island
(1956).