Yet it’s the movie’s questioning of what makes a man a man, as well as its stillness, that leaves the strongest impression. Here, when men face each other across a Go board, they find themselves.

Bushido is a flawed film, but much is saved in the way Shiraishi orchestrates things not unlike a Go player: the true nature of his strategy only becomes clear once all the pieces have been systematically laid out.

Bushido is as gorgeous as the rules regimenting its society are cruel and onerous.

Shiraishi's film is a lovingly crafted, albeit inconsistent, samurai drama that fans of the genre will enjoy.