The picture belongs to the jidai gekki (historic) genre. It is a powerful story of violence and eroticism, picturing a world at once sordid and poetic, with two central themes which intermingle to compound an admirable panel of a critical period in Japanese history: the great famine in the mid 19th Century.
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
 Machiko KyōSakin | Sakin |
 Masayuki MoriKuroki no Taro | Kuroki no Taro |
 Rentaro MikuniKuroki no Jiro | Kuroki no Jiro |
 Takashi ShimuraYoshimichi | Yoshimichi |
 Minoru ChiakiTakeichi no Takamaru | Takeichi no Takamaru |
 Bokuzen HidariNot listed | Not listed |
 Yūnosuke ItōDohachi | Dohachi |
 Tanie KitabayashiMrs. Inokuma | Mrs. Inokuma |
 Yūko MochizukiKotora | Kotora |
 Ichirō SugaiMr. Inokuma | Mr. Inokuma |
 Eijirō TōnoJurota | Jurota |