Most of the samurai in the film can be seen carrying two blades. This was a practice in Edo Japan known as daisho. Translated this literally means 'big-little'. The bigger blade was the katana, which was generally used for combat and duelling. The short sword was either the wakizashi or the tanto, the latter of which is most customarily associated with the ritual suicide of seppuku or Harakiri (translated as 'belly cut').
This film falls into two distinct Japanese film genres. It is both a jidaigeki (period drama) but it is also a chanbara (sword fighting) film.
This film is in the Official Top 250 Narrative Feature Films on Letterboxd.
This film is part of the Criterion Collection, spine #310.