Kyuzo didn’t win….

I came across this interesting analysis of Kyuzo’s first fight in Seven Samurai by an excellent swordsman. I must admit I did always wonder how everyone was so sure Kyuzo won the first duel…

Thanks Ugetsu, that was quite interesting!

Personally, I think the point of the scene is that for the untrained eye (including us), it may have looked and felt like a draw, but for those who are master swordsmen or familiar with master swordsmen (Kyuzo and Kambei) it was obvious that there was a clear winner.

As the kids say, “Game recognizes game.”