Which Russian writer's novel did Akira Kurosawa adapt for his 1951 film The Idiot?
Answer
Fyodor Dostoevsky
80 Akira Kurosawa Trivia Questions with Answers
80 public questions with answers, drawn from the well. How many can you answer?
Akira Kurosawa trivia spans the director’s samurai epics, literary adaptations, postwar dramas, crime films, and later meditations on war and mortality. Questions may test details from Seven Samurai, Throne of Blood, The Idiot, and lesser-known works such as Scandal, in which a painter sues a magazine over a false romance story.
This collection suits film students, Japanese-cinema enthusiasts, director-focused quizzes, and serious game nights. Expect questions about recurring themes, characters, titles, source texts, and historical context—for example, identifying the Shakespeare tragedy behind Throne of Blood or the industrialist whose fear of nuclear war drives I Live in Fear. It rewards viewers familiar with Kurosawa’s complete filmography, not only his most famous samurai movies.
What is the name of the veteran samurai leader recruited first in Seven Samurai?
Answer
Kambei Shimada
Which Kurosawa film features a corporate revenge plot led by Koichi Nishi?
Answer
The Bad Sleep Well
Which Kurosawa film centers on industrialist Kiichi Nakajima's fear of nuclear war?
Answer
I Live in Fear
Which Kurosawa film follows a poor young couple during one Sunday in postwar Tokyo?
Answer
One Wonderful Sunday
What is the Japanese title of Kurosawa's Throne of Blood?
Answer
Kumonosu-jo
Which Kurosawa film stars Setsuko Hara as Yukie Yagihara?
Answer
No Regrets for Our Youth
Which Kurosawa film is set in a garbage dump on the outskirts of Tokyo?
Answer
Dodes'ka-den
What profession is Kanji Watanabe in Kurosawa's Ikiru?
Answer
Bureaucrat
Which Kurosawa film was remade in the U.S. as The Magnificent Seven?
Answer
Seven Samurai
What Japanese state honor did Kurosawa receive in 1976?
Answer
Person of Cultural Merit
Who played the title hunter in Kurosawa's Dersu Uzala?
Answer
Maxim Munzuk
Which Kurosawa film was first produced under his own independent company?
Answer
The Bad Sleep Well
Which Ed McBain novel inspired Kurosawa's High and Low?
Answer
King's Ransom
Which award did Seven Samurai win at the 1954 Venice Film Festival?
Answer
Silver Lion
Who plays the woodcutter in Rashomon?
Answer
Takashi Shimura
What is the listed running time of Kurosawa's Rashomon?
Answer
88 minutes
Which studio produced and distributed Kurosawa's Rashomon?
Answer
Daiei Film
Which Ryūnosuke Akutagawa story provides the main plot of Rashomon?
Answer
In a Grove
Who was Akira Kurosawa's wife from 1945 until her death in 1985?
Answer
Yōko Yaguchi
Which Kurosawa film was made as a Soviet-Japanese co-production?
Answer
Dersu Uzala
Which director plays Vincent van Gogh in Kurosawa's Dreams?
Answer
Martin Scorsese
What is the name of the princess in The Hidden Fortress?
Answer
Princess Yuki
Which Kurosawa film marked his first collaboration with Toshiro Mifune?
Answer
Drunken Angel
Which Kurosawa film won the Silver Bear for Best Director at Berlin in 1959?
Answer
The Hidden Fortress
Which Japanese writer co-wrote Drunken Angel with Kurosawa?
Answer
Keinosuke Uekusa
Which cinematographer worked with Kurosawa on Seven Samurai and Dersu Uzala?
Answer
Asakazu Nakai
Who won the Oscar for Best Costume Design for Kurosawa's Ran?
Answer
Emi Wada
Which American actor appears as Clark in Rhapsody in August?
Answer
Richard Gere
Which Russian explorer's memoir inspired Dersu Uzala?
Answer
Vladimir Arsenyev
Which Dostoevsky novel did Kurosawa adapt into a 1951 film?
Answer
The Idiot
Which Maxim Gorky play did Kurosawa adapt into a 1957 film?
Answer
The Lower Depths
Which 1962 Kurosawa film is a sequel to Yojimbo?
Answer
Sanjuro
Which actor played Doctor Sanada in Drunken Angel?
Answer
Takashi Shimura
Akira Kurosawa trivia — quick answers
What are good Akira Kurosawa trivia questions?
Good questions cover Kurosawa’s films, characters, literary and theatrical sources, Japanese titles, recurring themes, and production history. Examples include identifying the Russian novel adapted as The Idiot, the Shakespeare tragedy behind Throne of Blood, or the veteran samurai recruited first in Seven Samurai.
How hard is Akira Kurosawa trivia?
It ranges from moderate to difficult. Famous films such as Seven Samurai and Throne of Blood provide accessible entry points, while questions about Japanese titles, early dramas, literary adaptations, and supporting characters require broader knowledge of Kurosawa’s filmography.
Which Shakespeare tragedy did Kurosawa adapt into Throne of Blood?
Throne of Blood is Kurosawa’s samurai-era adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth. It relocates the tragedy’s ambition, prophecy, betrayal, and downfall to feudal Japan, replacing Shakespeare’s dialogue with a stark visual style influenced by Noh theater.
What is the Japanese title of Throne of Blood?
The Japanese title of Throne of Blood is Kumonosu-jō, commonly translated as The Spider’s Web Castle. The 1957 film follows Washizu, a samurai whose pursuit of power echoes Macbeth’s rise and destruction.
What is I Live in Fear about?
I Live in Fear, also known as Record of a Living Being, centers on Kiichi Nakajima, an industrialist terrified of nuclear war. He wants to move his family and possessions to Brazil, but his fear and increasingly extreme decisions create conflict with those around him.