Akira Kurosawa died after writing the screenplay and completing preproduction. His producer son offered the direction to Kurosawa's long-time assistant. But shooting could begin only when Elie Chouraqui's French Company 7 Films Cinéma accepted to co-produce.
The actual castle used in his movie is called Kakegawa castle. It is in Shizuoka prefecture. The river is the Ooi river.
Official submission of Japan for the 'Best Foreign Language Film' category of the 73rd Academy Awards in 2001.