Kagemusha

The powerful Daimyō Takeda Shingen has earned as much fame as the motto written on his war banners: “Swift as the wind, quiet as the forest, fierce as the fire, immovable as the mountain.” While lying mortally wounded from injuries sustained in battle, Shingen orders his warriors to find a double, or body double, to take his place, so that his impending death remains a secret and his enemies (Oda Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu) do not seize the opportunity to attack. The kagemusha (the shadow warrior) chosen by the Takeda Clan is a petty criminal (Tatsuya Nakadai) who must pass himself off as a great leader and rise to command a great alliance of 25,000 samurai.