The Castle of Sand
Two detectives are tasked to investigate the murder of an old man, found bludgeoned to death in a Tokyo rail yard.
Where to watch The Castle of Sand in United States
Criterion ChannelClick a service to open The Castle of Sand there. Availability last verified on June 20, 2026.
Where is The Castle of Sand streaming around the world?
| Country | Streaming on | Rent / Buy |
|---|---|---|
| United States | Criterion Channel | — |
| Canada | Criterion Channel | — |
| Japan | Hulu, U-NEXT, Cinefil Wow Plus Amazon Channel, FOD Channel Amazon Channel | Amazon Video, Apple TV Store |
| South Korea | TVING | — |
About The Castle of Sand
The Castle of Sand is a 1974 Japanese-language crime, mystery and drama film directed by Yoshitarō Nomura. The cast is led by Tetsuro Tamba, Gō Katō, Kensaku Morita. It has a runtime of 2h 23m. Viewers rate it 7.4/10 across 100 ratings. In United States, it is currently streaming on Criterion Channel.
The Castle of Sand was produced by Shochiku and made in Japan. It was released on October 19, 1974.
- Director
- Yoshitarō Nomura
- Writers
- Shinobu Hashimoto, Yoji Yamada
- Release date
- October 19, 1974
- Original language
- Japanese
- Status
- Released
- Country
- Japan
- Production
- Shochiku
The Castle of Sand cast & crew
The Castle of Sand was directed by Yoshitarō Nomura and written by Shinobu Hashimoto and Yoji Yamada.
The cast features Tetsuro Tamba as Detective Eitaro Imanishi, Gō Katō as Eiro Waga, Kensaku Morita as Detective Hiroshi Yoshimura, Yoko Shimada as Reiko Takagi, Karin Yamaguchi as Sachiko Tadakoro, and Shin Saburi as Ex-Finance Minister, Shigeki Tadokoro.
Behind the camera, the score was composed by Mitsuaki Kanno, cinematography is by Takashi Kawamata, and it was produced by Shinobu Hashimoto and Masayuki Satō.
Is The Castle of Sand worth watching?
The Castle of Sand holds an audience score of 7.4/10 from 53 ratings, marking it as well-reviewed crime films.
At 2h 23m, it's a standard feature-length watch.
If you enjoy crime, mystery, and drama, The Castle of Sand is worth a place on your watchlist.
How and where to watch The Castle of Sand
In United States, you can stream The Castle of Sand on Criterion Channel. Click any service above to open it directly.
Streaming rights change country by country and month by month, so the options above reflect United States today — switch your country at the top of the where-to-watch section to see availability elsewhere.
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Cast of The Castle of Sand
Tetsuro Tamba
Detective Eitaro Imanishi
Gō Katō
Eiro Waga
Kensaku Morita
Detective Hiroshi Yoshimura
Yoko Shimada
Reiko Takagi
Karin Yamaguchi
Sachiko Tadakoro
Shin Saburi
Ex-Finance Minister, Shigeki Tadokoro
Yoshi Katō
Chiyokichi Motoura
Kazuhide Haruta
Hideo Motoura
Ken Ogata
Kenichi Miki
Seiji Matsuyama
Shokichi Miki
Taketoshi Naitō
Search Section Chief
Chishū Ryū
Kojuro Kirihara
The Castle of Sand — FAQs
▸Where can I watch The Castle of Sand in United States?
The Castle of Sand is streaming on Criterion Channel in United States.
▸Is The Castle of Sand on Criterion Channel?
Yes — The Castle of Sand is currently available on Criterion Channel in United States.
▸What language is The Castle of Sand in?
The Castle of Sand is originally in Japanese. Subtitle and dub options vary by streaming service.
▸How long is The Castle of Sand?
The Castle of Sand runs 2 hours 23 minutes (143 minutes).
▸What is The Castle of Sand rated?
It holds a 7.4/10 audience score from 53 ratings.
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