 The Japanese military and most audiences found the first part to be too serious, but the studio and Mizoguchi both regarded it as so important that Part Two was put into production, despite Part One's lukewarm reception.The film was celebrated by foreign scholars who saw it in Japan; it was not shown in the United States until the 1970s.During the occupation of Japan, the GHQ banned performances of the story, charging them with promoting feudal values.