[2] An indictment of the treatment of Meiji period silkworkers by their employers.
[3] The film was one of the last made by director Satsuo Yamamoto and was followed by a 1982 sequel, his final work, Nomugi Pass II (Ā, Nomugi tōge: Shinryoku hen).
[1][3] A roadshow version of the film was released in Japan on June 9, 1979 where it was distributed by Toho.
[1] The film was released in the United States with English-subtitles by Toho International on December 28, 1979.
[1] In Japan, at the 34th Mainichi Film Awards, Nomugi Pass won the awards for Best Film, Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction and Best Score.