Isao Yamagata

Acting

Isao Yamagata

Born — Died

1915-07-25 — 1996-06-28

Place of birth

London, England, UK

Known for

Acting

Credits

64 titles

Known for

Seven Samurai poster
8.5

A samurai answers a village's request for protection after he falls on hard times. The town needs protection from bandits, so the samurai gathers six others to help him teach the people how to defend themselves, and the villagers provide the soldiers with food.

Seven Samurai

1954

Life of a Flower poster
7.0

The story chronicles the life of Ii Naosuke.

Life of a Flower

1963

Samurai Rebellion poster
8.2

The mother of a feudal lord's only heir is kidnapped by the lord. Her husband and his samurai father must decide whether to accept the unjust decision, or risk death to rescue her.

Samurai Rebellion

1967

Kenkaku Shōbai poster
10.0

Kohei Akiyama, a popular master swordsman, and his son Daijiro live in the town of Edo in good faith. While running a dojo, Daijiro and his father find themselves wrapped up in a series of events with the town's people.

Kenkaku Shōbai

1973

Floating Clouds poster
7.7

A married Japanese forester during WWII is sent to Indochina to manage forests. He meets a young Japanese typist and promises to leave his wife. He doesn't and after the war, she turns up and the affair resumes.

Floating Clouds

1955

Princess Yang Kwei-fei poster
6.7

In 8th-century China, the Emperor grieves the death of his wife. The Yang family wants to provide the Emperor with a consort so that they may consolidate their court influence. General An Lushan finds a distant relative working in their kitchen, whom they groom to present to the Emperor. The Emperor falls in love and she becomes the Princess Yang Kwei-fei. The Yangs are then appointed important ministers, though An Lushan is not given the court position he covets.

Princess Yang Kwei-fei

1955

Film credits

1960s · 18 titles

Samurai Rebellion poster
8.2

The mother of a feudal lord's only heir is kidnapped by the lord. Her husband and his samurai father must decide whether to accept the unjust decision, or risk death to rescue her.

Samurai Rebellion

1967

Zatoichi's Pilgrimage poster
7.1

Zatoichi's trek through 88 temples to atone for his violent past is interrupted as he stumbles into a village terrorized by a violent yakuza boss.

Zatoichi's Pilgrimage

1966

Secret Assignment poster
10.0

In the fourth film of series, Secret Assignment, Raizo again plays the Jiro Shiina. This time he's out to discover who is spying for the British in the Foreign Ministry, under the code name “Cat's Eye”.

Secret Assignment

1967

Miyamoto Musashi IV: The Duel at Ichijo-ji Temple poster
7.1

In the fourth installment, Musashi's potentially greatest opponent Kojiro jumps in and out of the story at the oddest and most coincidental moments. As his great love Otsu has succumbed to madness. Musashi then sets off to beat the functionaries of a treacherous clan in an arranged duel. 73 against one. Boastful Kojiro watches, secure in the knowledge that only he is a worthy opponent.

Miyamoto Musashi IV: The Duel at Ichijo-ji Temple

1964

G-Men in the Pacific poster
6.3

G-men challenge a jewelry smuggling ring. The chase starts in Kyushu and continues to Kobe to Yokohama.

G-Men in the Pacific

1962

Code of Ruffians poster
7.5

Because of trickery, the Jinya Group has only seven days to complete a mountain road project or it will forfeit a major dam construction job to the scheming Ojika Group.

Code of Ruffians

1965

Black Strait poster
10.0

Newly out of prison after killing his boss' rival, Akio Maki is eager to move on and start a new life with the boss' daughter. However, the chains of the past are not so easily broken and Maki is soon ordered to kill again.

Black Strait

1964

The Master Spearman poster
6.0

Kurando is a retired samurai. Granted a last-second reprieve from the obligation to commit harakiri, he decides to settle down and marry one of the two kabuki actresses who helped him enjoy what he thought would be his final days.

The Master Spearman

1960

Knightly Advice poster
7.0

No synopsis available yet.

Knightly Advice

1962

20 Duels of Young Shingo: Conclusion poster
NR

While on his journey through the countryside of Japan, Shingo encounters many people whose lives have been affected by his actions. Though the many duels he fought were intended to bring justice to those who sought to do evil, he is faced with the knowledge that his victories have also caused suffering amont the family members of his victims-leading him to question his life's philosophy. This superb film is the final chapter in this part of Shingo's story. A fitting tribute to his quest to be the supreme swordsman.

20 Duels of Young Shingo: Conclusion

1963

Lord of Steel Heart poster
7.8

A Tokugawa Daimyo rebels against an his lord after the battle of Sekigahara. Samurai Matabei, a famous spear fighter and warrior, is a vassal of lord Honjo. One of Honjo's most trusted under-lords is Sanzaemon. He has designs on Matabei's fief, and he plots to kill Matabei. He finally convinces Lord Honjo of Matabei's guilt. Now Matabei must fight to survive.

Lord of Steel Heart

1961

Travels of Hibari and Chiemi: The Tumultuous Journey poster
8.5

Playhouse employees Okimi and Otoshi become involved in an undercover officer’s investigation of a gang when they accidentally walk in on a drug deal taking place at their theater.

Travels of Hibari and Chiemi: The Tumultuous Journey

1962

Case of a Young Lord 8 poster
9.0

A family is brutally murdered in their own home and the official government's sake dealer is framed as a rebel by a corrupt member of the Shogun's Council of Elders. Young Lord decides to take on the Shogun's vile chief attendant.

Case of a Young Lord 8

1960

The Shogun and the Fishmonger poster
6.5

Fishmonger Tasuke and Shogun Iemitsu swap their identities in pretence for the protection of Iemitsu.

The Shogun and the Fishmonger

1961

Shinobi No Mono 6: The Last Iga Spy poster
6.3

[Period covered: 1637-1651] This is one of the most complicated plots of any of the Shinobi no Mono films! This film tells the story of Saizo’s son, Kirigakure Saisuke, who after seeing his father die at the Battle Of Shimabara, grows up to be an expert ninja. Before he dies, “Mist” Saizo tells his children Saisuke, and Yuri that they are not really brother and sister. She, in fact, is the daughter of the late lord Sanada Yukimura, and must be saved from the shogun’s forces. In the chess match of spy versus spy, can Saisuke defeat the shogun’s chief strategist, Matsudaira Izunokami at his own game? Showing many exciting ninja tactics, it is not to be missed.

Shinobi No Mono 6: The Last Iga Spy

1965

Return of the One-Armed Swordsman poster
6.0

The legendary one-eyed one-armed swordsman Tange Sazen is back to aid a Magistrate in his efforts to steal bribe money on its way to Edo for the benefit to poor farmers.

Return of the One-Armed Swordsman

1960

Mark of Blood poster
6.0

Three young yakuza, Fujitaro, Matsugoro and Kanjuro, travel the country fighting evil.

Mark of Blood

1962

Jirocho’s Days of Youth: Boss of the Tokai Region poster
7.0

His skill and courage were the best in Japan! The life story of Jirocho, a man who protected people on the Tokaido Road. The fearless Kinnosuke Nakamura enthusiastically plays the young Jirocho from Shimizu in this chivalrous story.

Jirocho’s Days of Youth: Boss of the Tokai Region

1960

1950s · 38 titles

Seven Samurai poster
8.5

A samurai answers a village's request for protection after he falls on hard times. The town needs protection from bandits, so the samurai gathers six others to help him teach the people how to defend themselves, and the villagers provide the soldiers with food.

Seven Samurai

1954

Floating Clouds poster
7.7

A married Japanese forester during WWII is sent to Indochina to manage forests. He meets a young Japanese typist and promises to leave his wife. He doesn't and after the war, she turns up and the affair resumes.

Floating Clouds

1955

Princess Yang Kwei-fei poster
6.7

In 8th-century China, the Emperor grieves the death of his wife. The Yang family wants to provide the Emperor with a consort so that they may consolidate their court influence. General An Lushan finds a distant relative working in their kitchen, whom they groom to present to the Emperor. The Emperor falls in love and she becomes the Princess Yang Kwei-fei. The Yangs are then appointed important ministers, though An Lushan is not given the court position he covets.

Princess Yang Kwei-fei

1955

The Unleashed Lord poster
9.0

No synopsis available yet.

The Unleashed Lord

1959

The Big Four of the Kodokan poster
NR

A passionate young man who risks his life for love and judo and the innocent young woman who adores him face off against an evil judoka at Chidorigafuchi.

The Big Four of the Kodokan

1955

Gate of Hell poster
7.1

Japan, 1159. Moritō, a brave samurai, performs a heroic act by rescuing the lovely Kesa during a violent uprising. Moritō falls in love with her, but becomes distraught when he finds out that she is married.

Gate of Hell

1953

The Buried Treasure poster
NR

A lighthearted comedy featuring city dwellers flocking to a remote mountain hot spring inn, all entangled in the mystery of hidden gold bars.

The Buried Treasure

1956

Shozo, a Cat and Two Women poster
6.7

Shozo is plagued by the needs of his ex-wife and his current one, but prefers the company of his cat.

Shozo, a Cat and Two Women

1956

Lord Mito 2: The Nation's Vice Shogun poster
8.2

After settling the matter of shogunal succession, the retired Old Lord of Mito finds himself in a sea of trouble when he gets involved in the succession of the Takamatsu clan. The usurpers try by every means to effect their takeover, even if it leads to blood being spilled. Along with Kaku and Suke, the elder must face the most dangerous time of his life, in a battle against those corrupt individuals who would use any means to further their dastardly conspiracy, regardless of how many lives might be destroyed. The great Misora Hibari gives a bravura performance, as does the rest of this all-star cast. This is another outstanding effort on the part of the Toei Films, blending fact and fiction to bright back Japan’s golden era of the Genroku period.

Lord Mito 2: The Nation's Vice Shogun

1959

Asakusa Lights poster
NR

A passionate singer who’s rough around the edges but has a warm heart; a kind-hearted, impoverished painter who devotes himself wholeheartedly; and a beautiful opera singer loved by both of them—the joys and sorrows of Asakusa during the golden age of opera.

Asakusa Lights

1956

Bara no kōdōkan poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Bara no kōdōkan

1956

Kanbei's Bargain Sale poster
7.0

Wandering swordsman Kanbei, parading through town with a sign that reads "Seeking fights, selling my life cheap." One day, he receives a request from the star of the daughter's kabuki, Nakamura Tsurukichi. However, unable to bear seeing a face reminiscent of his first love, he disappears as soon as the task is completed. But later, Tsurukichi returns to ask Kanbei for help once again...

Kanbei's Bargain Sale

1958

Goblin's Highway poster
NR

Gombei is Nameless, a wanderer who is skilled with a sword and has a great sense of humor, who tries to save the good people of the Kiso Valley, he gets into a fight with local bad bosses who behave badly on the Tokaido road in the Kiso Valley.

Goblin's Highway

1957

The Princess Sen poster
5.0

During the Warring States era of early 17th century Japan, teenage princess Sen is besieged with other members of her family in Osaka Castle, by a rival force led by her grandfather.

The Princess Sen

1954

The Mansion of Intrigue poster
NR

A swordsman must foil a minister's sinister plan to assassinate the shogun.

The Mansion of Intrigue

1957

Marital Relations poster
5.6

​Ryukichi, the pampered heir to a cosmetics wholesaler, abandons his wife and child to pursue a scandalous affair with a famous geisha named Choko. This betrayal leads his father to disown him, leaving the unskilled Ryukichi with no way to earn a living. To keep them afloat, Choko is forced to continue working as a geisha while secretly scraping together a nest egg to start their own business. However, Ryukichi remains trapped in his hedonistic lifestyle, eventually squandering Choko’s hard-earned savings on his own self-indulgence.

Marital Relations

1955

Shimizu Port of Chivalry poster
8.0

An all-star cast highlights this Jidai-Geki classic. Set in the samurai era, this is the tale of period Yakuza. One of the real classics in this genre. In this dramatic portrayal of the real-life gambling boss Jirocho, a good-hearted and honest boss sets out to take revenge for a fellow boss. At the same time, the other local bosses, in a bid to increase their own power, plot to dispose of Jirocho. Starring Kataoka Chiezo in one of his signature roles, this is an excellent portrayal of a figure who is not well known outside of Japan. Co-starring Nakamura Kinnosuke, this exciting tale of period yakuza brings history to life.

Shimizu Port of Chivalry

1957

The Eagle of the Pacific poster
7.8

Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, a brilliant tactician, is a loyal subject of the emperor, despite his grave misgivings about leading Japan's navy into war with the United States. He opposes the attack on Pearl Harbor, but, overruled, he leads his forces to the best of his ability.

The Eagle of the Pacific

1953

Lords of Oppression 2 poster
NR

Period drama directed by Yasushi Sasaki.

Lords of Oppression 2

1957

The Swamp poster
7.0

A man’s wife dies in a swamp. Her ghost returns to haunt him.

The Swamp

1956

Seven from Edo poster
5.0

When Katsukawa, a low ranking vassal, learns that his greedy superior, Tatewaki, has hatched a plan to expand his territory, he and his comrades decide to take matters into their own hands. Lots of action in this all-star production from Toei Films, the foremost studio during that era. As with so many of their films, this is highly entertaining, with lots of plot twists and exciting swordplay

Seven from Edo

1958

The Samurai of Edo poster
6.0

This historical film depicts the life of a man who was at the mercy of the waves during transition from the end of the Edo period to the Meiji Restoration, and therefore, shows audience the dynamic change from Edo to Meiji. Before the war, the director, Eisuke Takizawa, together with the writers, formed a scenario writer group "Narutaki-gumi and they shot many historical masterpieces.

The Samurai of Edo

1955

Hell's Companion poster
NR

During the seventh-year memorial service for Katsugoro and Genji, Ikari Genji himself emerged from the coffin brought in by the hearse seeking revenge

Hell's Companion

1959

Rice poster
6.8

A touching story depicting the harsh lives of farmers in Kasumigaura. An attempt to start a fishery business to revive an ailing farming community creates friction amongst the proud residents.

Rice

1957

Roughneck From Asama poster
6.6

When Boss Juzo's Shinmachi Yakuza family struck fear into the hearts of his adversaries, Boss Shohei's Okabe Yakuza family with a merciless gang of raiders, Itaro of Asama was missing. With the courage of a lion he had gone off to face the enemy and settle the score all by himself. As a result he had to take the blame in place of Boss Shohei, and went off to adventures on his own.

Roughneck From Asama

1958

The Black Hooded Man Rides Again poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

The Black Hooded Man Rides Again

1959

Souls in the Moonlight poster
7.0

First part of the famous Dai-bosatsu toge trilogy, based on Kaizan Nakazato’s unfinished long series of novels (41 books, written from 1913 to 1941). Set in the last period of the Tokugawa Shogunate, Daibosatsu Toge tells the story of Tsuke Ryunosuke, a nihilistic swordmaster who doesnt hesitate to kill anyone, bad or good. Despite the authors explicit refusal, the series were later made into plays and movies several times.

Souls in the Moonlight

1957

Japan Samurai: Niiro Tsuruchiyo poster
NR

An adaptation of the famous novel by Jiromasa Gunji about the difficult story of Niiro Tsuruchiyo, the illegitimate son of the great elder of the Bakumatsu era, Ii Naosuke. This masterpiece depicts the suffering and love of Tsuruchiyo, who never knew his father until the end of his life. Niiro Tsuruchiyo, the illegitimate son of Elder Ii Naosuke, grew up with his mother, a former geisha. However, he was refused an engagement to Yae, the daughter of Samanosuke Yoshimura from the Maeda domain of Kaga Province, to whom she tied her future. After this refusal, Tsuruchiyo begins to be interested in the mystery of his birth…

Japan Samurai: Niiro Tsuruchiyo

1955

Kurama Tengu: Goyō tō ihen poster
NR

The 39th "Tengu Kurama" feature starring Arashi.

Kurama Tengu: Goyō tō ihen

1956

Samurai of the Great Earth poster
7.0

A film adaptation of Rikuo Honjo's novel "Ishikari River".

Samurai of the Great Earth

1956

Warning from Space poster
5.3

Large star-shaped aliens travel to earth in hopes of warning them about an oncoming catastrophe. To prevent panic about their appearance, one alien takes the form of a popular singer.

Warning from Space

1956

No artwork available
10.0

Second film in the Boy Detectives Club series.

The Boy Detectives Club – The Devil with Twenty Faces

1956

Virtue in Spades poster
NR

Adaptation of the novel by Kan Shimozawa.

Virtue in Spades

1956

Akuma no kao poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Akuma no kao

1957

Night of the Suspicions poster
NR

Tatsuo Torigoe, the president of Torigoe Industries, attempts suicide but survives and reveals his motives for suicide to his only daughter, Akiko.

Night of the Suspicions

1959

Mr. Pu poster
6.5

A math teacher loses his job while falling in love with a local girl.

Mr. Pu

1953

The Naked Sun poster
7.0

A young, struggling couple are making every sacrifice so they will one day in the not-too-distant-future, have enough money to get married. As they have agreed on this procedure, it comes as a shock to the young woman to find out from her husband-to-be that he just loaned all the money they had saved to a friend. She is understandably miffed, and a big disagreement results. But after some time goes by, she discovers why the friend needed the money so badly, and the couple are back on solid footing again.

The Naked Sun

1958

Shingo's Original Challenge, Part 1 and 2 poster
8.0

A young samurai learns that he is the illegitimate son of the Shogun. Hoping to reunite with his birth father, he travels to Edo to find Shogun Yoshimune.

Shingo's Original Challenge, Part 1 and 2

1959

Series credits