
Known for
NRNo synopsis available yet.
Essay on Conflict
1959
8.0In 16th century Japan, peasants Genjuro and Tobei sell their earthenware pots to a group of soldiers in a nearby village, in defiance of a local sage's warning against seeking to profit from warfare. Genjuro's pursuit of both riches and the mysterious Lady Wakasa, as well as Tobei's desire to become a samurai, run the risk of destroying both themselves and their wives, Miyagi and Ohama.
Ugetsu
1953
8.1In 11th-century feudal Japan, following the exile of an idealistic governor, his wife and children are separated by slave traders; the children, Zushio and Anju, are sold into brutal servitude under the cruel bailiff Sansho.
Sansho the Bailiff
1954
NRA beautiful swordswoman dressed as a man falls in love with the young lord who is her enemy.
Secret Letter of the Crescent Moon
—
NRNo synopsis available yet.
Zenigata Heiji torimono hikae: Onibi tōrō
1958
NRNo synopsis available yet.
Beni azami
1959
Film credits
1970s · 2 titles
7.4Ogami Itto battles a group of female ninja in the employ of the Yagyu clan and must eliminate a traitor who plans to sell his clan's secrets to the Shogunate.
Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart at the River Styx
1972
7.4Official Shogunate executioner Ogami Itto has been framed for disloyalty to the Shogunate by the Yagyu clan, against whom he now is waging a one-man war, along with his infant son, Daigoro.
Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance
1972
1960s · 13 titles
6.9Zatoichi comes upon a dying man who asks him to give a bag of money to "Taichi". Zatoichi has no idea who this is but when he comes upon a small town harassed by gangsters, he finds that "Taichi" was the man's young son. Along his travels he also met a blind monk who makes Zatoichi question his murderous lifestyle. In trying to help the town, Zatoichi kills some gangsters and becomes a hero to the boy. He must make a choice of whether to use non-violence and set a good example, or violence and set the boy on the wrong path in life.
Zatoichi's Vengeance
1966
7.0[Period covered: 1595-1600] We last saw ninja Ishikawa Goemon, as he was about to be boiled alive. But a good ninja is both hard to find, and even harder to kill. With the help of the enigmatic Hattori Hanzo, Goemon lives to skulk another day, and sets his sights on bringing down the warlord who tried to turn him into soup – Toyotomi Hideyoshi. And as always, in the background, the suble hand of Tokugawa Ieyasu is pulling strings as he plots to rule all of Japan!
Shinobi no Mono 3: Resurrection
1963
6.8Otsuya, the daughter of a rich merchant, elopes with her lover Shinsuke, an employee of her father's. During their flight, Otsuya's beauty attracts the gaze of Seikichi, a mysterious master tattooist who sees her pristine white skin as the perfect canvas for his art. The image of the large demonic spider that he emblazons across Otsuya's back marks her as the property of another man, radically altering her relationships with all around her as her personality seems to transform under its influence.
Irezumi
1966
NRNo synopsis available yet.
Fūun shōgidani
1960
7.3The adventures of a blind, gambling masseur and master swordsman. Zatoichi targets a yakuza-controlled village, because war with a neighbouring town's smaller gang is brewing.
The Tale of Zatoichi
1962
7.1Two sculptors spend the night in a mountain lodge after being caught in a snowstorm. A female spirit appears and takes the life of one of the men. She spares the other man's life on the condition that he never tell anyone what happened that night.
The Snow Woman
1968
6.4Warlord Oda Nobunaga seeks to unite a fractured Japan. A young man trained in the arts of ninjitsu is manipulated by a ninja master into attempting to assassinate the warlord before he completes his task.
Ninja, A Band of Assassins
1962
6.9[Period covered: 1582-1594]. As the film opens, the warlod Nobunaga Oda rides to Iga Ayanokuni shrine. He is asked if he thinks he has destroyed all the ninja who opposed him and answers that he suspects that there may be more. A servant brings water and tests it first. The paige dies and we hear gunshots as two ninja flee the scene. His suspicions confirmed, Nobunaga oversees the execution of captured ninja and decides that, in the future, he needs a much crueler method of execution. The daimyo Hideyoshi comes to visit.
Shinobi no Mono 2: Vengeance
1963
6.3Hanpei is a gentle young samurai that loves flowers. One day, he witnesses an old man's quick draw of the sword. He is so impressed that he becomes the old man's pupil. Soon, Hanpei's skill of sword comes to attention of his lord. The lord orders him to assassinate a man...
Sword Devil
1965
6.8In Edo-period Japan, Shingo is born the son of an assassin who was executed for murdering her lord’s concubine. Decades later, his adoptive family is massacred for keeping the secret. Armed with an unbeatable swordfighting technique, Shingo embarks on the path of the masterless samurai in search of vengeance and a path beyond his own ignominious origins.
Destiny's Son
1962
10.0An Indian prince leaves his world of comfort and riches behind to wander and meditate for six years in search of spiritual enlightenment. Siddartha (Cojoin Hong) turns his back on the old religion when people are starving needlessly and holy rituals include human sacrifices. During his meditations, he is tempted by erotic dancing women, demons, and the evil machinations of his criminal cousin. Devastate to attain the spiritual perfection and become the Buddha. He travels to convert followers by his kindness and wisdom, gaining a multitude of believers when he stops an elephant from crushing a local priest. Buddha of course goes on to become one of the great religious leaders of the world.
Buddha
1961
7.3The first film in the 2 part series about Ryuzen, a renegade martial-arts priest who, in addition to breaking all the commandments against sex and gambling, opens his own gambling den in direct defiance of the local yakuza boss. Exciting action and a twisty plot this movie breaks new barriers in Japanese cinema. Katsu Shintaro is superb in one of his better non-Zato Ichi roles as he fights off the advances of a love-lorn woman and risks his life to defeat the powerful gambling boss who has a stranglehold on the town.
The Hoodlum Priest
1967
6.7When a local gambling house kidnaps some peasants because they failed to pay their debts, a rival gambling house pays their debts and sets them free.
Zatoichi the Outlaw
1967
1950s · 44 titles
NRNo synopsis available yet.
Essay on Conflict
1959
8.0In 16th century Japan, peasants Genjuro and Tobei sell their earthenware pots to a group of soldiers in a nearby village, in defiance of a local sage's warning against seeking to profit from warfare. Genjuro's pursuit of both riches and the mysterious Lady Wakasa, as well as Tobei's desire to become a samurai, run the risk of destroying both themselves and their wives, Miyagi and Ohama.
Ugetsu
1953
8.1In 11th-century feudal Japan, following the exile of an idealistic governor, his wife and children are separated by slave traders; the children, Zushio and Anju, are sold into brutal servitude under the cruel bailiff Sansho.
Sansho the Bailiff
1954
NRNo synopsis available yet.
Zenigata Heiji torimono hikae: Onibi tōrō
1958
NRNo synopsis available yet.
Beni azami
1959
NRNo synopsis available yet.
Ninjutsu wakashu: Tenma Kotarō
1957
NRNo synopsis available yet.
Wearing a Long-Sleeved Kimono
1958
NRNo synopsis available yet.
Karakuri hina ningyō
1959
NRKotaro Tenma, the young warrior of justice, infiltrates enemy territory and uses his ninjutsu skills with to defeat the villains.
Sora tobu wakamusha
1957
NRNo synopsis available yet.
Hanazakari otoko ichidai
1955
NRNo synopsis available yet.
Kieta koban yashiki
1958
NRNo synopsis available yet.
Komusō henka: Tsubanari kaidō
1956
7.8When the wife of a 17th-century Kyoto scrollmaker is falsely accused of having an affair with his best employee, the pair flee the city and find themselves truly falling for one another.
Chikamatsu Monogatari
1954
NRNo synopsis available yet.
Fūraibō ichiban shōbu
1958
NRNo synopsis available yet.
Shirazu no Yatarō
1954
NRA period drama that depicts the romance between Otomi and Yosaburo.
Otomi-san
1954
NRNo synopsis available yet.
Nagareboshi jūjiuchi
1958
NRNo synopsis available yet.
Tōkaidō no yarōdomo
1958
NRNo synopsis available yet.
Naruto no hanayome
1959
The young master of a pawnshop, who had been told by Edo’s foremost fortune-teller that he would die in six months, squandered his entire fortune to atone for his ancestors’ sins. Now, half a year later, the day of the funeral has arrived...
Obake kara
1956
No synopsis available yet.
Kago de iku no wa
1955
7.1Japan, 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
NRA passionate young man takes on a corrupt boss, determined to save innocent teachers and numerous orphans.
The Rust Cleaner Sings
1955
NRNo synopsis available yet.
Nezumi Kozō shinobi komi hikae
1956
NRNo synopsis available yet.
Nezumi Kozō shinobi komi hikae: Ne no koku sanjō
1957
NRNo synopsis available yet.
Shiranui zukin
1957
NRBy day, he is a young master whose beauty melts women’s hearts. By night, he is the elusive “White Hood.”
The Shadow That Kills the Moon
1955
NRNo synopsis available yet.
I Was Tokichiro
1955
7.1Learning of his family's collapse, acolyte Goichi, sent to study silently at the Temple of the Golden Pavilion, must endure acute psychological distress.
Conflagration
1958
NRYesterday a gentleman, today a student, tomorrow a stylish man in a casual kimono—Ginji, the pickpocket with seven faces, has his sights set on the gold watch of destiny. A tale of passion, love, human emotion, pistols, and thrills.
Ginji of the Seven Faces
1955
NRNo synopsis available yet.
Jigoku dani no hanayome
1955
7.7A woman loses her son through an evil conspiracy and commits suicide. Shortly afterwards a ghost cat begins haunting the conspirators. This is Takako Irie's first bakeneko (ghost cat) movie; it started a Daiei cycle which was very popular at the time in Japan.
Ghost of Saga Mansion
1953
NRThe sword of the chivalrous warrior is drawn amid the struggle for a legendary sword and a plot to assassinate a young princess.
Duel at Omagatsuji
1951
NRNo synopsis available yet.
Akutarō uridasu
1955
6.2In Kyoto a young kimono maker with traditional ideas gets involved with a married professor.
Undercurrent
1956
NRA historical drama about a foul-mouthed but good-natured traveller.
Orizuru kasa
1951
7.4Legendary yakuza Shimizu Jirocho and his 28 henchmen travel the unruly path from a 'Fire Festival' in Akiba to a decisive battle by the Fujigawa.
Jirocho Fuji
1959
NRNo synopsis available yet.
Fighting Letter for 29 People
1957
NRNo synopsis available yet.
Tsubakuro kasa
1955
NRNo synopsis available yet.
Hana no sando gasa
1954
NRNo synopsis available yet.
Hana no nagadosu
1954
NRA handsome man and a beautiful woman who seek to restore the Toyotomi clan by taking in the orphaned Princess Tsuru.
Furisode kyōjo
1952
NRA young judoka investigates the mysterious death of his best friend.
Kuro obi arashi
1953
NRNo synopsis available yet.
Tenka o nerau bishōnen
1955
