
Acting
Noboru Nakaya
Born — Died
1929-05-04 — 2006-11-16
Place of birth
Minato, Tokyo, Japan
Known for
Acting
Credits
75 titles
Known for
7.8Inspired by American TV movies like "Hitchcock Theater" and "The Twilight Zone," the show features multiple works with Tamori as the storyteller and actors as the main characters. While horror and supernatural themes are predominant, a variety of genres like comedy and drama are also produced. Most episodes, however, have a bad ending.
Tales of the Bizarre
1990
7.0Key Hunter is a prime-time Japanese television detective series. It aired on Saturday nights in the 9:00–9:56 p.m. time slot on the Tokyo Broadcasting System network from April 6, 1968 to April 7, 1973. There were a total of 262 episodes, and it was one of the most popular action dramas in Japan at the time. The story involved "Key Hunter", a special clandestine unit of the International Police, which endeavored to solve various crimes. "Key Hunter" was a unique TV show, which started out as a grand scale spy thriller never before seen in Japan. The episodes were individually themed on global crimes and political strife. The initial hardboiled theme later evolved to include intellectual elements involving action, and occasionally with comical elements as well. Tetsuro Tamba starred in the 1967 film You Only Live Twice as Japanese Secret Service agent Tiger Tanaka, an ally of James Bond. This role greatly influenced his image in "Key Hunter".
Key Hunter
1968
7.9Juspion's parents were killed by space pirates when he was a baby. After escaping to the planet Eijin, he is raised by a space hermit. He eventually embarks on a quest to fight the Mega beasts and defeat Satan Gorth. Hetravels from planet to planet until he finally arrives on Earth. Wearing a special suit, he has super human powers and a transforming spaceship.
Megabeast Investigator Juspion
1985
NRStarring Yōko Minamida as a woman who supported her family during and after World War II. All episodes are missing from the NHK archives, though a brief clip does survive as part of a contemporary news segment documenting the drama's production.
Niji
1970
7.7Taking its title from an archaic Japanese word meaning "ghost story," this anthology adapts four folk tales. A penniless samurai marries for money with tragic results. A man stranded in a blizzard is saved by Yuki the Snow Maiden, but his rescue comes at a cost. Blind musician Hoichi is forced to perform for an audience of ghosts. An author relates the story of a samurai who sees another warrior's reflection in his teacup.
Kwaidan
1965
7.4Follow the exploits of motorcycle racer turned super hero Takuya Yamashiro, as he slings and swings, battling the evil Iron Cross Army along the way.
Japanese Spiderman
1978
Film credits
2000s · 2 titles
8.0Inuyama is intrigued by the existence of "Jake," a mysterious crocodile that has been sighted in many countries around the world. He continues to travel around the world, listening to the testimonies of various people of different ages, nationalities, and sighting situations who have seen "Jake".
Tracing Jake
2004
NRLegendary Crocodile, Jake and His Fellows (伝説のワニ ジェイク) is a Japanese surreal fantasy media project. Originally a 2001 TV series and an illustrated book, it was adapted into a feature film in 2001 for DVD and again in 2004 for theaters. It blends live-action interviews with unique short animations. The people who have witnessed Jake come from completely different backgrounds, countries, ages, and circumstances. A young American woman spotted Jake in the opening of a waterway. An elderly Japanese man, confined to his sickbed, saw Jake on his ceiling. A Singaporean woman saw Jake sitting on a swing in a park while waiting to meet her lover... Jake suddenly appears in the midst of their ordinary lives, and each time he takes on a different form and appears in a different place. Yet only certain chosen people are able to see him.
Legendary Crocodile, Jake and His Fellows
2001
1990s · 6 titles
6.4Vain, middle-aged actress Biwako is placed in witness protection while authorities investigate the brutal murder she witnessed. Under the watch of two dedicated cops, Biwako struggles to maintain her career, her public image, and her personal life as she prepares for her new role on the witness stand.
Woman in Witness Protection
1997
7.8A Choice between Loyalty or Duty of the Samurai! Can the heartlessness of society crush the honor of an individual? In the spring of the 18th year of Kanei, Hosokawa Tadatoshi, feudal lord of the Higo area, died. Although Tadatoshi forbade his vassals to follow him in death before he died, they still committed seppuku one after the other. The new feudal lord, Mitsunao, Tadatoshi's son, also gave the order forbidding seppuku. Abe Yaichiemon obeyed his former lord's last wish but is now being called a coward by his comrades and finally decided to follow Tadatoshi in death in order to save his family's honor. Mitsunao, upset by Yaichiemon actions, punished the Abe family unfairly. Objected to this, the Abe family shut themselves up in their manor as the lords troops moved in. This is the true story of what happened within the Hosokawa clan in early Edo era.
The Abe Clan
1995
6.7A hospital accidentally gives a man Count Dracula's blood while trying to save his life. A year later, he's back from the dead, trying to right the wrongs of his life while trying to resist the urge to become a vampire.
My Soul Is Slashed
1991
5.0Set in the 1990s, this film uses black humour to cast a sharp, satirical eye at the problems facing modern Japanese families. Hiroshi accidentally hits a young woman with his car and flees in panic. He confesses to his wife, Yoko, who persuades him to keep quiet as his arrest would mean the end for their already troubled family. Their daughter is having an affair with a married man, their son is being bullied and refusing to go to school and their grandfather is becoming more difficult. Yoko urges the family to move the car into the living room in order to destroy the evidence by taking it apart. Hiroshi finally decides to do the honest thing but a series of bizarre incidents then ensues...
The Hit-and-Run Family
1992
NRSuspense TV movie based on the novel by Seicho Matsumoto, starring Ikko Furuya.
Kazu no Fūkei
1991
7.5A special edition of the TV series "Gakko no Kaidan (School Ghost Story)" broadcast on Fuji Television Network.
School Ghost Story: Spring Haunting Special
1999
1980s · 16 titles
8.0The president of the Japanese National Railways is found dead during a period in which train service is plagued by numerous layoffs, strikes and shutdowns. The government says that the president was murdered; the police claim it was a suicide. A quizzical reporter follows the case for years, but the basic question remains unanswered: was the victim killed by members of the burgeoning Communist movement in Japan, or was the death stage-managed by the authorities in hopes of discrediting the Communists?
Willful Murder
1981
4.0A free-spirited girl living in a Japanese province spends her time working in a brothel and running with her dog. When her routine is shattered she gets on a path of hate and self discovery.
Lake of Illusions
1982
7.0A car going at 25 mph plunges into the sea at Shinko Harbour, Toyama prefecture. Inside is the local business magnate Fukutaro Shirakawa, who perishes. Riding alongside him and surviving unhurt is his second wife, Kumako. It soon comes to light that Kumako’s husband was insured for 300 million yen and she is arrested on suspicion of murdering her husband for the insurance money. The newspapers denounce her as an evil woman, while the public is in no doubt about Kumako’s crime. Ritsuko Sahara is chosen as her defence attorney but the pair clash over almost everything...
Suspicion
1982
4.3Yuko is in love with an old poet who happens to be also a married man. She waits patiently for him and only him, yet she is constantly being lust by others.
Love Letter
1981
5.5Story of three people, a barber, a Christian and a graduate of the Tokyo Military Academy during the 2nd World War.
The Imperial Japanese Empire
1982
3.4A female scientist and two children are accidentally transported into a future dominated by primates.
Time of the Apes
1987
5.3Two high school girls get mixed up in murder while investigating the disappearance of a classmate.
Summer Secrets
1982
10.0In the desert of Egypt, Kurata, the CEO of the Japanese corporation Tokokaihatsu, is killed by a sniper. After the news reaches Japan, the CEO's lawyer, Yamamoto, receives a visit from two men that attempt to steal the deceased CEO's will. This is witnessed by two detectives, Tsuzuki and Ōnuki, but they fail to catch the perps. Yamamoto hands the detectives a set of keys before he stops breathing. Tsuzuki and Ōnuki now have to investigate Kurata's murder...
Desperate Pursuit
1986
7.7A young theatre actress fights for her uncertain career while having to confront the personal sacrifices that will arise from it.
W's Tragedy
1984
7.0The love story of an architect and a fashion designer in Mexico.
Caribe: Symphony of Love
1985
9.0A martial arts master/detective investigates a series of murders and helps a deaf bathhouse attendant, Hisako.
Karate Cop
1982
7.0Coinciding with the LDP presidential election of the entire national public, a masterpiece depicting the reverse side of Showa political history released, superimposed cast, a group image of real politicians centered on Shigeru Yoshida and political history after the war.
The Yoshida School
1983
7.8A drama depicting the conflict between a man that ran to an old lover suffering from advanced leukemia, his wife and child that were left behind, and the friendship that develops between his wife and his former lover.
Love Letter
1985
6.0Former policeman Matsushita Hiroshi is a professional marksman shootist. When his keen eye catches his target in the dry urban darkness, the hard, breathless action begins.
The Shootist
1989
NRJapanese comedy film.
Nezumi Kozō kaitō den
1984
NRCan a woman love two men at the same time? Set against the backdrop of Kyoto's rich history, this story depicts a woman's difficult choice for love. Ayako, played by Yukiyo Toake, is an international conference coordinator. Torn between her childhood sweetheart (played by Kenji Sawada) and her English professor (played by Noboru Nakaya), Ayako will seek answers to love, marriage, and choice.
Arashi Tatsunari
1982
1970s · 19 titles
7.5A strikingly beautiful young woman is trained from birth to be a deadly instrument of revenge against the swindlers who destroyed her family.
Lady Snowblood
1973
7.2The three-film saga comes to a conclusion as three leaders of the underworld battle it out to determine who will become Don of Japan.
Japanese Godfather: Conclusion
1978
6.4Obayashi's take on the famous Kosuke Kindaichi series, made popular partly thanks to the numerous movie-adaptions by Kon Ichikawa, the most known being The Inugami Family. Kosuke Kindaichi is the most famous detective in Japan. Kindaichi gets a new case to figure out who has beheaded a valuable statue and made off with its head.
The Adventures of Kosuke Kindaichi
1979
5.8A squadron of Japanese Self-Defense Force soldiers find themselves transported through time to their country's warring states era, when rival samurai clans were battling to become the supreme Shogun.
G.I. Samurai
1979
5.6A rookie golfer must cope with the stress of fame after a marketing executive transforms her into a sports celebrity.
A Tale of Sorrow and Sadness
1977
6.3The Iron Cross Army are sabotaging oil-tankers with the help of their monster, the Sea-Devil, a semi-mechanical anthropomorphic swordfish with an ability to shoot torpedoes from its mouth. Spiderman employs the help of the interpol agent Juzo Mamiya to help him stop the Iron Cross Army.
Japanese Spiderman: Episode 0
1978
5.6Utamaro was an artist who lived in Edo (which was later to become modern-day Tokyo) in the late 18th century. This film, which has a complex and wide-ranging storyline, recreates the world of that time, as it appeared in Utamaro's paintings.
Utamaro's World
1977
6.7In 1930, the chance meeting of a novelist and one of his fans opens the door to a series of mysterious events culminating in the death of a wealthy industrialist who may have been leading a double life.
A Scream from Nowhere
1977
6.4Famous detective Kindaichi solves a series of mysterious murders in a wealthy family. An excellent blend of intrigue and betrayal, set against the backdrop of wealth, this film is loaded with twists and turns and surprises at every corner.
Devil's Flute
1979
NRRomantic drama based on the manga published in Young Comic.
The Shinano River
1973
4.8Tadashi Iki returns to Japan from a Soviet gulag 11 years after being captured during the invasion of Manchuria. He is offered a position in the expansive Kinki Corporation, but rival corporations are competing for a government contract to produce fighter planes.
The Corporation
1976
9.0After the war-time government orders the disbanding of the Big-Six baseball league, the teams of Waseda and Keio universities play one final game before they are drafted into the armed forces and face the hardships of military service.
The Last Game
1979
7.3The story of Ryoma Sakamoto, considered to be the architect behind the downfall of the Tokugawa shogunate. He was considered an outlaw by his own clan, hunted by his government, and was despised by supporters of the Shogun as well as the Loyalists for desiring the opening of Japan to the West in order to learn its technology, in the hopes of one day defeating the West with a modern army and navy.
The Ambitious
1970
7.3The Taisho era was a time of turbulence in Japan. From new marks of modernity to full-blown riots, a sense of revolution filled the air. The Dam Dam Group is a small anarchist organization lead by Daijiro, a silver tongued "Benshi", a performer who provides narratives for silent films, playing multiple roles. In other words, he was a master at the art of deception, a handy talent when it came to 'doing jobs' for his group. His revolutionary ideals attracted many to his squadron, but among them was a young girl who was oblivious to his group's activities. Her name was Shino.
Evening Primrose
1974
NRThe girl students of rival junior high schools stage duels and show a curious interest in sexual pastimes.
Adults Games
1971
NRAdaptation of the Shôji Yuki novel.
Maboroshi no Satsui
1971
NRBased on the comic by Kazuo Koike
Kôkôsei burai hikae: Tsuki no Muramasa
1973
NRFilm distributed by ATG.
Fighting Against The Incurable Disease Aplastic Anemia – Now You Are In The Light
1978
6.5Based on the comic Gokiburi Deka.
Wild Cop
1973
1960s · 12 titles
7.7Taking its title from an archaic Japanese word meaning "ghost story," this anthology adapts four folk tales. A penniless samurai marries for money with tragic results. A man stranded in a blizzard is saved by Yuki the Snow Maiden, but his rescue comes at a cost. Blind musician Hoichi is forced to perform for an audience of ghosts. An author relates the story of a samurai who sees another warrior's reflection in his teacup.
Kwaidan
1965
7.0A ronin desperately seeks a way out of financial straits; he allies with the Tosa clan under the ruthless leader Takechi, who quickly takes advantage.
Tenchu!
1969
7.2Based on the life and career of novelist Fumiko Hayashi, she bitterly struggles for literary recognition in the first half of the 20th-century – her affairs with feckless men, the jobs she took to survive (peddler, waitress, bar maid), and her arduous, often humiliating attempts to get published in a male-dominated culture.
A Wanderer's Notebook
1962
7.1Set in 1926 when Japanese tradition was much stronger, this drama looks at the inner workings of a small family, especially the relationship between a sister and brother.
Her Brother
1960
7.0Gang of robbers quarrel about the loot, but when one of them gets killed, his younger brother seeks them out to ice them one by one.
Get 'em All
1960
9.0Toshiko is the madam of a bar in Osaka who tries to keep her private life private and claims not to have a lover. However, she is in fact having a secret affair.
She Came For Love
1963
NRNo synopsis available yet.
Warm Current
1966
NRA story of an orphan boy who wanted the love of parents so badly, another orphan sincerely pitied him to the point he gives his secret birthright as an illegitimate son to a Shogun as a "gift of hope" to the sad boy. As the orphan boy grew up, his loving heart became bitter and he saw the opportunity to take advantage of this birthright with the help of a man who wanted to use this orphan's desire to be loved, for seizing power in the shogunate by using the imposter. Many obstacles to hurdle along the way of deception, however, will they succeed or will he be exposed?
The Man Who Challenged 8,000,000-Koku
1961
TV drama based off the play of the same name by Yukio Mishima.
The Rokumeikan
1961
NR1961 Japanese movie
Uzu
1961
NR1962 Japanese movie
Yoru no keisha
1962
10.0During the war a university professor meets a girl and marries her. Very soon however, it is apparent that their needs are not matched. He would much rather be translating Shakespeare than attending to her, and she has a secret in her past - one that results in her sleeping with a great number of men.
Whirlpool of Flesh
1964
1950s · 5 titles
6.2A Japanese woman writes down three stories she has witnessed or heard of in her diary, each about the difficult situation a young woman finds herself in.
An Inlet of Muddy Water
1953
9.0The story of the trials and tribulations of a lighthouse keeper and his wife.
Times of Joy and Sorrow
1957
7.2Otsuta is running the geisha house Tsuta in Tokyo. Her business is heavily in debt. Her daughter Katsuyo doesn't see any future in her mother's trade in the late days of geisha. But Otsuta will not give up. This film portrays the day time life of geisha when not entertaining customers.
Flowing
1956
NRWhen he was a little boy, Tokitō Kensaku was sent to live with his paternal grandfather and his mistress Oei. Years later, Kensaku realizes he has feelings for Oei.
Pilgrimage at Night
1959
TV drama based off the play of the same name by Yukio Mishima.
The Rokumeikan
1959
Series credits
7.8Inspired by American TV movies like "Hitchcock Theater" and "The Twilight Zone," the show features multiple works with Tamori as the storyteller and actors as the main characters. While horror and supernatural themes are predominant, a variety of genres like comedy and drama are also produced. Most episodes, however, have a bad ending.
Tales of the Bizarre
1990
7.0Key Hunter is a prime-time Japanese television detective series. It aired on Saturday nights in the 9:00–9:56 p.m. time slot on the Tokyo Broadcasting System network from April 6, 1968 to April 7, 1973. There were a total of 262 episodes, and it was one of the most popular action dramas in Japan at the time. The story involved "Key Hunter", a special clandestine unit of the International Police, which endeavored to solve various crimes. "Key Hunter" was a unique TV show, which started out as a grand scale spy thriller never before seen in Japan. The episodes were individually themed on global crimes and political strife. The initial hardboiled theme later evolved to include intellectual elements involving action, and occasionally with comical elements as well. Tetsuro Tamba starred in the 1967 film You Only Live Twice as Japanese Secret Service agent Tiger Tanaka, an ally of James Bond. This role greatly influenced his image in "Key Hunter".
Key Hunter
1968
7.9Juspion's parents were killed by space pirates when he was a baby. After escaping to the planet Eijin, he is raised by a space hermit. He eventually embarks on a quest to fight the Mega beasts and defeat Satan Gorth. Hetravels from planet to planet until he finally arrives on Earth. Wearing a special suit, he has super human powers and a transforming spaceship.
Megabeast Investigator Juspion
1985
NRStarring Yōko Minamida as a woman who supported her family during and after World War II. All episodes are missing from the NHK archives, though a brief clip does survive as part of a contemporary news segment documenting the drama's production.
Niji
1970
7.4Follow the exploits of motorcycle racer turned super hero Takuya Yamashiro, as he slings and swings, battling the evil Iron Cross Army along the way.
Japanese Spiderman
1978
NRIn this TV series of the hit 1973 film, Volcanic eruptions and earthquakes shake Japan. Firestorms burn beautiful Japanese cities to the ground. A weather survey group discovers that the Japanese Archipelago is moving towards the Japanese Trench, which if left to continue on its collision course, would bring the whole island of Japan under the sea!
Submersion of Japan
1974
NRAsako Ikeuchi and Natsuko Hayakawa have been close friends for more than 25 years. Natsuko's husband Keisuke had affairs, so she asks Asako to let her stay at her house. Keisuke was once Asako's boyfriend. They will soon be 30 years old. There are other nice guys around Asako. It's a drama about their love and friendship.
Dakishimetai!
1988
NRThe story of two girls switched in an orphanage.
Akai Unmei
1976
NRMiyuki works in a bank with Sayuri and Takuya. Sayuri and Takuya plot to get the money each of them needs. Miyuki is violently hurt by their scheme and her relationship with her fiance is affected. When Miyuki discovers the people responsible for all that has happened to her, she plans her revenge.
I Won't Love Anyone Anymore
1991
NRThe drama depicts the fateful meeting and falling in love between a man living in the glamorous world of the fashion business and a woman living in the social reality of law and order.
Hikarugake
1977
NRThe tumultuous life of the fallen Isoroku Yamamoto is depicted, along with his family, friends, and subordinates, his bonds with the women who loved and watched over him, and the sorrows of the nameless people who have disappeared in the torrent of history.
Umi ni kakeru Niji: Yamamoto Isoroku to Nippon Kaigun
1983
No synopsis available yet.
天国に一番近い病院
1993
No synopsis available yet.
松本清張の聞かなかった場所
1979
NRNo synopsis available yet.
愛のホットライン
—
No synopsis available yet.
高校野球殺人事件
1982
