Chizuru Kitagawa

Megastar Kataoka Chiezo is Vice-commander Hijikata Toshizo of the Shinsengumi in this realistic tale of Japan’s inner battles that led to the downfall of the Tokugawa shogunate. Excellent performances and extremely good swordplay highlight this glimpse into the heart and soul of Japanese history. Although known as “Razor Blade” Hijikata, the vice-commander is a man of deep conviction with a little-known sense of humanity. Starting after the famed Ikedaya Incident, in which they saved Kyoto from Choshu’s plot to burn the city to ashes, they work hard to change the public’s view of them as merciless killers to their true mission of protecting the shogun. This is an extraordinary tale of blood and guts! From the pen of award winning author Shotaro Ikenami (Bandit Vs. Samurai, Hunter in the Dark, Misumi's The Last Samurai)

Young lord Saburo Nobuyasu struggles to find comfort in life. His arranged marriage to Tokuhime, daughter of one-time family enemy Oda Nobunaga, provides little happiness. His manipulative mother adds further complications through her constant interference and attempts at defeating the Nobunaga family.

Detective Tarao investigates the deaths of police officers who were involved in solving a kidnapping case.

While on the road, famed Yakuza Boss Jirocho is falsely accused of starting a peasant's uprising and chased by the law. Meanwhile, one of his henchmen in an attempt to raise money for the Boss gambles away not only all their funds, but their clothing as well. Jirocho, famed for his honesty and integrity must take on the challenge of rival gangs while trying to elude the government's officials at the same time. Things really heat up when the most famous of all Yakuza Bosses, Chuji of Kunisada gets involved. Will he team up with his old friend or is gang warfare about to erupt?

A kindhearted wandering gambler named Hajiro gets involved in a crisis of a village as he passes through and decides to lend a sword in hopes to rescue them.

Umon’s services are called upon when innocent bystanders, Kayo and Minokichi, along with the ronin, Gontaro are mistakenly identified as suspects in several recent murder cases. To prove their innocence and uncover the truth, Umon launches his own investigation.

A lord explores the lives of common people.

Tragicomic road movie set during the Edo period. It follows a samurai, his two servants – including spear-carrier Genpachi – and the various people they meet on their journey, including a policeman in pursuit of a thief, a young child and a woman who is to be sold into prostitution.

When Mr. Kurano, a shady Osaka tycoon, had his mistress Yuriko Haruyama run off on him, he hired the bumbling detective Hanawa to track her down. Hanawa deduced she was staying in Tokyo and, using the birthmark on her breast as a clue, headed to Tokyo. He zeroed in on the “Chaotic Hotel” and stormed right in. The hotel’s guests include a motley crew of chaotic characters.

One of the most popular history-based characters is back when Magistrate Saemonojo Toyama no Kinsan investigates the tragic shipwreck of the 'Sadomaru' near Cape Kasumigaseki. The ship carrying gold bars from Sado Island to Edo for the shogunate disappeared into the ocean on a day with clear skies and no wind. While it is conveniently blamed on a surprise tornado or whirlwind, the Sado Magistrate asks his lifelong friend Magistrate Toyama to get to the root of the mystery in order to save his reputation and avoid a life of shame.

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

From June 1944, twelve Japanese seamen are stranded for seven years on an abandoned and forgotten island called Anatahan.

1956 movie from Japan

A mysterious coin found at a murder scene stirs the curiosity of young actress detective Oshichi and her brother Hyoma, who set out on a private investigation to unveil the secrets hidden behind the coin.

A thrilling detective period drama set in the streets of Edo—a world of intrigue, conspiracy, romance, and turmoil—where a thief as agile as a flying monkey runs rampant.

Drama about a famous one-eyed, one-armed samurai swordsman of the middle of the Tokugawa period by the name of Tange Sazen. By chance, Tange gets an old pot in which the secret of the treasure of 1000000 ryos of gold is hidden. However, a bunch of different people hunt for the pot and Tange will have to apply his phenomenal fencing skills with the sword.

The final, third part of an entertaining historical drama depicting the eventful story of the revenge of an actor with a strange fate, with a variety of characters and exciting developments.

1954 Japanese movie

First film of the The Black Hooded Man series.

The second part of an entertaining historical drama depicting the eventful story of the revenge of an actor with a strange fate, with a variety of characters and exciting developments.

Private eye Bannai Tarao (Chiezo Kataoka) and his assistant Masako (Chizuru Kitagawa) investigate the mysterious murder of a baseball player who was killed in the middle of a game.

One of the great stories from Japan’s rich history comes to life in this true tale of the bloody showdown between two rival yakuza gangs in the 1840’s. The battle between Boss Sukegoro of Iioka and Boss Shigezo of Sasagawa has been portrayed many times, most notably in the first Zatoichi film, where the blind man befriends the tubercular ronin Hirate Miki, before cutting him down in one of the great duels in cinema history. This all-star extravaganza pulls out all the stops, with appearances by virtually all of the great actors and actresses from Toei’s studio at the time. Ichikawa Utaemon’s portrayal of the kind-hearted, noble yakuza boss Shigezo of Sasagawa contrasts sharply with the devious Sukegoro of Iioka. Corrupt as he may have been, his men were all willing to give up their lives for him.

Bored Hatamoto film #17

In 1842, in the Umemoku Mansion within Hikone Castle, Naosuke Ii, despite the tumultuous times, was engrossed in the world of tea ceremony. His friend, the Kokugaku scholar Nagano Shuzen, introduced him to a captivating shamisen master named Murayama Taka. Naosuke became deeply infatuated with her, disregarding the jealousy of his consort Shizu and the warnings of his senior retainer, Gaiji. However, upon discovering Taka's relationship with Shuzen, Naosuke promptly ended his ties with her.

Fifth film in the 'Travels of Lord Mito' franchise.

During the ultra-violent era of the downfall of the Tokugawa Shogunate one man rose above the rest with his ideas of how to overthrow the corrupt government and end the bloodshed between the Choshu and Satsuma clans which would ultimately lead to the alliance of these 2 clans and restoration of the emperor to full power. Based on the play that made Sawada Shojiro famous, this is the story of Tsukigata Hanpeita, a forward looking samurai from Choshu, who along with Katsura Kogoro and Sakamoto Ryoma of Tosa worked to bring their dream of a new era in Japan.

The first part of an entertaining historical drama depicting the eventful story of the revenge of an actor with a strange fate, with a variety of characters and exciting developments.

Kondo Isami, the “Devil” commander of the Shinsengumi was one of Japan’s greatest national heroes and a peerless swordsman who devoted his life to protecting the shogun and fighting on the side of the Tokugawa. This tells the story of the Shinsengumi starting at the moment of their greatest triumph through the final battles as the Tokugawa shogunate was brought down.

A film about the rivalry and friendship between firefighter Chоji and sumo wrestler Sokichi Fudoyama.

Early adaptation of the book "The Inugami Clan", featuring the detective Kōsuke Kindaichi.

One of Japan’s most popular folklore characters, Tange Sazen, the one-eyed and one-armed swordsman, must rescue the Yagyu clan from the treachery of a master plotting to take control over a sword fighting school.

No synopsis available yet.

A samurai thief fights a gang of ghostly thieves using scorpions for treasure in the unexplored Shinano region, which is guarded by a descendant of the Heike clan.

Magistrate Ooka-Echizen faces a crime over a pillbox.

No synopsis available yet.

Based on the original story by Seishi Yokomizo, House of Spider Webs is a gorgeous historical drama thriller starring Kinnosuke Nakamura and directed by Tadashi Sawashima.

No synopsis available yet.

In Kyoto, a samurai named Boredom Otoko, Saotome Mondonosuke , appears and helps a woman being chased by a spy named Genshichi. Unfortunately, the woman is shot and killed. Later, Genshichi explains that the woman was a member of a band of thieves, and because she was let go once, the police officer, Genjuro Mazaki, was demoted to a desk job. Consumed by guilt, Boredom Otoko...

A princess finds life behind the protection of her brother and the high walls of the mansion to be quite dull, so she takes on another identity and lives in a small house in Edo pretending to be a singer but all the while she is actually a Shogunate Detective. Framed by a crooked magistrate for a crime she did not commit, Oshichi must clear her name of false charges after a woman helps to lead a prison break of the notorious Oshu Remnants. Meanwhile the magistrate, Lord Kai, conspires to be rid of her brother, Clan Elder, Lord Abe Iyo. Her only clue is an ornate dagger with a handle made of golden coins.

An action-packed, dramatic gangster film.

A series of grisly murders with strange claw marks lead Mito Komon into discovering a deadly plan that involves a strange gorilla creature.

A scientist successfully creates an invisibility serum, only to be kidnapped by a gang of thugs who wish to use the formula to rob a priceless jewel.

A melodramatic love story, a would-be apprenticeship between the titular bad girl and the optimistic scholar returning from the big city. It is considered to be a lost film.

The "opinion leader" of the "opinion leaders" is furious at the "opinion leader's" opinion.

A spearman who had long admired the samurai rises up after learning of cruelty of the samurai class.

No synopsis available yet.

Fourth film of the Bannai Tarao series starring Chiezo Kataoka

No synopsis available yet.

It was a sanatorium in the highlands. Patients such as Totsuka, Hirota, and Hashida were battling their illnesses under the devoted care of Michiko, a nurse so beautiful and noble that she was nicknamed “The Messenger from the Moon.” When Totsuka learned that Hirota, who was about to be discharged, secretly loved Michiko, he devised a plan and arranged for them to spend some time alone in a birch grove. Hirota and Michiko made a firm vow for their future, but around that time, an unexpected visitor arrived at Hirota’s hospital room.

No synopsis available yet.

Expressing the distinct personalities of the three daughters.

When pickpocketing runs rampant, detectives step up their game. Yazaki, a detective at the Ohira Private Detective Agency who graduated from the University of Tokyo, bumps into a woman on a street corner. The woman turns out to be Asako, a female detective who works at his uncle Ryutaro’s private detective agency. Asako lives with her stepmother, Kiyoe, a young widow. The mother worries about her daughter’s marriage prospects, while the daughter worries about her mother’s job situation.

Third film of the Bannai Tarao series starring Chiezo Kataoka

Second film of the Bannai Tarao series starring Chiezo Kataoka

Sequel to "Island of Horrors" (獄門島, 1949).

A romantic musical film based on hit records of the time.

No synopsis available yet.

The story of Kanesuke and Entaro who are master elephant trainers in charge of two elephants, Taro and Hanako at the Metropolitan Zoo.

Set against the backdrop of the Great Fire of Edo, this story depicts the conflict between the town fire brigades and the daimyo’s fire brigades.

No synopsis available yet.