
Acting
Akira Katayama
Born — Died
1922-01-07 — 1978-10-07
Place of birth
Sendai, Miyagi, Japan
Known for
Acting
Credits
65 titles
Known for
8.3A powerful terrorist organization known as the Black Cross Army threatens to destroy the Earth, with only the defense organization EAGLE (EArth Guard LEague) able to oppose them. In retaliation, Black Cross Army destroys multiple EAGLE headquarters across Japan, killing all but five people. Now, these five remaining EAGLE members are called to form a secret, powerful team known as Gorenger, the only force left that has a chance to stop the Black Cross Army and their evil leader, Black Cross Führer.
Himitsu Sentai Gorenger
1975
8.0Cyborg warriors were created by the Special Science Investigation Squad to bear nuclear, gravitational, magnetic, and electrical forces. They fight the crime empire known as "Crime".
J.A.K.Q. Dengekitai
1977
9.0Seven Color Mask (七色仮面, Nanairo Kamen) is the name and title character of a tokusatsu TV series, later called New Seven Color Mask (新七色仮面, Shin Nanairo Kamen). It was created by Kōhan Kawauchi, who also created Moonlight Mask. This B&W TV show was the first superhero TV series by Toei Company Ltd. It was broadcast on NET (now TV Asahi) from June 3, 1959 to June 30, 1960, with a total of 57 episodes divided into 7 segments. Aside from being Toei's first TV superhero show, this series was also the debut of actor Sonny Chiba, who was 19 at the time, who took over the title role from Susumu Namijima after Episode 32.
Nanairo Kamen
1959
A group of four chorus singers leave their hometown in Kyushu and go to Tokyo to become stars. It’s a musical comedy that shows Segawa’s talent.
The Happy-Go-Lucky Guy
1961
6.3G-men challenge a jewelry smuggling ring. The chase starts in Kyushu and continues to Kobe to Yokohama.
G-Men in the Pacific
1962
NRTatsuo 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
Film credits
1970s · 3 titles
7.5The second film in Toho's series on the military history of the Showa era, Hiromichi Horikawa's war drama offers a look at the career of controversial politician Hideki Tojo and the strained relationships between Japan's government, military, and the media.
The Militarists
1970
7.0With World War II is coming to its end and Japan nearing defeat, Japanese military leaders step up suicide attacks on Allied ships. Toei legend Koji Tsuruta stars as a Kamikaze squad leader who has second thoughts about suicide runs. He becomes torn between his own morality and his duty to his country when he must deal with a pilot under his command who refuses to complete his mission.
The Last Kamikaze
1970
8.0A Masked Monster being chased for stealing a microfilm with EAGLE secrets hides on a houseboat to avoid Kaijo and Asuka's pursuit.
Himitsu Sentai Gorenger: The Movie
1975
1960s · 38 titles
A group of four chorus singers leave their hometown in Kyushu and go to Tokyo to become stars. It’s a musical comedy that shows Segawa’s talent.
The Happy-Go-Lucky Guy
1961
6.3G-men challenge a jewelry smuggling ring. The chase starts in Kyushu and continues to Kobe to Yokohama.
G-Men in the Pacific
1962
8.1Sabu and his pals hold a pauper's funeral for Sabu's mother. His brother Jiro arrives home, fresh out of jail, and Sabu pointedly states that Jiro is not invited. Jiro meanwhile is planning a big job - steal 40 million in cash and drugs, and he invites Sabu and gang to act as decoys, for 50,000 each. The sting is a success, but the double-crossing starts almost immediately. Sabu discovers how little of the take they were promised and hides the stash. Jiro and his slimy partner pressure the kids to fess up. Meanwhile, their respectable elder brother Ichiro is being leaned on by the town's big boss, whose money it was.
Wolves, Pigs & Men
1964
7.2A young leader of the Yamazaki family of Nagasaki, Takida (Ken Takakura) is an A-bomb survivor. He fiercely battles violent elements in southern Japan like there is no tomorrow.
Glorious Fights
1966
6.0A teenage boy discovers that the planet Icarus is on a collision course with Earth by gazing through his telescope. Scoffed at by the scientific establishment, the boy is kidnapped and brought to a secret UN base in the Japan alps. He is immediately inducted into the secret program whose mission is to finish the Super-Destruction Beam cannon and destroy Icarus. The cannon is missing a special mineral for the lens. The team heads for a mysterious island in the middle of the Pacific. There they find ancient ruins of Atlantis but they are suddenly attacked by a strange drill shaped metal squid spaceship. It's commanded by the evil being Nazu who has engineered the collision with Icarus! He doesn't want to share the universe with humans and he really doesn't want the cannon finished. The action is on and the team discovers the Golden Bat who has been asleep for over 10,000 years awaiting this very moment to save the earth!
The Golden Bat
1966
8.0Two convicts just released from prison find a green bauble filled with diamonds — and try to prove they didn't steal it.
Prison Walls of Abashiri, Part 2
1965
7.3Two escaped criminals who kidnapped a baby break into the house of Misawa, a man who works in an advertising agency and lives quietly with his family. They will force him to collect the child's ransom for them.
The Threat
1966
3.1Astronomer Shinichi Tachibana has a secret identity as the superhero "Iron Sharp" and is well beloved by children. When they are attacked by a group of metallic aliens, Iron Sharp drives the aliens away. The resourceful Tachibana helps develop an electric barrier to block the aliens from coming to the Earth. After several losses by the aliens, they announce that they will invade the Earth, throwing the world into a state of panic.
Invasion of the Neptune Men
1961
7.7Rival gangs fight over ownership of bicycle race track.
Prison Boss
1968
5.7A modern gang version of Chushingura, chronicling almost scene for scene the Brave 47 Ronin story, transposed from the Genroku Period to the Showa Era.
Gang Loyalty and Vengeance
1963
NRDetectives of the First Investigation Division are investigating the murder of a 15-year-old girl, whose strangled corpse was found in the bay of the Tama River. The ugly behavior of adults hidden in the name of social welfare is exposed by the investigation. 16th work from the popular series "Keishicho Monogatari".
Police Precinct: 15 Year Old Woman
1961
7.0Ishihama is planning a casino robbery with his wife and mother-in-law. They meet a man named Tsuneda who is planning the same robbery and agree to work together.
All Rascals
1962
NR1963 Toei movie.
White Ball
1963
7.0Based on the novel by Naoki Prize-nominated author Taro Takeshita, a thriller full of black humor. A jealous husband murders his adulterous wife, then embarks on a crusade to extort all the wealthy men whom she had affairs with.
The Glamorous Ghost
1964
7.7Pilot Mitarai Ken is mistaken for a murder suspect after a dying man leaves his name. Sent to fly to Taipei with journalist Xiang-lan, he discovers a corpse on board and killers waiting at Songshan Airport. Co-produced by Ninjin Productions and Taiwan's Kuo Kuang Motion Picture Company, the film turns planes, cars, streets, and nightclubs into the machinery of a transregional thriller. Bai Lan shifts from her familiar tragic persona to an active reporter in a Japanese–Taiwanese genre production.
The Kamikaze Guy
1966
6.5Shinichi “Sonny” Chiba returns as the reckless son of a private detective takes on the case of a minor league baseball pitcher who disappears right before signing a contract into the major leagues. Meanwhile, the body of an orthopedist is discovered in the river.
Man with a Funky Hat: The 20,000,000 Yen Arm
1961
9.0Ichiro (Chiba) is a scrappy little sport in a big car and funny hat always looking for some fun and some extra cash on the side. He and his friends get themselves involved in some shady business dealings involving a kidnapping.
Man with the Funky Hat
1961
NRIn a corner of a warehouse at Shiodome Station, a alumni trunk, is found with the terrible smell of decay. The dead body of a woman is inside. Since the trunk was shipped from Osaka Tennoji Station, the murder investigation headquarters were established in Tokyo and Osaka
Police Precinct Part 12
1960
NRTwo people disappeared, engineers of the companies Yamato Matsui and Koyama. The two worked overtime, and it is proven that they consumed alcohol together. According to the sushi restaurant employee who delivered an order around 9 p.m., the two were arguing loudly. Traces of blood were found at the scene, and it looks like a murder occurred. The Investigative Department begins an investigation… The 24th work from the popular series "Keishicho Monogatari", which documents the activities of the First Investigation Division of the Capital Police Department.
Police Precinct: Missing Person
1964
NRA burnt corpse of a man was found in Okutama. As a result of the investigation, it turns out that the criminal strangled the victim with a bandage, smashed his face with an oil canister and burned the body, trying to hide the identity of the victim. But the investigation establishes that the victim is a former criminal named Hisashi Sayama. According to Sayama's daughter-in-law, a man named Kitamura got him a job, so he left home with a copy of the family register. Trying to find the killer, the First Investigation Department is investigating all over the country, including Akita, Yokkaichi and Okinawa.
Police Precinct Part 21
1963
7.5Two rival gangs of gangsters clash for dominance of a neighborhood.
Gang vs. G-Men
1962
Hibari Misora plays a singing guide, who is secretly in love, her fortunes turn for the worse when a gangster’s henchman hears her singing and takes a liking to her beautiful voice. The trouble starts when her family borrows money from the gangsters, setting off a series of incidents which lead to tragedy.
Hibari's Tale of Pathos
1962
NRMr. Mito, a former president of an instant food company, with two young men’s help, solves the quality problems and wins a big ramen contract with a large Chinese company.
Tales of President Mito
1962
NRA suspense work based on the "Miyagi Incident," an attempted coup d'etat led by some officers working for the Ministry of the Defense and the General Staff of the Konoe Division on the eve of the end of the Pacific War.
Mid-August Commotion
1962
NR1961 Japanese movie
Futaridake no taiyō
1961
NROn a quiet spring day in the suburbs, a stray dog found the corpse of a baby. Three days after his death, the blood group of the victim was determined. Detectives Hayashi, Kaneko, Nagata and Yamagata begin their investigation, suspecting the parents of the murdered child. They use a towel, baby diapers and bruises on the baby's body as clues in the investigation. Who killed the baby?
Police Precinct Part 13
1960
NRThe corpse of a debt collector, Sakai, is found in the Dobu River in Tokyo. Kinoshita, a shoe shiner who was in debt to Sakai, was soon apprehended. During interrogation, Kinoshita said that he was the one who killed Sakai. However, after a while, he admitted that he lied, because he thought that in prison he could eat plenty of rice for free. The investigation established that Sakai was a repatriate from Manchuria, and after returning to Japan, he had a wife, Rie Kawai. The investigation begins the search for Rie... The 23rd work from the popular series "Keishicho Monogatari", which documents the activities of the First Investigation Division of the Capital Police Department.
Police Precinct: Confession
1964
NR1962 Japanese movie
Komadori shimai oke-sa wataridori
1962
NR1962 Japanese movie
The Injured Boy
1962
NRA touching drama about a love triangle between a young architect, Koroku, and two women, Ranko and Teruko. Ranko comes from a wealthy family and is offering to repay Koroku’s family debts in exchange for marriage, but Koroku is in love with his landlord’s daughter, Teruko. Things are further complicated when the wicked Tsugawa takes interest in both women, for his own marriage.
365 Nights
1962
NR1962 Japanese movie
I. George monogatari taiyō no ko
1962
NRIn the former landfill, where construction is currently underway, the corpse of a middle-aged man with an unusual rosary in his hand was dug up. An autopsy showed that the victim was about 40 years old, 170 cm tall, had bad teeth, and had been strangled about a month ago. The police department begins an investigation, Detectives Hayashi and Kitagawa set out to investigate the origin of the rosary, and Detectives Nagata and Watanabe begin interviewing construction workers. In the end, it turns out that the rosary belongs to some new religion... The 19th work from the series "Keishicho Monogatari".
Police Precinct: Landfill No. 19
1962
NRFollows the exploits of Phantom Agent Fantar and his ninja-skilled elite team. Based in Tokyo, the Phantom Agents were skilled in counter terrorism, espionage, all forms of weapons and worked for the Government against the forces of evil. Their traditional enemies included The Black Flag Group, Smig Z and the Moccula.
Phantom Agents
1964
NR1961 Japanese movie
Muteppō shain
1961
NRThe first installment of Seven-Color Mask: Red Jaguar.
Seven-Color Mask: Red Jaguar - Horror of the Black Hand
1960
NRThe third and final installment of Seven-Color Mask: Three Aces.
Seven-Color Mask: Three Ace - The Dancing Gold Demon
1960
NRThe third and final installment of Seven-Color Mask: Red Jaguar.
Seven-Color Mask: Red Jaguar - The Final Trump Card
1960
NRThe second installment of Seven-Color Mask: Red Jaguar.
Seven-Color Mask: Red Jaguar - Million Dollar Showdown
1960
1950s · 19 titles
NRTatsuo 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
6.8Junai Monogatari AKA Story of Pure Love is about two poor youths, Mitsuko and Kando, rebelling against society in various ways, who are desperately trying to be together despite tortuous circumstances. The film depicts their lives as thieves, menial laborers who can get little pay, society outcasts, and of course, lovers. Junai Monogatari depicts, mostly, their struggles within the Japanese reformatory system and Mitsuko's worsening sickness.
The Story of Pure Love
1957
NRAfter discovering a slaughtered corpse, the investigating team of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department began canvassing the area around the crime scene. As a result, they found a wallet with bloodstains that seemed to belong to the victim, a woman's wallet that did not fit the field, earrings, and other valuable materials, which led them on a foot search. The woman's purse had been picked up by a male prostitute on the subway, and from the prostitute's testimony, they were able to identify the pickpocket's face, but the next day, the man was found dead in a road accident, apparently murdered.
Police Precinct: The Pickpocket Killer
1957
2.6Attracted by the report of the development of a new type of rocket fuel, the vicious dictator of Krangkor, the dark planet, descends on Earth to steal the formula from its creator, the benevolent Dr. Makin.
Prince of Space
1959
5.0To fulfill a friend’s dying wish, a young sailor Kenji takes on the task of delivering an heirloom to his friend’s daughter, Harumi, who has been adopted by another family. When he arrives, Kenji soon discovers that Harumi and her adopted family are the targets of an evil gang boss. In an attempt to help them, he decides to take matters into his own hands.
The Deep Blue Sea
1957
NRThe fifth installment of the Metropolitan Police Department story series. This time, detectives from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's First Investigative Division are once again in action, full of thrills and speed, in pursuit of the perpetrator of a mysterious murder that suddenly occurred at an auto race track.
Police Precinct Part 5
1957
7.0A film adaptation of Rikuo Honjo's novel "Ishikari River".
Samurai of the Great Earth
1956
One of the earliest Japanese cop films following a mysterious killing on the last train to Mitaka, Tokyo.
Murder on the Last Train
1955
NRA masterpiece of life sketches overflowing with heartwarming affection and laughter that portrays the modern common people with humor and pathos, focusing on the daily life of Sanpei Mejiro, a salaryman for over twenty years who finds a little happiness in life in his poor but joyful home.
Salaryman Mejiro Sanpei
1955
NRA taxi robbery and murder occurred in Fukagawa late at night. Detectives Nagata and Miyagawa of the Metropolitan Police Department's First Investigation Division, who suspect the perpetrator as a habitual offender, flew to Yanagibashi using the remains as clues, and suspect a forester, but before this case was closed, a new incident using the same method occurred in Shinbashi, and this time the driver's corpse was not found.
Police Precinct
1956
NRA luxury car was stolen near a certain nightclub in Akasaka, and the owner of the car was shot and killed. The investigation by detective Nagata, head of the Metropolitan Police Department's Investigation Headquarters, revealed that the perpetrator shot a silenced gun, and that a film camera was taken away from the car he abandoned. Furthermore, fluids left at the scene indicate that the perpetrator was a tuberculosis patient...
Police Precinct: Crime at High Noon
1957
NRA tragic drama - a dismembered torso of a woman rises up on the banks of the Arakawa River. The body is only the torso. Her legs were discovered on the opposite bank. The only clue, a man was trying to throw something in from a car with a license plate number three days ago at Shin-Arakawa Ohashi Bridge...
Police Precinct: The Woman Without A Face
1959
NRThe body of a woman was found in a manhole. Is it an affair? The victim is a clerk at a mannequin manufacturing company. At the age of 26, she was a widow with a child, and she went missing after he went to collect her salary from the bank. A colleague at work said the victim was wearing an opal ring, but the bank clerk says she wore a jade ring when he came to withdraw money.
Police Precinct Part 7
1958
NRNo synopsis available yet.
Speed Crazy
1959
7.0A man who uses marriage as bait goes from woman to woman, and then a horrific murder is committed for money. Seven police man chase the vicious criminal who disappeared into the vortex of the big city.
Police Precinct: Nothing Left at the Scene
1959
NRA robbery and murder occurred at a gas station facing the national highway at 1:00am. Detectives Nagata, head of the First Investigation Division, begins investigating. Two bullets were removed from the corpse of a staff member on duty at the station, and the last car to be refilled with gasoline, Sakura Taxi No. 5-E1044, appears on the line of investigation. The same night, a robbery murder case was discovered using the same US military gun that was used on the gas station victim.
Police Precinct: The Left-Handed Killer
1956
NRNo synopsis available yet.
Police Precinct Part 2
1956
NRNo synopsis available yet.
あゝ洞爺丸
1954
9.0The fourth installment of G-men of Japan
G-men of Japan 4: Special Armed Unit Mobilization
1956
Series credits
8.3A powerful terrorist organization known as the Black Cross Army threatens to destroy the Earth, with only the defense organization EAGLE (EArth Guard LEague) able to oppose them. In retaliation, Black Cross Army destroys multiple EAGLE headquarters across Japan, killing all but five people. Now, these five remaining EAGLE members are called to form a secret, powerful team known as Gorenger, the only force left that has a chance to stop the Black Cross Army and their evil leader, Black Cross Führer.
Himitsu Sentai Gorenger
1975
8.3A powerful terrorist organization known as the Black Cross Army threatens to destroy the Earth, with only the defense organization EAGLE (EArth Guard LEague) able to oppose them. In retaliation, Black Cross Army destroys multiple EAGLE headquarters across Japan, killing all but five people. Now, these five remaining EAGLE members are called to form a secret, powerful team known as Gorenger, the only force left that has a chance to stop the Black Cross Army and their evil leader, Black Cross Führer.
Himitsu Sentai Gorenger
1975
8.0Cyborg warriors were created by the Special Science Investigation Squad to bear nuclear, gravitational, magnetic, and electrical forces. They fight the crime empire known as "Crime".
J.A.K.Q. Dengekitai
1977
9.0Seven Color Mask (七色仮面, Nanairo Kamen) is the name and title character of a tokusatsu TV series, later called New Seven Color Mask (新七色仮面, Shin Nanairo Kamen). It was created by Kōhan Kawauchi, who also created Moonlight Mask. This B&W TV show was the first superhero TV series by Toei Company Ltd. It was broadcast on NET (now TV Asahi) from June 3, 1959 to June 30, 1960, with a total of 57 episodes divided into 7 segments. Aside from being Toei's first TV superhero show, this series was also the debut of actor Sonny Chiba, who was 19 at the time, who took over the title role from Susumu Namijima after Episode 32.
Nanairo Kamen
1959
9.0Seven Color Mask (七色仮面, Nanairo Kamen) is the name and title character of a tokusatsu TV series, later called New Seven Color Mask (新七色仮面, Shin Nanairo Kamen). It was created by Kōhan Kawauchi, who also created Moonlight Mask. This B&W TV show was the first superhero TV series by Toei Company Ltd. It was broadcast on NET (now TV Asahi) from June 3, 1959 to June 30, 1960, with a total of 57 episodes divided into 7 segments. Aside from being Toei's first TV superhero show, this series was also the debut of actor Sonny Chiba, who was 19 at the time, who took over the title role from Susumu Namijima after Episode 32.
Nanairo Kamen
1959
