Acting

Kazutarō Kuni

Known for

Acting

Credits

60 titles

Known for

Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Deadly Fight in Hiroshima poster
7.3

Repeatedly beat to a pulp by gamblers, cops, and gangsters, lone wolf Shoji Yamanaka finally finds a home as a Muraoka family hitman and falls in love with boss Muraoka's niece. Meanwhile, the ambitions of mad dog Katsutoshi Otomo draws our series' hero, Shozo Hirono, and the other yakuza into a new round of bloodshed.

Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Deadly Fight in Hiroshima

1973

Battles Without Honor and Humanity poster
7.3

In the teeming black markets of postwar Japan, Shozo Hirono and his buddies find themselves in a new war between factious and ambitious yakuza.

Battles Without Honor and Humanity

1973

Withered Tree, the Adventures of Monjiro poster
7.3

Kogarashi Monjiro is a lone samurai who agrees to take responsibility for a murder that his friend committed so that he can stay with his dying mother, with the expectation that his friend will confess and get him pardoned once she dies. Monjiro is sentenced to an island for prisoners. When he discovers that his friend's mother has died over a year ago, Monjiro seeks to escape with a group of prisoners in order to get his revenge.

Withered Tree, the Adventures of Monjiro

1972

Return of the Street Fighter poster
6.1

Martial artist Takuma Tsurugi returns to take on a Yakuza family that may be embezzling money from charities to finance their own operations. Both the police and the Yakuza find themselves battling Tsurugi, but Tsurugi's fight ultimately is with the mob, and he concentrates on them.

Return of the Street Fighter

1974

Operation Plazma in Osaka poster
7.7

Amidst Japan's postwar economic boom, yakuza factions in Osaka fight for survival when Japan's largest crime syndicate plans a hostile takeover.

Operation Plazma in Osaka

1976

Japan's Don poster
7.2

A yakuza leader must balance his violent tactics necessary for the rough streets of 1960s Tokyo with the domestic needs of his daughters.

Japan's Don

1977

Film credits

1970s · 15 titles

Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Deadly Fight in Hiroshima poster
7.3

Repeatedly beat to a pulp by gamblers, cops, and gangsters, lone wolf Shoji Yamanaka finally finds a home as a Muraoka family hitman and falls in love with boss Muraoka's niece. Meanwhile, the ambitions of mad dog Katsutoshi Otomo draws our series' hero, Shozo Hirono, and the other yakuza into a new round of bloodshed.

Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Deadly Fight in Hiroshima

1973

Battles Without Honor and Humanity poster
7.3

In the teeming black markets of postwar Japan, Shozo Hirono and his buddies find themselves in a new war between factious and ambitious yakuza.

Battles Without Honor and Humanity

1973

Withered Tree, the Adventures of Monjiro poster
7.3

Kogarashi Monjiro is a lone samurai who agrees to take responsibility for a murder that his friend committed so that he can stay with his dying mother, with the expectation that his friend will confess and get him pardoned once she dies. Monjiro is sentenced to an island for prisoners. When he discovers that his friend's mother has died over a year ago, Monjiro seeks to escape with a group of prisoners in order to get his revenge.

Withered Tree, the Adventures of Monjiro

1972

Return of the Street Fighter poster
6.1

Martial artist Takuma Tsurugi returns to take on a Yakuza family that may be embezzling money from charities to finance their own operations. Both the police and the Yakuza find themselves battling Tsurugi, but Tsurugi's fight ultimately is with the mob, and he concentrates on them.

Return of the Street Fighter

1974

Operation Plazma in Osaka poster
7.7

Amidst Japan's postwar economic boom, yakuza factions in Osaka fight for survival when Japan's largest crime syndicate plans a hostile takeover.

Operation Plazma in Osaka

1976

Japan's Don poster
7.2

A yakuza leader must balance his violent tactics necessary for the rough streets of 1960s Tokyo with the domestic needs of his daughters.

Japan's Don

1977

Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Proxy War poster
7.0

Shozo Hirono has managed to separate from the Yamamori family and create his own small family, and extend his circle of acquaintances. These new friendships include a powerful underboss of the Muraoka family, Noboru Uchimoto.

Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Proxy War

1973

The Rapacious Jailbreaker poster
6.6

Convicted of murder, Masayuki Ueda is sent to Hiroshima Prison along with his accomplice. But for a man like him, breaking out of prison is easy.

The Rapacious Jailbreaker

1974

Hokuriku Proxy War poster
6.9

A Yakuza group from Osaka with dreams of national dominance moves into the snowy Hokuriku region, sparking a bloody turf war with local gangs.

Hokuriku Proxy War

1977

The Tattooed Hitman poster
6.2

The most dangerous hired gun in Kyushu's underworld has managed to trigger a vicious gang war, and now, there's a contract on his life. Though nobody is more skilled in the arts of dealing death, can the tattooed hitman fend off the entire Japanese mafia as he searches for the man who wants him dead?

The Tattooed Hitman

1974

The Drifting Gambler poster
9.0

8th part of the Gamblers / Bakuchi-uchi series.

The Drifting Gambler

1970

Red Peony Gambler: Here to Kill You poster
7.8

The seventh chapter of the stunning Hibotan Bakuto series. Many years have passed since Oryu the Red Peony began her soul-searching journey after her father was killed. In her travels, she meets villagers whose crops and livelihoods are being destroyed by pollution from a local factory. They seem to work out an agreement, but Oryu must help the poor villagers when the greedy factory owner and corrupt politicians betray them…

Red Peony Gambler: Here to Kill You

1971

Japanese Humanity and Justice poster
7.0

When a mob boss retires under political pressure, his successor and yakuza family are tested to their limits as new alliances and enemies are formed.

Japanese Humanity and Justice

1977

The Hard Core Criminal poster
7.5

In the 20th century, the Japanese government exploits prisoners as expendable slave laborers in a coal mine, which results in conflict between the prisoners and the warden to escalate.

The Hard Core Criminal

1973

The Viper Brothers: Up on 30 Charges poster
8.0

Part 7 in a long running (8+1 films) action/comedy/melodrama series about a pair of short tempered, amoral, but not evil chinpira (Bunta Sugawara and Tamio Kawachi) thinking too big of themselves. Katsuji finds his long lost mother, who is a rich lady of a respectable family. Comedy and melodrama ensue. A thrilling spectacle with an overly violent ending, and a remarkable, Japan's only post-prison rape comedy, Masa is determined to have sex with the female guard, despite the fact that there is a bar between them. Michi Azuma (topless swordswoman from Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart in Peril) plays a tomboy who wants to join her brothers.

The Viper Brothers: Up on 30 Charges

1974

1960s · 33 titles

Restoration Fire poster
7.0

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)

Restoration Fire

1961

The Great Killing poster
7.3

A cynical samurai is left as the sole survivor to fulfill a plot to assassinate the puppet of a villain intent on usurping the shogunate in the 17th century. A Shogunate Elder connives to rule Japan by making his puppet, the Shogun's brother Tsunashige, the next Shogun. The best strategist in Japan, Yamaga, leads a plot to stop the Elder, but his cabal is betrayed and most of the conspirators are captured and tortured.

The Great Killing

1964

Samurai Wolf II poster
7.1

Kiba Okaminosuke finds himself entangled with a group of prisoners being transported to their executions, one of whom oddly looks exactly like his dead father. There are crooked gold miners, a beautiful girl who is unfortunately a complete lunatic and a dojo master who is obsessed with killing Kiba just to prove that his school's sword style is the best.

Samurai Wolf II

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

Tears of Banishment poster
NR

Ninkyo with Kôji Tsuruta. An elderly yakuza brother tries to clear an underling’s name.

Tears of Banishment

1967

The Biggest Gamble poster
7.0

When Honjo is selected as Kansai district's chairman, Iwasa of the rival gang asks Itsuki to do everything possible to have Honjo step down, which puts Itsuki between a rock and a hard place.

The Biggest Gamble

1969

Hoodlum Match poster
NR

A good set-in-per-WW2 ninkyô type film with outstanding performances.

Hoodlum Match

1965

Miyamoto Musashi III: Birth of Two Sword Style poster
6.9

In the third installment of Yoshikawa's novel Musashi, things continue from the 2nd film at the end of battle, where Miyamoto continues on a mission of learning; with the introduction of his arch-rival Sasaki Kojiro; and lastly the large cast of characters rendezvouses for a fateful finale.

Miyamoto Musashi III: Birth of Two Sword Style

1963

Bloody Record of the Shinsengumi poster
10.0

No synopsis available yet.

Bloody Record of the Shinsengumi

1963

Shinran poster
10.0

A biographical movie about Shinran

Shinran

1960

Tales of Young Genji Kuro 3 poster
8.2

In the third, and final chapter of this epic tale, handsome swordsman Genji helps a vulnerable princess who is in search of a missing scroll that belongs to the Shogun. This is one of the most highly regarded trilogies featuring a youthful Nakamura Kinnosuke in one of his best roles. This was Kinnosuke at the height of his career, with charm, honor and a vicious sword. If you enjoyed the first two films in the series, you can't miss the exciting conclusion. Even without know-ledge of the first two films, this movie stands on its own with great action throughout!

Tales of Young Genji Kuro 3

1962

Gambler: Victory Without Death poster
6.0

Tsunetaro Asakura AKA "Dynamite Tsune" is a talented gambler, but not infallable. After losing his Boss's money in a dice game he repays his debt by serving as a pit boss for a struggling coal mine in Kyuushu. Quickly there's trouble with the local mining competition, who doesn't always play a fair game. True to his hot-headed nickname, Tsune only gets into deeper trouble.

Gambler: Victory Without Death

1967

The Tattooed Lord poster
7.5

No synopsis available yet.

The Tattooed Lord

1965

Kisaragi Sword poster
5.5

The story concerns the efforts of seven master swordsman who join together to protect the new inexperienced Shogun Tokugawa Yoshimune from the evil plans of the Owari Clan's corrupt Lord. It's a colorful bunch, a drunk samurai, a master thief, a sword instructor and a Lord who is disguised as a ronin since it is an executable offense for a lord to wander outside of their domain without permission. As the Chief Magistrate becomes suspicious of the Owari plot to send men to Kodenmacho Prison to start a riot he begins to investigate the rumors. He soon calls upon the Lord of Mikazuki Castle and the Shogun's best friend to help thwart the evil ambitions and battle the rouge swordsman hired by the Owari Clan.

Kisaragi Sword

1962

The Ninja Hunt poster
7.7

Four ninja are hired to fight against the Shogunate’s plot to abolish the Gamo Clan, the regional barons struggling to reinstate their young heir Tanemaru as their Lord.

The Ninja Hunt

1964

A Revengeful Raid poster
5.8

In this tale of bravery and honor among the roving gamblers of old Japan, the heroic Jirocho, Boss of the Tokaido is called upon to help a young yakuza named Eijiro after he runs afoul of the new samurai officials who have taken over his hometown. Expertly portrayed by Kitaoji Kinya (son of the all-time great star Ichikawa Utaemon), this young man stands up for the townspeople and puts his life on the line. Jirocho, played by superstar Nakamura Kinnosuke, a boss known for his honor and valor soon finds himself involved in the feud which will only end in a brutal showdown.

A Revengeful Raid

1962

Diary of Good Conduct Matashiro: A beautiful bat poster
8.0

Rampant ronin Matashiro Sasai, finds himself embroiled in serious unrest after he rescues a geisha who is being kidnapped by a group of ronin.

Diary of Good Conduct Matashiro: A beautiful bat

1961

Seventeen Ninja poster
7.3

As the Shogun lays dying, seventeen Iga clan ninja are sent to infiltrate the impenetrable fortress where his youngest son is preparing to storm Edo Castle and name himself Shogun by force of arms. They are to either steal the documents that will eventually give him lawful claim to rulership, or they are to assassinate him. But even before they reach the castle walls, they find their every move countered by a ruthless ninja hunter in the employ of the would-be usurper (Konoe), who not only knows their every tactic but knows the exact make-up of their team thanks to his own spies within Edo Castle. As the Iga Ninja fall one by one, the mission's success or complete failure--where failure will result in a bloody war of succession--comes to hinge on a single young and inexperienced ninja (Kotaro).

Seventeen Ninja

1963

Yagyu Chronicles 9: Assassin's Sword poster
6.0

The Yagyu Family have been teaching the Shinkage style of fencing for generations. Now a new fencing school has opened in Edo, claiming to be the true Shinkage style. Yagyu Jubei faces his biggest challenge yet when the master of the new school claims he is the legitimate successor of Shinkage and tries to take the Yagyu's political power.

Yagyu Chronicles 9: Assassin's Sword

1964

Lord Tokugawa Ieyasu poster
8.4

In turbulent 16th-century Japan, the leaders of a minor fief have their child taken from them as a political hostage. His mother and his clan endure years of tribulations until he can return.

Lord Tokugawa Ieyasu

1965

間諜 poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

間諜

1964

Official with a Tattoo poster
6.5

Kinnosuke of Toyama sets out on a private mission to clear his father’s name for a crime he did not commit.

Official with a Tattoo

1960

Showdown of Men 4: Tetsu, the White Tiger poster
7.0

Tetsu, is a honourable and noble yakuza caught in a conflict between rival clans, and obligations each has toward their yakuza boss and brothers. A railroad line brings changing times to a community. Because Tetsu can't stand by and allow a bunch of yakuza men to molest women, it forces him to battle it out with a knife wielding rival, the unfortunate incident leads to his boss losing face and him having to leave the family to protect it. But the rival family won't stop until they destroy Tetsu who will risk life and love for his brothers.

Showdown of Men 4: Tetsu, the White Tiger

1968

Ninja Assassins poster
6.0

Saotome Mondonosuke pursues the culprit who placed a malicious curse upon Shogun Tsunekichi.

Ninja Assassins

1960

Sazen Tange and The Secret of the Urn poster
6.8

Loyal samurai Samanosuke is attacked, mutilated, and left for dead while carrying out a mission for his clan. He recovers but has lost an eye and an arm. Taking a new identity as Tange Sazen, he searches for a stolen urn which has hidden significance to his clan. But Tange Sazen has his own reasons for seeking the urn.

Sazen Tange and The Secret of the Urn

1966

The Red Shadow poster
6.7

Fifteen years after Ishida Mitsunari lost in the battle of Sekigahara, Tokugawa Ieyasu foresees his unavoidable battle with Toyotomi Hideyori and goes into Fushimi Castle. At the night, Hattori Hanzo, the leader of 36 Iga members who were performing as guards of the castle, perceives the existence of a ninja and captures the mysterious sneaker.

The Red Shadow

1961

Showdown of Men poster
7.0

Part one.

Showdown of Men

1966

Street of Wandering Men poster
8.0

When a group of men from the Hanya clan search his town for a missing geisha, a brave ronin decides to help her and a drunken calligrapher. In doing so, he uncovers a wider scheme.

Street of Wandering Men

1963

Drunken Sword poster
6.0

Tetsunosuke, an eccentric doctor and an owner of a fencing school, takes aim against corrupt authorities.

Drunken Sword

1962

Shingo's Original Challenge, Part 4 poster
NR

Aoi Shingo, a son of the Shogun, continues his travels seeking to further his mastery of the sword. In this final episode of the popular “Shingo’s Original Challenge” series, Shingo confronts his master’s killer in the ultimate test of his skill.

Shingo's Original Challenge, Part 4

1960

The Man Who Challenged 8,000,000-Koku poster
NR

A 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

Code Between Brothers 2 poster
7.0

The services of a wandering gambler, Seiji, are called upon to protect the turf of his loyal friend Risaburo.

Code Between Brothers 2

1966

Casebook of Dandy Sashichi: Street Demon Terror poster
NR

In the streets of Edo, influential official merchants are being brutally murdered one after another, casting fear over the entire city. Popular detective Sakichi, with diligent investigation, sets his sights on a mysterious blind samurai living in the eerie mansion of the blind.

Casebook of Dandy Sashichi: Street Demon Terror

1961

1950s · 11 titles

Chikamatsu's Love in Osaka poster
5.2

Chubei, the adopted son of an Osaka courier, falls desperately in love with the courtesan Umegawa. To prevent a wealthy client from purchasing her, he steals money from his employer to buy her freedom himself. Now hunted criminals, the lovers flee toward Yamato, pursued by the law.

Chikamatsu's Love in Osaka

1959

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

Lords of Oppression 2 poster
NR

Period drama directed by Yasushi Sasaki.

Lords of Oppression 2

1957

Rebellion poster
7.0

In the mist of the warring age (Sengoku Era), the Kyushu based Hayato Clan is faced with a monumental battle to determine their survival.

Rebellion

1957

Echo in the Mountains poster
6.0

A man is brutally murdered and his famed shamisen (a three-stringed musical instrument) called the "Yamabiko" stolen. Prince Kogenta swears to avenge his father-in-law's death and retrieve the family heirloom.

Echo in the Mountains

1959

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

Travel Romances poster
NR

Romantic comedy.

Travel Romances

1957

A Chivalrous Spirit poster
7.0

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. Jirocho, an honorable and respected gang boss, uncovers a conspiracy organized by his rivals while on a quest to bring justice to three murders. Some of the most famous actors from Toei studios make this a must-see for everyone! Featuring a very young Nakamura Kinnosuke, who went on to become one of Japan's mosted noteworthy actors under the name Yorosuya Kinnosuke. This is one of the best examples his early work.

A Chivalrous Spirit

1958

A Spectacular Showdown poster
6.3

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.

A Spectacular Showdown

1959

Temple of Revenge poster
NR

Revenge breeds revenge. Ikuta Denpachiro, the martial arts instructor of the Honda family in Koriyama, lost a fight to the young samurai Enjo Sozaemon in a martial arts tournament and as a result lost his position and was expelled from home. Wanting to avenge the mockery of himself, he treacherously kills Sozaemon and goes on the run. After long wanderings, Denpachiro, it would seem, finds a peaceful life and love in the face of a devoted and courageous Okatsu, but the brothers of the murdered man are already on his trail, wanting to avenge the death of Sozaemon. The film is based on a story by Itaro Yamagami.

Temple of Revenge

1957

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