
Acting
Isamu Nagato
Born — Died
1932-01-01 — 2013-06-04
Place of birth
Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture, Japan
Known for
Acting
Credits
65 titles
Known for
9.0A successful screenwriter looks back on her life when she learns her husband has cancer. A year-long series, starring Narumi Yasuda.
Haru yo koi
1994
7.0The story chronicles the life of Ii Naosuke.
Life of a Flower
1963
7.0TV series starring Ikko Furuya, based on the Kosuke Kindaichi mystery novel series by Seishi Yokomizo.
Yokomizo Seishi Series
1977
NRChiba Shusaku: Kendo Masshigura is a Japanese period drama that aired on the TBS network from November 2, 1970 to August 30, 1971 in the "Brother Gekijo" slot. It ran for 44 colour episodes of 30 minutes each. Based on Sohachi Yamaoka's novel "Chiba Shusaku", it depicts the youth of Chiba Shusaku, founder of the Hokushin Itto-ryu school of swordsmanship. A hot-blooded young man who calls himself Shusaku enters the dojo of Asari Matashichiro and, through encounters with all kinds of people, grows rapidly both in swordsmanship and in character. Produced by TBS and Shochiku. Rerun on the Japanese CS channel Jidaigeki Senmon Channel from March 17, 2025.
Chiba Shusaku: Kendo Masshigura
1970
7.9The Water Margin is a Japanese television series based on Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. The novel details the trials and tribulations of 108 outlaws during the Song Dynasty. This adaptation follows Lin Chung and his clashes with the local government official Kao Chiu. The Water Margin is famous for its, sometimes obscure, but memorable philosophical quotes, such as "Do not despise the snake for having no horns,for who is to say it will not become a dragon?""
The Water Margin
1973
NRYumechiyo is the madam of a geisha house in a remote hot spring in the San'in region. When Yumechiyo learns that she is dying of leukemia caused by the atomic bomb, she writes about her life in the form of a diary, which is a collection of human dramas and the joys and sorrows of her life.
Yumechiyo Nikki
1981
Film credits
2000s · 2 titles
8.0After the death of a man in their nursing home, a group of residents find his notebook titled "Shinibana" containing a plan to tunnel into and steal 1.7 billion yen from a bank.
Blooming Again
2004
5.6A child suddenly disappears in a small village and his mother desperately searches for clues.
Sanctuary
2006
1990s · 3 titles
9.0This remake of the classic film features the addition of Chiba Shinichi and Natsuyagi Isao as political intrigue reigns supreme. Tadanaga, the younger son of Shogun Hidetada has signed a dangerous pact with the intention of preventing his older brother Iemitsu from taking his rightful place as heir to the shogun's seat. During the early years of the Tokugawa shogunate highly skilled ninja groups carried out secret missions, and it falls upon Iga Jigoza's force of 17 ninja to infiltrate the enemy's stronghold and steal the pact from Negoro leader Saiga Magokuro.
Seventeen Ninja
1990
NRBased on the story "Gokudō Socrates"
Socrates
1996
7.2Seventeen year old Tetsuya kills the boss of a rival gang with the promise of being made. After seven years of prison, he discovers that he is all but forgotten by his Family. The two rival Families have reconciled and Tetsuya was been discarded to keep the peace. Wanted what he was promised, Tetsuya becomes a one-man path of destruction, only to be betrayed once again…
Ambition Without Honor
1996
1980s · 8 titles
5.0A man and a woman drift ashore after a typhoon. The man, dead, is an escaped perpetrator, and the woman, alive, is a hairdresser Masako. A detective in charge of an embezzlement case is tracking the whereabouts of disappeared money and suspects Masako. One year later, a real estate company president dies a suspicious death in front of Masako at her beauty salon. Was it an accidents or murder?
Praying Mantis
1983
NRNo synopsis available yet.
The Night of Martial Law
1980
7.7Tora-san visits brother-in-law Hiroshi's hometown to attend a memorial service for his late father. When the local temple priest becomes intoxicated, Tora-san wearing the priest's robe delivers the memorial speech, much to his family's surprise. Thinking he's found his true calling, Tora-san decides to join the order, and falls for the priest's divorced daughter.
Tora-san Goes Religious?
1983
7.5Sequel to "Guys Who Never Learn".
"Guys Who Never Learn" Part 2
1987
NRKuroiwa, a high school teacher who carries a “Big Magnum 44” gun is sent to a school that is full of violence. Can Kuroiwa reform the students with the gun?
Big Magnum Kuroiwa
1985
NRDuring the reign of Shogun Iemitsu, a great martial arts tournament was held to determine whether or not Iemitsu was to remain in power or cede it to his uncle, Yornobu, the 10th son of Ieyasu. Among the contestants were many expert swordsmen who have become well-known to this day. Warriors such as Yagyu Jubei (Kaga Takeshi), and Miyamoto Musashi (Matsukata Hiroki) headed up the slate. This was to be the all-star samurai match of the century. An amazing TV movie with non-stop action as Yagyu Jubei must save an emissary of the Ming and reach Edo in time to fight the crucial match.
Kanei Command Performance
1983
8.0Japanese film.
Our Teacher
1983
6.0Based on a mystery by Taiwanese-Japanese author Chin Shun-shin. After two elderly men in Yokohama quarrel over a Tang dynasty artifact, one of the men turns up dead with mysterious claw marks across his face. A detective takes up the case, and uncovers secrets dating back to war crimes committed during Japan’s invasion of China in WWII.
The Claws of the Divine Beast
1980
1970s · 9 titles
9.0The sixth film of the “Truck Yaro” series. Two long-distance truckers, Momojiro and Kinzo, travel around Japan in highly decorated trucks. In Kyushu, Momojiro falls in love again... this time with a beautiful college student Masako.
I Am A Man of Honor
1977
7.4The story takes place in the sunset days of the yakuza in 1965. The postwar turmoil that created the black market and lubricated illegal business opportunities was giving way to Japan Inc. A young Bunta Sugawara takes over as the oyabun of a crime syndicate in Yokohama, where he is struggling to keep operations at the port there alive. As his syndicate is eroding quickly, a major heavy industries company offers his gang the chance to chase some vagrants out of a shantytown where they are squatting on land where a factory is to be built. The job would secure steady profits for Bunta's crime ring for years to come. However, Bunta and other members of his outfit grew up in the shanty, and they would be muscling their friends and neighbors. This sets the stage for an internal struggle that complicates the violent struggle with a rival mafia organization in Tokyo.
Bloodstained Clan of Honor
1970
7.3Elite college graduates commit perfect financial crimes though loopholes in the law during the 1950s.
Dead Angle
1979
NRThe second film in the Kanto Street Peddlers Clan series starring Bunta Sugawara.
Kanto Street Peddlers: Clan Violent Loyalty
1970
7.0No synopsis available yet.
Yoake no hata matsumoto jiichirō Den
1976
NRStory about a singer.
My Life As Music
1971
NRA group of young men go treasure hunting in the sea.
Bôkenshatachi
1975
NR1972 Japanese film directed by Tengo Yamada.
Hanzaki Daimyojin, Gorosuke no uta
1972
NRNo synopsis available yet.
与太郎戦記 女は幾万ありとても
1970
1960s · 35 titles
NRMineoka Group executive Okitsu Seiji is imprisoned for the 13th time for attacking rival Kuronuma. While in prison, he learns that the Kuronuma Group has retaliated by killing its leader and seizing territory. Upon his release, he embarks on a revenge campaign.
Thirteen Times a Loser
1969
7.5Shiba, a wandering ronin, encounters a band of peasants who have kidnapped the daughter of their dictatorial magistrate, in hopes of coercing from him a reduction in taxes. Shiba takes up their fight, joined by two renegades from the magistrate's guard, Sakura and Kikyo. The three outlaws find themselves in a battle to the death.
Three Outlaw Samurai
1964
7.1Misawa Ihei (Nagato) is traveling with his wife Tae (Iwashita Shima) who abhors the practice of sword fighting for prize money. Tae is the daughter of the clan's chief counselor who married the low-ranking Ihei to avoid becoming the clan lord's mistress. Into the mix comes Oba Gunjuro (Tetsurō Tamba), a mysterious ronin who will do anything for money. This leads to a fitting climax as the forces of hate and love converge while the couple attempt to break through the border!
Samurai from Nowhere
1964
6.5Young Lord Takenaka stands to succeed his father until a series of violent actions lead his retainers to think that he has gone mad with blood-lust. Never offering any explanation, he continues his seemingly unprovoked attacks until he is sent away from his domain.
Samurai from Somewhere
1964
10.0Eleventh film in the long-running series Daiei Studio's Woman Gambler with Kyoko Enami starring where she plays the woman gambler Ogin.
The Woman Gambler's Supplication
1968
4.3As a child, Okin the one-armed one-eyed swordswoman was disfigured by Lord Daizen-dayu, who was after her family's most treasured possession, the famed Drenched Swallow sword. As an adult, she has become a skilled swordswoman and lives a carefree life with her adopted family. One day, Okin saves a girl from a group of yakuza, and in doing so, gets involved in a grand conspiracy involving religious leaders, government officials, the yakuza and Lord Daizen-dayu, the man who killed her father and mutilated her body...
Lefty Fencer
1969
NRNo synopsis available yet.
Masseur War Story
1965
4.8Gangsters are robbed of five hundred million yen.
The Cheating Underworld
1968
8.0Sasaki Kojiro tells the story of the genius who staked his love, glory, and life on a duel with the supreme master of the sword, Miyamoto Musashi (Tatsuya Nakadai). Oscar winning Hiroshi Inagaki directs this epic motion picture based on Genzo Murakami’s fascinating story. Despite his humble birth, the orphan Sasaki Kojiro (Onoe Kikunosuke) is determined to become the foremost swordsman in all Japan, a title that traditionally belongs to a nobleman. At fencing school, young Kojiro receives the contempt of his classmates because of his superior swordsmanship. When rumors of the upcoming civil war between Toyotomi and Tokugawa clans spread, Kojiro leaves the school and sets out, seizing every opportunity to realize his dream.
Kojiro
1967
6.8A young girl named Oichi is abandoned by her mother and blinded by a lightning strike. When her guardian is killed, she learns to wield a sword from a traveling ronin. As she develops into a master swordsman, her profession becomes that of a bounty hunter. Many test her sword and many die by her skills. She travels throughout the countryside to seek her mother and her revenge.
Crimson Bat, the Blind Swordswoman
1969
6.8Isazo is a traveling gambler and living legend in the world of yakuza, known for his swordsmanship and bravery, his impeccable manners, and his brilliant talent in gambling. One late fall at an inn in Kiso Fukushima, Isazo befriends a young boy whose mother turns out to be his old love Yoshino, with whom he was not unable to consummate a marriage due to the class differences between them.
Lone Wolf Isazo
1968
NRPart 7 in the Gambling Den series. This time Koji Tsuruta is a gambler who feels sympathetic towards a woman whose naive husband is driven to a debt trap by a rotten gambling den owner (Tatsuo Endo) and his dishonest card dealer (Isamu Nagato). The plot is standard stuff and features too much talk, but there's also a decent balance between melodrama and lyricism in the form and storytelling. Tsuruta was a perfect fit for these kind of roles, with the stoic and emotional sides nicely mixed in his screen persona.
A Gambler's Certain Death
1969
7.0A young thug wanna-be yakuza falls in love with a country girl.
The Shy Deceiver
1968
NRYutaro Kida, a worker at the Sasebo Naval Arsenal, volunteers for the navy but finds himself a cook's mate in the galley of a gunboat. But his dream is eventually realized when he is transferred to the new and powerful destroyer Yukikaze which he helped to build. When the Pacific War breaks out Yukikaze performs valiantly in the South Pacific, and while on shore leave, Kida meets and falls in love with Yukiko, younger sister of his commander.
Destroyer Yukikaze
1964
9.0No synopsis available yet.
My Destiny
1968
NR1964 Japanese movie
Monrō no yōna onna
1964
NRStrife between competing lumber mills.
Standing Towards the Great Forest
1961
NR1962 Japanese movie
Otoko to otoko no ikiru machi
1962
8.0Film directed by Kenji Misumi
The Two Bodyguards
1968
8.0Yasugoro, goes to live in a quiet town where he falls in love with the priest's daughter-in-law. His does not declare his love because she is married, but he goes on a mission to please her, and is blinded. Then her husband dies and she remarries before Yasugoro can confess his love.
The Honest Fool
1964
9.0In 1730, the Tokugawa Shogunate orders the Yagyu Clan to repair a huge shrine. Since it cannot refuse the Shogunate's request, the impoverished Yagyu Clan tries to raise funds by obtaining a sword which holds the key to a wondrous, hidden treasure. After learning the sword's secret, Tange Sazen sides with the Yagyu Clan, but his motive seems to be more than just pure interest in the treasure...
Tange Sazen
1963
NRLife of a bachelor gynecologist in a hospital for women.
Women's Doctor
1964
Japanese comedy film.
How to Make a Big Hit
1968
NRJapanese comedy film.
My Wife
1965
5.0After serving his sentence, Yakuza family member Toshin-gumi Umebayashi is released from prison. Toshin-gumi was already headed by the boss in the second generation of Shotaro, but Shotaro fell into a trap, he is manipulated by his sworn enemy Kanzaki-gumi. Kanzaki-gumi captures the Toshin-gumi oil fields mined by the first boss. Umebayashi explodes in anger and attacks Kanzaki-gumi, but...
Sword: Flower-Strewn Path of Courage
1966
NR1963 Japanese movie
Ano hito wa ima
1963
9.0No synopsis available yet.
Bad Reputation: The Notorious Man of Legend
1967
NRNo synopsis available yet.
King of the Highway
1965
NRIn this entertaining period drama, Kanemon appears at a post town in Katsuyama where a group of seven homeless ronin make a living by raiding dojos. When he visits the dojo where his cousin serves as assistant instructor, his connection to the group is revealed, and he gets drawn into a showdown.
Imo samurai: Kani uemon
1964
NRNo synopsis available yet.
Song Festival
1963
NR1962 Japanese movie
Daigaku kazoe uta senpai kōhai
1962
NRDrunken samurai Saito Magobei lives a reckless and irresponsible life. He’s not the man to volunteer for thrilling adventures. But when Magobei and Kurita Heishichiro meet two frightened women escorting Kotaro, child heir to the perishing Azama Clan, they feel honor bound to protect them from clan traitors and their ninja henchmen. With ruthless ninja dogging every step, Magobei will have to find his courage, restore his pride, and wager his life on his lightning sword and his karate skills in a bloody battle to save the young lord. Immerse yourself in this exhilarating adventure of samurai versus ninja, brought to life by an extraordinary cast. Seize the moment and don't miss it!
Ninja Killers
1964
NRMaeda Yoichi's film adaptation of the long-running TV comedy series of the same name (1961-1967; TBS) written by Kagawa Toshio and produced by Sawada Takaharu (Tenamonda Sandogasa). The humorous story of a group of likeable loser ("sucharaka") employees at an Osaka branch who learn that unless they band together and actually work(!), their company will go into bankruptcy. Miyako Chocho appears as the Company President.
Sucharaka Shain
1966
A television drama based on "Shirano Benjuro", a translation of the play "Cyrano de Bergerac" by Edmond Rostand .
Cyrano de Bergerac
1964
NR1966 Japanese movie
Sokkuri dai gyakuten
1966
Series credits
9.0A successful screenwriter looks back on her life when she learns her husband has cancer. A year-long series, starring Narumi Yasuda.
Haru yo koi
1994
7.0The story chronicles the life of Ii Naosuke.
Life of a Flower
1963
7.0TV series starring Ikko Furuya, based on the Kosuke Kindaichi mystery novel series by Seishi Yokomizo.
Yokomizo Seishi Series
1977
NRChiba Shusaku: Kendo Masshigura is a Japanese period drama that aired on the TBS network from November 2, 1970 to August 30, 1971 in the "Brother Gekijo" slot. It ran for 44 colour episodes of 30 minutes each. Based on Sohachi Yamaoka's novel "Chiba Shusaku", it depicts the youth of Chiba Shusaku, founder of the Hokushin Itto-ryu school of swordsmanship. A hot-blooded young man who calls himself Shusaku enters the dojo of Asari Matashichiro and, through encounters with all kinds of people, grows rapidly both in swordsmanship and in character. Produced by TBS and Shochiku. Rerun on the Japanese CS channel Jidaigeki Senmon Channel from March 17, 2025.
Chiba Shusaku: Kendo Masshigura
1970
7.9The Water Margin is a Japanese television series based on Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. The novel details the trials and tribulations of 108 outlaws during the Song Dynasty. This adaptation follows Lin Chung and his clashes with the local government official Kao Chiu. The Water Margin is famous for its, sometimes obscure, but memorable philosophical quotes, such as "Do not despise the snake for having no horns,for who is to say it will not become a dragon?""
The Water Margin
1973
NRYumechiyo is the madam of a geisha house in a remote hot spring in the San'in region. When Yumechiyo learns that she is dying of leukemia caused by the atomic bomb, she writes about her life in the form of a diary, which is a collection of human dramas and the joys and sorrows of her life.
Yumechiyo Nikki
1981
NRWe're in Shamisen-bori of the bustling city of Edo. The officers of Guardhouse 36 monopolize the popularity in Edo. They're strong against evil, soft in compassion. Even the shogun depends on them. They're called the “Kirisute Bansho”... with a right to kill.
License to Kill
1980
NRA doctor whose mission is to save lives stands up for the weak in the midst of suffering and cuts down the evil that is the disease of the human world. Teruhiko Saigo plays the main character Arashiyama, who was born into the family of the Shogun's official doctor, but joined the Hayashi family as a son-in-law to save more people, and Azusa Watanabe plays his wife Misa, who is also a doctor.
Ranzan: The Wild Physician
1995
