
Acting
Kaku Takashina
Born — Died
1919-02-22 — 1994-03-11
Place of birth
Iioka-machi, Chiba, Japan
Known for
Acting
Credits
66 titles
Known for
8.0A story of a man and a woman who meet amid the Great Tokyo Air Raid in 1945.
Kimi no na wa
1991
8.0A shikakenin was an under-the-cover trade that undertook killing in Edo. Hanemon of Otowa, an agency that introduced laborers and maids, was also one of these. Katsugoro Iseya was a timber dealer who had come in as a client. His target was the constructions magistrate Hanno, and the Tatsumiya who sipped on the benefits. Hanemon who had a stong code towards killing, where he would only kill those who do no good to be in the world, accepts this request. Baian Fujieda, a needle doctor would carry out the killing. However, the professional killer Baian fails to bring down Tatsumiya. Hanemon then looks to another shikakenin, the ronin Sanai Nishimura for the role. Although Sanai's ability with the sword is good, he lives poorly in a tenement, and accepts this commission on the condition that it is kept a secret from his wife and child. Here, they close in on Hanno and Tatsumiya again...
Professional Killers
1972
NRIn the big city where loyalty is rare and justice comes hard, a stoic detective (Tetsuya Watari) and his old friend, a sharp-eyed reporter (Yujiro Ishihara), forge a quiet alliance, uncovering brutal truths in days of relentless struggle.
Big City: Days of Struggle
1976
NRIn this gripping period drama, Matsudaira Ukon, the younger brother of the 11th Tokugawa Shogun Ienari, lives in the city as Yabutaro, a doctor in the Ukiyo Koji district, while fighting the evil that has infested the city of Edo.
Matsudaira Ukon Jikencho
1982
8.5A scientist builds a humanoid robot detective complete with human-like personality to fight a band of murdering robots created and led by her crazed brother.
Robot Detective
1973
6.6Volunteering as a "comfort woman" on the Manchurian front, where she is expected to service hundreds of soldiers, Harumi is commandeered by the brutal Lieutenant Narita but falls for the sensitive Mikami, Narita's direct subordinate. Seijun Suzuki's Story of a Prostitute is a tragic love story as well as a rule-bending take on a popular Taijiro Tamura novel, challenging military and fraternal codes of honor, as seen through Harumi's eyes.
Story of a Prostitute
1965
Film credits
1990s · 2 titles
5.9Rin Jyoshima lost her father to death-by-gambling; years later, she's grown up in the Kosugi household and has fallen victim to gambling herself.
Heat Wave
1991
NRIn a maelstrom of evil, can a new magistrate, samurai Mochizuki Koheita, with a reputation like an alley cat, bring order to the town of Horisoto, or is he, too a corrupt villain looking to gain wealth from the oppressed people? From the pen of famed samurai author Yamamoto Shugoro, this exciting tale turns the tables on the standard samurai story with a unique lead character previously portrayed in Ichikawa Kon’s “Dora Heita.”
Chronicle of the Town Magistrate
1992
1980s · 3 titles
7.0A mahjong neophyte loses everything to game master only to hone his skills, take on all challenges and plan for an ultimate revenge match.
Mahjong Horoki
1984
8.0A widowed restaurateur is faced with scandal after discovering her late husband had a child out of wedlock. Hearing that two criminals had attempted to take over the restaurant from her late husband, she hires her late husband's best friend, a private detective, to investigate.
Afternoon When Flowers Fell
1989
NRTadateru Matsudaira, the sixth son of Ieyasu Tokugawa, was exiled for not taking part in the attack on Osaka Castle. 10 years before his exile expired, he was attacked in a clandestine Yagyu operation believed to have been ordered by his older brother Hidetada. In order to correct his brother's true intentions, Tadateru broke the law and went all the way from Hida Province, where he was exiled, to Edo Castle. However, the Yagyu do not stop trying to kill Tadateru...
Wind Whistle in Field, Demon Sword: Matsudaira Tadateru cutting the world
1987
1970s · 7 titles
6.9A young man goes missing after visiting his girlfriend's isolated country home. His sister and her boyfriend trace him to a creepy mansion, but their search becomes perilous when they uncover a gruesome family history.
The Vampire Doll
1970
7.1A yakuza gang gets driven out of Yokohama by a big gang from Tokyo. They relocate to Okinawa to violently start over.
Sympathy for the Underdog
1971
9.0A reporter is framed for murder while investigating organized crime. Upon being released from prison the plan for his revenge unravels.
A Hoodlum At The Risk Of His Life
1970
6.8A young girl suffers a terrifying nightmare of a vampire with blazing golden eyes. Eighteen years later, it is revealed to be a hellish prophecy when a strange package containing an empty coffin mysteriously turns up at a nearby lake.
Lake of Dracula
1971
7.0Robot Detective K and his human colleagues battle the criminal organization BADDO. Theatrical release re-edited from episodes 1-9, 11, and 12 of the TV series with newly-added narration.
Robot Detective: The Movie
1973
10.0The last (10th) Toho "Crazy film" in the Nippon Ichi series.
Japan's No. 1 Shocked Man
1971
8.5Momojiro comes to the rescue of beautiful Akiko who struggles to run a ranch on her own.
Truckster Goes to Hokkaido
1976
1960s · 20 titles
6.6Volunteering as a "comfort woman" on the Manchurian front, where she is expected to service hundreds of soldiers, Harumi is commandeered by the brutal Lieutenant Narita but falls for the sensitive Mikami, Narita's direct subordinate. Seijun Suzuki's Story of a Prostitute is a tragic love story as well as a rule-bending take on a popular Taijiro Tamura novel, challenging military and fraternal codes of honor, as seen through Harumi's eyes.
Story of a Prostitute
1965
8.0Unlike traditional gangster movies, it is a gangster swashbuckler that mixes romance and humanity with a yakuza lover as the main character. A young man who heard that his former boss was killed is imprisoned by slashing his family's minions, and his lover is tortured by the enemy, but rescued by the imprisoned young man's nemesis.
Ruthless Gambler
1969
7.0A celebrity, dissatisfied with his personal and professional lives, impulsively leaves fast-paced Tokyo to deliver a much-needed jeep to a remote village. When his controlling manager, the woman he loves, follows, the two must reconcile while dodging reporters.
I Hate But Love
1962
8.0Hamada, Izumi, and Aki Jo, a rising singer from Toshiba Records, form a fresh trio who risk their youthful energy to bravely confront violence in this bright and cheerful coming-of-age action film.
Stardust Wharf
1968
7.2After his own gang sets him up to kill a rival mobster, a hit man is forced to flee with his younger brother.
Tattooed Life
1965
5.9Emerging from a stint in prison, yakuza lieutenant Sumukawa discovers that his gang has disintegrated. An ambitious type, he quickly hooks up with another gang who promise him a prominent position if he helps them deal with a rival family. But bonds are made to be broken, and pledges of loyalty soon give way to competition, betrayal and — naturally — retaliation.
Retaliation
1968
6.3Katiri is a reporter so ambitiously amoral that he’ll sell out anyone—including his partner and the drug dealer he’s sleeping with—to get a scoop. But what happens when an even more ruthless female gang boss kidnaps his sister?
Smashing the 0-Line
1960
7.2Kuroda is a mob hitman who turns on his employers after being forced to execute his lover. Joining forces with his similarly wronged brothers, hot-headed Eiji and aspiring boxer Saburo, the trio escalate their mob retaliation to all-out turf war where no one will stop until one faction emerges victorious.
Massacre Gun
1967
NRFourth installment of Nikkatsu's "Drifter" series, with Kobayashi Akira.
The Wild, Unruly Drifter
1960
6.7Goro had grown up in the yakuza world. As an active member of the Mizuhara family crime syndicate, he expressed his loyalty by always putting himself in the forefront of every battle. Violence never bothered him. However, after being sentenced to three years in prison for stabbing a rival gang’s hit man, he becomes disenchanted with the Yakuza life style. Goro is determined to start anew, but karma catches up. His two closest friends are murdered by his ex-boss. He is left with two options: to kill or be killed.
Outlaw: Gangster VIP
1968
6.8Daisuke Honda, a war photographer in Vietnam, meets Yuriko Sawanouchi, a stewardess on his plane back to Japan. After drinking with her at a Tokyo bar, he becomes involved in saving Yuriko from assassination by stylish, female ninjas. When trying to rescue Yuriko from kidnappers, Daisuke discovers a group of foreigners are hunting for a WWII-era treasure hidden on an island by Yuriko's father.
Black Tight Killers
1966
NRWhen Toru Sagara (Yujiro Ishihara) returns home from a foreign cargo route, he proposes to his beloved girlfriend Akiko (Ruriko Asaoka). She joyously agrees, promising a life together. On the day they were to be joined in matrimony, Akiko suddenly goes missing. Toru waits hours for her to show, but he is only greeted by the darkness of night. Four years later, his fiancée turns up at a night club in Yokohama with another man.
A Warm Misty Night
1967
9.0On January 26, 1948, a robbery of the Teigin bank took place in Tokyo - the criminal poisoned the bank employees and fled the scene with a large amount of money. In parallel with the investigation conducted by the Japanese police, journalists are also trying to find the culprit. Based on a true incident.
The Long Death
1964
NRA violent story of loyalty and revenge among the many "yakuza" or gambling groups in Japan.
The Dragon Crest
1963
7.5An unofficial sequel to Million Dollar Match (1961) which also starred Koji Wada as a young energetic boxer. This story deals more with betting action surrounding a boxing match, concentrating mostly on the high-powered Yakuza gambling dens.
The Guys Who Put Money on Me
1962
NRNo synopsis available yet.
Ginza no jirochō tenka no ichidaiji
1963
NRKosuke Suzuki returns to Hakata's hometown after learning that his best friend Takehara has disappeared. Kosuke is persistently hindered by Hasebe from Omura Sangyo. Kosuke's partner Kumagoro investigates and finds out that Hasebe, who killed the head of the Muraoka clan, made Takehara disappear in order to keep him silent. The third film in the series.
The Reckless One
1967
NRNo synopsis available yet.
Ashita ni Mukatte Tsuppashire
1961
9.0A 1967 crime film
The Return of the Filthy Seven
1967
NRNo synopsis available yet.
零戦黒雲一家
1962
1950s · 24 titles
NRYosuke Machida of the Daito Shinpo hears from a boy named Toshi-bo, whom he found on the street, that Toshi-bo’s older sister, Toyo, was deceived by a man named Taichi Tachikawa and sold into prostitution in a red-light district. He then set foot in this district for the first time and met Michiko Kawabe, a female reporter known by the nickname “Yoshie.” After hearing various details about the situation from her, he learned that Toyo was at “Kotogawa.”
Dorei no machi
1951
6.3The eldest daughter of a rural family Mon returns home from Tokyo pregnant after an affair with a college student Kobata, which causes a scandal that will threaten the marriage prospects of the younger sister San, in her cash-strapped family. The ill-tempered eldest brother Inokichi decides to take on the role of disciplinarian, with harrowing results.
Brother and Sister
1953
NRNo synopsis available yet.
Haha nami
1953
7.0Jiro Sone sacrifices all comfort to devote himself to research. Young housewife Yachiyo is disappointed with her husband Kappei, who is more attracted to mountain climbing and another girl. When Yachiyo’s father is introduced to Jiro, all of their lives become intertwined...
Till We Meet Again
1955
NRA young engineer and a pure-hearted mountain girl take on the challenges of the Akan primeval forest, where lawlessness and violence run rampant.
Outlaw
1953
NRA man and a woman whose love is forbidden due to a feud between their parents resolve to die together and head to the island of Sado.
Atarashiki ten
1954
NRIn this downbeat, emotionally gripping drama, a lone guardian of some small huts on one of the northernmost, small islands off Japan remembers his once happier past and the events that destroyed everyone he held dear.
To the Ends of the Earth
1953
NRNo synopsis available yet.
Zoku bakurō ichidai
1952
NRNo synopsis available yet.
Shunsetsu no mon
1953
No synopsis available yet.
Fire Department
1951
6.8Shoichi Kokubun is a roughneck street musician, who has a brother that is determined to propel him into stardom. In attempt to catch the attention of a popular jazz band, his brother appeals to their manager who has the power to make him a star. In a graphic portrayal of love, betrayal and success, Shoichi brews up a storm with a 'rat-a-tat-tat' on the drums.
Man Who Causes a Storm
1957
NRNo synopsis available yet.
Rakka no mon
1954
6.8Set in post-war Japan, a group of five, four men and one woman, gathers in the basement of a butcher shop to dig up a cache of morphine buried during the war. A grimly humorous tale of twisted relationships as one by one each of the group is eliminated.
Endless Desire
1958
NRA mystery story set on a haunted island: a student is murdered, followed by the suicide of his lover.
Dokuja-tō kidan: Joōbachi
1952
NRA blind little girl searches for her mother.
Haha no hitomi
1953
5.9The moment he's released from prison, the honorable gangster Miyamoto recovers the stolen diamonds he had stashed before getting pinched. When he returns to his haunt to make good by friend who took a bullet for him, he is diverted by the greedy boss Oyane and his insatiable taste for Miyamoto's precious stones.
Underworld Beauty
1958
NRNo synopsis available yet.
New Enoshima Elegy
1953
NRA thriller of deduction and duels, in which a newspaper reporter bravely takes on a gang in the city’s skyscraper district over a mysterious recording by a diva.
I Am Being Targeted
1950
NRA tragic love story set in a hot-spring town.
Yu no machi jōwa
1951
NRWith his mother’s wishes and a young woman’s prayers in his heart, a spirited young man fights to uphold the honor of college judo.
Daigaku no kotengu
1952
NRNo synopsis available yet.
Saijoke no kyoen
1951
NRNo synopsis available yet.
Haha no mizūmi
1953
6.2Asako, a former telephone operator once heard the voice of a murder suspect which has continued to haunt her. Years later her husband invites his boss, Hamazaki, over for dinner and she realises his voice is suspiciously like that of the killer. Before she can investigate further, Hamazaki is found dead and her husband becomes the prime suspect.
Voice Without a Shadow
1958
NRSet against the backdrop of Nagasaki, a love story blossoms between an unfortunate circus girl and a shipbuilding engineer.
Koi no Oranda-zaka
1951
1940s · 4 titles
Michiko is a spirited young woman who was invited by the delinquent Kuniko to a shady cabaret, where she was introduced to a pseudo-gentleman named Nanbu. However, during a police raid, Michiko was the only unlucky one to be taken into custody. The next morning, her mother Chiyo was summoned to pick her up and was reunited there with her biological son, Prosecutor Hagiwara.
Haha tōdai
1949
NRTomoraka Tasaka's first postwar work.
Doburoku no Tatsu
1949
A Daiei erotic film depicting the five passionate love affairs of a voluptuous married woman, driven by her beauty.
Doku bara
1949
NRA judo movie.
Omokage Sanshiro
1949
Series credits
8.0A story of a man and a woman who meet amid the Great Tokyo Air Raid in 1945.
Kimi no na wa
1991
8.0A shikakenin was an under-the-cover trade that undertook killing in Edo. Hanemon of Otowa, an agency that introduced laborers and maids, was also one of these. Katsugoro Iseya was a timber dealer who had come in as a client. His target was the constructions magistrate Hanno, and the Tatsumiya who sipped on the benefits. Hanemon who had a stong code towards killing, where he would only kill those who do no good to be in the world, accepts this request. Baian Fujieda, a needle doctor would carry out the killing. However, the professional killer Baian fails to bring down Tatsumiya. Hanemon then looks to another shikakenin, the ronin Sanai Nishimura for the role. Although Sanai's ability with the sword is good, he lives poorly in a tenement, and accepts this commission on the condition that it is kept a secret from his wife and child. Here, they close in on Hanno and Tatsumiya again...
Professional Killers
1972
NRIn the big city where loyalty is rare and justice comes hard, a stoic detective (Tetsuya Watari) and his old friend, a sharp-eyed reporter (Yujiro Ishihara), forge a quiet alliance, uncovering brutal truths in days of relentless struggle.
Big City: Days of Struggle
1976
NRIn this gripping period drama, Matsudaira Ukon, the younger brother of the 11th Tokugawa Shogun Ienari, lives in the city as Yabutaro, a doctor in the Ukiyo Koji district, while fighting the evil that has infested the city of Edo.
Matsudaira Ukon Jikencho
1982
8.5A scientist builds a humanoid robot detective complete with human-like personality to fight a band of murdering robots created and led by her crazed brother.
Robot Detective
1973
10.0No synopsis available yet.
同心暁蘭之介
1981
