
Acting
So Yamamura
Born — Died
1910-02-24 — 2000-05-26
Place of birth
Tenri, Nara, Japan
Known for
Acting
Credits
78 titles
So Yamamura (山村聰, Yamamura So, 24 February 1910 – 26 May 2000) was a Japanese actor and film director. He appeared in more than 110 films between 1947 and 1991, and directed four films. He was also known by the name Satoshi Yamamura, while his actual birth name is Koga Hirosada. In the US, he is well known for his portrayals of Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto of the Combined Fleet, in Tora! Tora! Tora!, and of Mr. Sakamoto, the CEO of Assan Motors in Gung Ho.
Known for
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
7.2In the summer of 1941, the United States and Japan seem on the brink of war after constant embargos and failed diplomacy come to no end. "Tora! Tora! Tora!", named after the code words used by the lead Japanese pilot to indicate they had surprised the Americans, covers the days leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor, which plunged America into the Second World War.
Tora! Tora! Tora!
1970
NRThe story chronicles the life of Yagyū Munenori.
Haru no Sakamichi
1971
8.1The elderly Shukishi and his wife, Tomi, take the long journey from their small seaside village to visit their adult children in Tokyo. Their elder son, Koichi, a doctor, and their daughter, Shige, a hairdresser, don't have much time to spend with their aged parents, and so it falls to Noriko, the widow of their younger son who was killed in the war, to keep her in-laws company.
Tokyo Story
1953
8.2After handing in a report on the treatment of Chinese colonial labor, Kaji is offered the post of labour chief at a large mining operation in Manchuria, which also grants him exemption from military service. He accepts and moves with his newlywed wife Michiko, but when he tries to put his ideas of more humane treatment into practice, he finds himself at odds with scheming officials, cruel foremen, and the military police.
The Human Condition I: No Greater Love
1959
10.0No synopsis available yet.
ザ・ハングマン
1980
Film credits
1990s · 2 titles
7.0The Futurians, time-travelers from the 23rd century, arrive in Japan to warn them of the nation's destruction under Godzilla. They offer to help erase Godzilla from history by preventing his creation. With Godzilla seemingly gone, a new monster emerges as the Futurians' true intentions are revealed.
Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah
1991
NRThe life story of Japan’s greatest leader, Tokugawa Ieyasu, whose shogunate ruled the nation for almost 300 years has never been told like this before. From the early days as a supporter of Imagawa Yoshimoto, then on to his days with Oda Nobunaga, leading to his wars against and ultimate victory over the Toyotomi to become shogun is a fascinating tale of his military genius coupled with a native intelligence that allowed him to become the last of the great warlords and ultimately the leader of the nation. With great performances from an all-star cast featuring names like Kitaoji Kinya and Takahashi Hideki this is history come to life on the screen.
Tokugawa Ieyasu: The Conqueror of Japan
1992
1980s · 5 titles
7.2Two Japanese scientists, Ushioda and Ochi, develop a bond with their sled dogs while on an expedition in Antarctica.
Antarctica
1983
6.1When a western Pennsylvania auto plant is acquired by a Japanese company, brokering auto worker Hunt Stevenson faces the tricky challenge of mediating the assimilation of two clashing corporate cultures. At one end is the Japanese plant manager and the sycophant who is angling for his position. At the other, a number of disgruntled long-time union members struggle with the new exigencies of Japanese quality control.
Gung Ho
1986
5.6A ruined businessman was forced to sell his daughter, Hisano, to a brothel in Yoshiwara, the largest red-light district in Tokyo. The owner of the brothel has hopes to make her a great new addition which will attract the richest of customers. But after several months of training, she tries to flee Yoshiwara when the time has come for her to take her first customer...
Tokyo Bordello
1987
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
6.0The story of beautiful Christian nun, Kyoko who is the object of affection for two very different men - one the happy-go-lucky yakuza gangster, Haruhiko who is the next-in-line to takeover the ragtag "Tenryu Gumi" gang and the other bumbling police detective Kumashiro. The Tenryu Gumi is a collection of misfits and other troublemakers but are relatively peaceful due to their Christian beliefs. Their bitter rivals are the more traditional "Kuroiwa Gumi", a much more sadistic and violent group led by godfather Kuroiwa.
The Second Is a Christian
1985
1970s · 7 titles
7.2In the summer of 1941, the United States and Japan seem on the brink of war after constant embargos and failed diplomacy come to no end. "Tora! Tora! Tora!", named after the code words used by the lead Japanese pilot to indicate they had surprised the Americans, covers the days leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor, which plunged America into the Second World War.
Tora! Tora! Tora!
1970
5.7Professor Nishiyama, after studying and interpreting the prophecies of Nostradamus, realizes that the end of the world is at hand. Unfortunately, nobody listens to him until it is too late. As the effects of mankind's tampering of the earth - radioactive smog clouds, hideously mutated animals, destruction of the ozone layer - rage out of control, the world leaders hurtle blindly toward the final confrontation. The film sparked controversy in Japan and was subsequently pulled out of circulation, with no official video release of the uncut film.
Prophecies of Nostradamus
1974
7.3Ogami Itto is hired to kill a tattooed female assassin and battles Retsudo, head of the Yagyu clan, and his son Gunbei.
Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart in Peril
1972
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
6.2Akiyama is an intern, disgusted with the noise pollution caused by the bullet trains and the heart attacks that noise has been causing in older hospital patients, plots to disrupt and, in ten days, destroy a unit of the operation. He warns the Japan National Railway, that, if nothing is done to reduce the noise, he will derail a bullet train. Takigawa is the police detective sent to stop him.
Main Line to Terror
1975
7.5Shiro Akitsu goes on a relentless search for his abducted 7-year-old daughter, with the aid of an Ainu dog summoned by a whistle she gave him.
Shag
1978
10.0Three assassins take on a band of thieves who specialize in murder.
Professional Killers – Assignment by Night
1974
1960s · 12 titles
6.7Utsugi, a seventy-seven-year-old man of refined tastes who is recovering from a stroke, discovers that, while his body is decaying, his libido still rages on -- unwittingly sparked by the gentle, kindly attentions of his daughter-in-law Satsuko, a chic, flashy dancer with a shady past. Pitiful and ridiculous as he is, Utsugi is without a trace of self-pity, and his diary shines with self-effacing good humor.
Diary of a Mad Old Man
1962
7.3A dramatisation of the 24-hour period in which the Japanese government was deadlocked over the decision to accept or reject the Allies' demand for an unconditional surrender following the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Japan's Longest Day
1967
6.8A Japanese family is torn apart by the tensions of an avoidable nuclear world war between the superpowers.
The Last War
1961
7.3A dying businessman intends to will ¥200 million to his three illegitimate children, but his associates scheme to take advantage of the situation.
The Inheritance
1962
6.9[Period covered: 1582-1594]. As the film opens, the warlod Nobunaga Oda rides to Iga Ayanokuni shrine. He is asked if he thinks he has destroyed all the ninja who opposed him and answers that he suspects that there may be more. A servant brings water and tests it first. The paige dies and we hear gunshots as two ninja flee the scene. His suspicions confirmed, Nobunaga oversees the execution of captured ninja and decides that, in the future, he needs a much crueler method of execution. The daimyo Hideyoshi comes to visit.
Shinobi no Mono 2: Vengeance
1963
8.4In 1943, the Aleutian island of Kiska was fortified by a small contingent of Japanese soldiers. When word arrived of an impending attack by an overwhelming force of Americans, the Japanese Navy attempted one of the most daring and unlikely evacuations in military history. This is that story.
The Retreat from Kiska
1965
8.0Wang Xinglian returns from her studies in Japan to visit her father in Hong Kong where she has an encounter with the young Japanese Hasegawa Toru. The two meet again and fall in love in Hokkaido when Wang and her best friend Sugimoto Kanako are going on a holiday. Urged by her friend Zhang Yingming to concentrate on her studies, Wang remains ambivalent about the relationship, and is even more upset to realise that Sugimoto is in love with her fellow countryman. Feigning an engagement with Zhang, Wang initiates a break-up with Hasegawa and finds work in Singapore after graduation. Hasegawa learns the real cause of the break-up from Sugimoto in Hong Kong. A frenzy search finally leads to a reunion and a proposal in Kuala Lumpur. However, their love is doomed by a twist of fate as Wang must leave to see her desperately ill father in Hong Kong while Hasegawa has to leave for America to pursue his career.
Star of Hong Kong
1962
5.7When the man who seduced famous painter Otoko Ueno as a teenager–and then wrote a bestselling novel about it–reappears in her life, her pupil–and lesbian lover–hatches a plot to destroy the man and his livelihood.
With Beauty and Sorrow
1965
NRIn the 15th year of the Genroku era (1688), the world praised the 47 ronin who avenged the death of their master Asano Takumi-no-kami. Shogun Tsunayoshi, who ruled at that time, experienced difficulties in what punishment to impose on the soldiers. As a result, it was decided to sentence them to seppuku (ritual suicide).
Records of loyal vassals
1962
6.5Just after WW2, a romance between an innkeeper and a man with tuberculosis unravels near a thermal spring.
Akitsu Hot Springs
1962
10.0No synopsis available yet.
Last-Ditch Glory
1961
6.1A union-busting Yokohama dockworker learns that the loyalties that rule his life are based on shaky foundations. Believing that his manager was responsible for saving his life as a baby, he falls victim to a manipulative cycle of deceit and revenge.
A Flame at the Pier
1962
1950s · 32 titles
8.1The elderly Shukishi and his wife, Tomi, take the long journey from their small seaside village to visit their adult children in Tokyo. Their elder son, Koichi, a doctor, and their daughter, Shige, a hairdresser, don't have much time to spend with their aged parents, and so it falls to Noriko, the widow of their younger son who was killed in the war, to keep her in-laws company.
Tokyo Story
1953
8.2After handing in a report on the treatment of Chinese colonial labor, Kaji is offered the post of labour chief at a large mining operation in Manchuria, which also grants him exemption from military service. He accepts and moves with his newlywed wife Michiko, but when he tries to put his ideas of more humane treatment into practice, he finds himself at odds with scheming officials, cruel foremen, and the military police.
The Human Condition I: No Greater Love
1959
6.7In 8th-century China, the Emperor grieves the death of his wife. The Yang family wants to provide the Emperor with a consort so that they may consolidate their court influence. General An Lushan finds a distant relative working in their kitchen, whom they groom to present to the Emperor. The Emperor falls in love and she becomes the Princess Yang Kwei-fei. The Yangs are then appointed important ministers, though An Lushan is not given the court position he covets.
Princess Yang Kwei-fei
1955
7.6In post-WWII Osaka, a middle-aged woman is forced to examine her dreary life and marriage when her husband's young and flirtatious cousin arrives for a brief stay to escape an arranged marriage.
Repast
1951
7.4While the story of the Ako Clan's vendetta has been told countless times, never before has there been an array of major motion picture stars to bring new life to this timeless tale. Starting with the corrupt practices of Lord Kira and Yanagi-sawa, the Shogun's Secretary, which in essence led to the incident of Lord Asano's attacking Kira in the Pine Corridor of the Shogun's Palace, this is the definitive version. Asano Takumi no kami was a young lord with high scruples, who refused to join in the general corruption and bribery which ran rampant in the capital at that time. By not giving bribes, he angered Kira Kozuke no suke the elder lord in charge of protocol at the Palace. Refusing to teach the younger man, and giving him false instructions was only the beginning. Insults followed, and a man of honor had no choice but to draw his sword in anger. Forty seven masterless samurai are willing to give their lives to avenge their lord.
The 47 Masterless Samurai
1959
6.8A young woman takes up her new job as the servant of a noblewoman and soon discovers that underneath her facade of luxury lies great unhappiness.
Portrait of Madame Yuki
1950
7.7Two sisters learn about the existence of their long-lost biological mother, but the younger is unable to accept the fact that she was abandoned as a child.
Tokyo Twilight
1957
7.1Setsuko is in an unhappy marriage to Mimura, an unemployed, alcoholic engineer. She had always been in love with Hiroshi but both failed to propose when Hiroshi left for France a few years ago. But now he's back and Mariko tries to reunite them, although she too is secretly in love with Hiroshi.
The Munekata Sisters
1950
6.1Townsend Harris is sent by President Pierce to Japan to serve as the first U.S. Consul-General to that country. Harris discovers enormous hostility to foreigners, as well as the love of a young geisha.
The Barbarian and the Geisha
1958
7.5A young salaryman and his wife struggle within the confines of their passionless relationship while he embarks on an extramarital affair.
Early Spring
1956
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
6.2A Japanese woman writes down three stories she has witnessed or heard of in her diary, each about the difficult situation a young woman finds herself in.
An Inlet of Muddy Water
1953
6.2Pierre Marsac, a French engineer working for the Nagasaki shipbuilding yards, has fallen in love both with Japan and a charming Japanese girl named Noriko. But Françoise Fabre, a French journalist and Pierre's former lover, contacts him while visiting the Land of the Rising Sun. They meet again, find out their love might not be dead. Meanwhile, Pierre gradually becomes estranged from sweet, humble Noriko. One day, a typhoon strikes Nagasaki...
Typhoon Over Nagasaki
1957
6.9Police beat a murder confession out of four innocent men who are then sentenced to death. Based on a true story.
Darkness at Noon
1956
5.6Keiko Yukawa is a former prostitute and the newest inmate at White Lily, a female rehabilitation facility.
White Beast
1950
7.4An ingratiating bride develops warm ties to her father-in-law while her cold husband blithely slights her for another woman.
Sound of the Mountain
1954
6.5A traditional bar mistress in Kyoto clashes with her Tokyo rival.
Night Butterflies
1957
6.3In post-war Japan, Michiko, a disillusioned young woman trapped in a loveless marriage, confides in her younger cousin, Tsutomo, and the two become close, but decide not to consummate their affair. He instead becomes involved with the flirtatious Tomiko, who is also conducting an affair with Michiko's husband. When Michiko finds that her husband has abandoned her, she decides to take her fate into her own hands.
The Lady of Musashino
1951
10.0The film consists of three short stories. Tomiko, the heroine of the first story, "The Flower Girl" (dir. Kozaburo Yoshimura), is a little girl who bears the unbearable burden of caring for her family. Tomiko's father has been unable to find work for a long time, and her older sister is terminally ill—it is unlikely that she will ever recover. To feed her family, Tomiko runs around the city from morning until late at night selling flowers... The second novella (dir. Tadashi Imai) also depicts the lives of the poor. An unfamiliar girl brings young Kavano a letter from his mother. It turns out that the girl's name is Kuniko, she is very hardworking, but her family is dying of hunger. Therefore, her mother decided to send Kuniko to her son so that he would marry her. The short story is called "The Unexpected Bride." The third short story, which gave the film its title, is particularly interesting: "When You Love" (dir. Satsuo Yamamoto). It shows the family of a young peace activist.
If Indeed One Loves
1955
6.0One 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.
Whirlwind Magistrate
1959
NRJidai-geki by Kiyoshi Saeki
Tenpo Suikoden - Otone's Night Fog
1950
8.0No synopsis available yet.
お月様には悪いけど
1954
7.8Ginko, a poor cobbler's daughter, becomes a geisha to support her family. She passes from one geisha house to the next, trying to find love and hope in the process. No matter how hard she tries, she just can't escape her sad fate.
Miniature
1953
NRA villager's family is ostracized after he makes an accusation of rigged elections
Murahachibu
1953
6.1Anzukko (Little Peach) is the daughter of a successful writer. She turns down each one of her suitors, until she marries a beginning writer named Ryokichi. Their life quickly sinks into despair.
Little Peach
1958
9.0Once an average and seemingly ordinary Tokyo girl, she suddenly finds herself as a TV star owing to her discovery by a casting company, which noticed photographs that her cousin had sent. When another actress falls ill she is given the role instead. Her first film is a success propelling the young actress to popularity, her own fans, money and a house. While everything looks dandy from the outside not all is well within the family however.
Kin no tamago: Golden Girl
1952
NRA continuation of the prior film (影法師).
Zoku kagebōshi ryūkoaiutsutsu
1950
6.4The troubled relationship between a writer and his ballet teacher wife, who has for years loved another man, finally leads to the breakup of the family.
Dancing Girl
1951
8.0A female reporter is fired for writing about police corruption; to make money while hiding from the press, she posts a bounty upon herself.
Hole in One
1957
6.0Hibari no komoriuta (ひばりの子守唄, literally "Hibari's Lullaby") is a 1951 black-and-white Japanese film directed by Koji Shima. The movie is based on Das doppelte Lottchen, a novel later adapted as The Parent Trap.
Hibari no komoriuta
1951
NRThere are male and female students working part-time jobs in the city center while facing the harsh realities of society as they struggle to pay for tuition and living expenses, and there are those who prey on these students. The Sugita-gumi, which was supposed to have been disbanded under the Ordinance on the Regulation of Organizations, established the “Student Part-Time Workers’ Association” and began ensnaring innocent students in its clutches. Eguchi of the student newspaper editorial board and his fellow staff members begin an investigation to expose the Sugita-gumi’s misdeeds.
Gunrō no machi
1952
3.2A section chief at the Bureau of Construction is in a shady relationship with a construction company. Then a new, young and honest subordinate is assigned to work under the section chief. Once he learns about the shady relationship, however, the new subordinate skillfully conceals the corruption and joins the corrupt, shady relationship.
Modern People
1952
1940s · 2 titles
Series credits
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
NRThe story chronicles the life of Yagyū Munenori.
Haru no Sakamichi
1971
10.0No synopsis available yet.
ザ・ハングマン
1980
NRNo synopsis available yet.
Tasukenin Hashiru
1973
NRTV series produced by MBS and TOEI, based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Seiichi Morimura.
Ningen no Shōmei
1978
7.7It takes place at the time of the Shogunate rule with Shogun Hidetada and who will succeed Hidetada. A struggle for power between the family and the daimyos. Historically the Yagyu's have always been close to the Shogunate, and helped...
The Yagyu Conspiracy
1978
NRYagyu Abaretabi is the tale of members of the Yagyu Clan and their travels all around the nation seeking to fight injustice and corruption... and there are plenty of surprises along the way.
Yagyu's Secret Quest
1980
10.0The sequel to The Yagyu Conspiracy picks up when Yagyu Jubei (Sonny Chiba) has a falling out with the Shogun, and sets out on his own as a wanted man. Featuring the martial art skills of Sue Shiomi (Sister Streetfighter) as she is on official patrol with Jubei watching over her, making sure that he gets to fight in each episode as well. This is one of the best and most exciting television series to ever hit the airwaves.
Yagyu Jubei Secret Quest
1982
6.0Miniseries about the events leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Pearl
1978
NRA hard-boiled detective drama. Detective Aida, who belongs to the Special Investigation Department founded by the Special Prosecutor's Office, gathers the outcasts of the Metropolitan Police Department and fights evil with an unconventional investigative method.
Hijo no License
1973
Behind the camera
6.0A poignant story about a young couple, Setsu and Chozo, who are torn apart to save Setsu's father's restaurant.
Deep River Melody
1960
NRBased on the Nobu Koito story
Hahakogusa
1959
8.5Describes the oppressed life of the crab fishermen and their final revolt which is bloodily suppressed by the Royal Navy.
The Cannery Boat
1953
8.5Describes the oppressed life of the crab fishermen and their final revolt which is bloodily suppressed by the Royal Navy.
The Cannery Boat
1953
10.0A reporter Takuo, who is sleeping in the newspaper room of the Maichō newspaper company, receives a sudden report from a reporter that the missing Akiyama JNR president was found dead.
The Black Current
1954
10.0This movie attempts to present the reality of doctorless villages to society at large, while focusing on simple human love in a heartwarming episode that unfolds in a doctorless village.
The Doctor
1955
10.0This movie attempts to present the reality of doctorless villages to society at large, while focusing on simple human love in a heartwarming episode that unfolds in a doctorless village.
The Doctor
1955
NRDrama about the lives of seasonal migrant workers in Kashima
Kashima-nada no onna
1959


