
Acting
Ken Tanaka
Born
1951-03-06 (75)
Place of birth
Chikugo, Fukuoka, Japan
Known for
Acting
Credits
67 titles
Known for
7.3Mariko is a forensic scientist working at the Kyoto PD Crime Lab. Her credo is “science never lies” and she delves into the truth of the case with her colleagues with their specialized skills and knowledge in forensic medicine, physics, chemistry etc. Mariko’s steadfast belief in science makes her stand against conventional institutional ethics of the police department, diehard detectives averse to scientific investigation and sometimes even with her own colleagues, but she stays faithful to her belief in science and continues to pursue the truth.
The Woman of S.R.I.
1999
8.2Yuri Ishikawa and her team try to crack unresolved cold cases in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.
Cold Case: Door of Truth
2016
7.0Continuation of the popular series of films about the assassins in Edo. This show marks the return of the jidaigeki series "Hissatsu Shigotonin," which has had several seasons between the 1970s and the 1990s. The franchise came back in 2007 with a one-shot special, but this is its first full season since 1992. Makoto Fujita returns as the protagonist Nakamura Mondo, one of the "shigotonin," a team of hired assassins.
Mission To Kill
2009
8.3The 41st NHK Taiga Drama is Toshiie to Matsu. During the turbulent Warring States Era, one man's life and career intertwined with the three great generals of Japanese history-Nobunaga, Hideyoshi, and Ieyasu. With political savvy and the support of his fiercely loyal wife, Maeda Toshiie rose to second in power in the shogunate and built up a fiefdom that encompassed Echizen, Noto and Kaga.
Toshiie and Matsu
2002
5.5In a corrupt world, a low-ranking official named Song Jiang rises to fight for justice, uniting 108 outcasts under his banner to challenge the oppressive state in a desperate rebellion.
Kenzo Kitakata: SUIKODEN
2026
6.8Originally released in Japan as "The Return of Godzilla" in 1984, this is the heavily re-edited, re-titled "Godzilla 1985". Adding in new footage of Raymond Burr, this 16th Godzilla film ignores all previous sequels and serves as a direct follow-up to the 1956 "Godzilla King of the Monsters", which also featured scenes with Burr edited into 1954's "Godzilla". This film restores the darker tone of the original, as we witness the nuclear destruction of giant lizard terrorizing Japan.
Godzilla 1985
1985
Film credits
2020s · 9 titles
NRA "Goze" is a blind entertainer who travels to various places singing stories while playing the shamisen (Japanese three-stringed lute). Becoming a goze due to her blindness at seven-years-old, Haru was strictly trained with a parent's affection by her once kind mother, Tome.
THE LAST GOZE
2020
8.5The day before his exhibition, world-renowned painter Tamura discovers that his own work contains a forgery. Meanwhile, the body of a woman with countless ukiyo-e tattoos is discovered at the sea. From the two incidents, the name of Ryuji emerges.
Silence of the Sea
2024
NRNo synopsis available yet.
Toyama Shōgawa kai satsujin jiken
2024
4.0No synopsis available yet.
America ni Makenakatta Otoko - Bakayaro Souri Yoshida Shigeru
2020
6.0No synopsis available yet.
The Setting Sun
2022
7.0Takeharu Samejima is a reticent photographer who runs a deserted photo studio. Taiichi Igarashi, a talented photographer captivated by his photos, gives up his brilliant career to become his apprentice. Taiichi, who has even avoided communication with his family, cannot hide his ...
Tomorrow in the Finder
2024
7.0Shintaro Yokota, at 18, fulfilled his childhood dream with a dazzling pro debut. Embraced by a loving family and his team, he had a bright career lay ahead—until something felt wrong with his vision. A medical examination delivered a diagnosis no young athlete should ever hear: a brain tumor. Driven by a single desire to play baseball and supported by those who never stopped believing in his comeback, he fought on until his final game, which saw a miracle no one had imagined. The true story of Yokota that continues to move and inspire us all.
One Last Throw
2025
NRJapanese horror anthology of 4 chilling tales.
Sunday Horror Series Best Selection 3
2024
NRNo synopsis available yet.
五十年目の俺たちの旅
2026
2010s · 7 titles
10.0This is a hybrid cut of both the original Japanese version The Return of Godzilla and Godzilla 1985, meant to combine the best aspects of both. This re-edit seeks to accomplish a happy medium between the two versions. The film will still be highly critical of both the United States and the Soviet Union, and will work to marginalize the more humorous aspects of the added Pentagon scenes. Their inclusion will fit better with the bureaucratic behind-the-scenes narrative of the original cut, and most additional music from the American cut will be included. All Japanese dialogue will remain intact, with English subtitles. Finally, this cut will feature a brand new opening to the film, one that seeks to definitely tie the new Godzilla to the original beast in an eerie and unforgettable way. In short, Godzilla: Resurrection will aim to be my definitive version of the return of the King of the Monsters.
Godzilla Resurrection
2018
4.3No synopsis available yet.
Taxi Driver's Mystery Diary 37 - Mystery of Double Homicides from Tokyo to Hamamatsu
2015
5.8By chance, Watabe (Goro Kishitani) meets subordinate worker Nakanishi (Kyoko Fukada) at a batting center. A friendship occurs which leads to a heated love affair. Watabe then learns that Nakanishi is the prime suspect of a murder case that occurred 15 years - the murder of her father's ex-lover. The statue of limitations for that murder case is soon to expire ..
In the City of Dawn
2011
NRNo synopsis available yet.
Tax Inspector Madogiwa Taro: Case File 29
2015
7.5Based on the TV series from the same name, Mentai Piriri stars Hanamaru Hakata, the icon of Hakata, Fukuoka, alongside Yasuko Tomita, who both starred in the television show playing husband and wife respectively. With additional scenes not depicted in the original show.
Mentai Piriri
2019
7.0Shinichi Tominaga is a prosecutor, newly appointed to the special investigation division for the Tokyo district prosecutors' office. He is currently busy with a case involving suspicious donations to powerful politician Yohei Tachibana. Shinichi then receives a mysterious message from his friend Samon Kondo. His friend is in charge of space development at The The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. The message talks about a scandal related to space development. Samon soon goes missing after sending the message. Shinichi begins to see a connection between the two cases.
Great evil does not go to sleep: The counterattack of the special investigation unit prosecutor
2016
NRYuri, who works for a company that specializes in collecting information for television programs, visits Akiruno city in Tokyo, where Itsukaichi-cho and Akikawa-shi merged at the request of the station, and it is now only fifteen years after the merger Start to find out how it changed. Yuri who started interviewing reluctantly, but continues to meet calm land pattern and people, and gradually begins to be interested.
Itsukaichi Story
2011
2000s · 4 titles
6.013th installment of the 16-film franchise.
Yakuza Ladies: Revenge
2000
7.0The tale of hardship, love, determination and life of Mineko, a young maiko (apprentice geisha) in the Gion district of Kyoto.
Hanaikusa
2007
NRThe year 1864: The Shinsengumi, the shogun’s armed force in Kyoto ripped the city apart, with blades in hand, searching for pockets of resistance, slaughtering the samurai who sought to bring down the shogunate and restore Japan’s emperor to power. By chance, Murao Mayumi and his sister Shiho, meet samurai Kurata. Murao, seeking his fortune with his sword-arm, will join Shinsengumi, never suspecting his friend Kurata is secretly Kurama Tengu, who hides his face in a black hood, and who will tear a bloody swath through Shinsengumi’s massed blades, to aid the samurai who had taken up the emperor’s cause. Will friend kill friend in a time of war?
The Goblin of Mt. Kurama
2001
Tatsumura Yusuke, Toho Advertising's deputy sales manager was a childhood friend of Akiko and Katsuya. In fact, there is a secret that cannot be divulged about the relationship between Akiko and her father and the truth behind his death between these three people. They don't contact each other after they grow up but 25 years later, that secret comes back to Akiko in an extortion letter. Meanwhile, Tatsumura's division suddenly competes in a big project with a budget of 1.8 billion yen. Tatsumura works towards a successful pitch with Tachibana, Hirano, and Totsuka but interference within the company from envious parties and a heated contest with a rival firm remains. Then Tatsumura learns that there is a link between this project and that secret from his past...
The Road to Sirius
2008
1990s · 9 titles
6.5During the age of warring clans (Sengoku Jidai), many samurai lords sought to unite the country under their banners by becoming the supreme leader. One of the first to vie for power in this way was Saito Dosan, the 'Viper'. His son-in-law, Oda Nobunaga, did in fact unite the nation after subduing all of his enemies, yet falling at last to the treachery of one of his most trusted generals. This story is a pre-cursor to those later events as the brilliant military strategist Saito Dosan rises to power and notoriety as a great lord in his own right. Directed by Kudo Eiichi and with a tremendous supporting cast that includes Nakamura Toru as Oda Nobunaga and Chiba Shinichi as Akechi Mitsutsugu, battle scenes of awesome power and a unique view of Japanese history, this is a marvelous production highlighted by the action scenes done by the Japan Action Club (JAC).
Saito Dosan: Rage of Power
1991
7.0Gathering a band of 13, Inspector General Shmada Shinzaemon sets out on a death-defying journey to cut down the shogun’s half-brother, Matsudaira Naritsugu.
13 Assassins
1990
10.0Some of the greatest battles during the Age of Civil Wars were fought between the Uesugi and Takeda clans. Leading up to them was the incredible life of Uesugi Kenshin, who rose from a son out of favor with his...
Heaven and Earth: Dawn Episode
1990
9.0In 1940, Kubota Shoten, which has been in business for generations, goes bankrupt due to the debauched lifestyle of its president, Kunimitsu Kubota. Subsequently, Kunimitsu moves back to his hometown and his children are sent to live with other relatives.
Bokyo
1993
5.6Tetsuro Haga is a troubled gangster, living under the assumed identity Ise for ten years, to escape jail for gunning down his cruel adoptive father. His life begins to unravel when a journalist following him takes an interest in the wife of a boyhood chum, and the wife of another close friend takes an interest in Ise. A couple of murders later, Ise/Haga goes on the run and also sets out for revenge.
Bonds
1998
NRNo synopsis available yet.
ママ母戦争
1990
NRNo synopsis available yet.
Hotel Rose
1996
NRShowa 38. In those days when golden badges gleamed on lapels, the Shoryu-kai reigned in the east and the Akutsu Federation in the west. Positioned between them was the old-school Yoshida-ikka, which fell victim to a surprise attack by the Shoryu-kai that disregarded the code of honour. Witnessing this, the Akutsu Federation sent Katsuragi (Hitoshi Ozawa), assistant underboss of the Hyodo-gumi, to try to bring the Yoshida-ikka under their umbrella first. Takayama (Ken Tanaka), the second-in-command of the Yoshida Family, could not bring himself to agree to a 4:6 split, even though the proposal came from his sworn brother, Katsuragi. Meanwhile, Ōba, the second-in-command of the Hyōdō-gumi, attacked the Yoshida Family to prevent Katsuragi from taking the credit. With his boss murdered, Takayama, a long dagger in hand, quietly rises to face the challenge alone…!
Blood Stained Crest
1994
NRA film adaptation of the graphic novel of the same name. A hard-hitting action film in which a man, dismissed from the police force for shooting the man who murdered his wife, becomes a hitman to rid society of its vermin.
The Fangs of the Beast
1995
1980s · 10 titles
6.8Originally released in Japan as "The Return of Godzilla" in 1984, this is the heavily re-edited, re-titled "Godzilla 1985". Adding in new footage of Raymond Burr, this 16th Godzilla film ignores all previous sequels and serves as a direct follow-up to the 1956 "Godzilla King of the Monsters", which also featured scenes with Burr edited into 1954's "Godzilla". This film restores the darker tone of the original, as we witness the nuclear destruction of giant lizard terrorizing Japan.
Godzilla 1985
1985
7.2After a fishing boat is attacked, the sole surviving crew member realizes it is none other than a resurrected Godzilla. However, efforts to bring the story to light are suppressed by the Japanese government amid growing political tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union, who are both willing to bomb Japan to stop the monster.
The Return of Godzilla
1984
6.6Director Ogata discovers a new female star in Koharu Tanaka, who works selling candy at a studio theater and she is given a part as a bit player. After the studio's top leading lady is embroiled in a scandal, Koharu is suddenly thrust into the limelight when she replaces her in a film and gains instant fame and fortune. But the going is not always easy, and she soon seeks help from unexpected quarters.
Final Take: The Golden Age of Movies
1986
6.0Benio, a peppy tomboy, is surprised to learn that she has been secretly betrothed by her grandfather to a young officer named Shinobu Ijuin. Because of his family’s noble status, Benio must first undergo rigorous training to learn how to be a proper bride and wife before she can marry. However, because of her vivacious personality, this proves to me more challenging than anyone imagined.
There Goes Benio, the Smart Girl
1987
NRThe fish market is to be moved to Shinagawa, and Tasuke Isshin (Jun Inoue) got in trouble. Hikosaemon Ookubo (Eijiro Tono) heard of it from Tasuke, and ask about it to Iemitsu (Ken Tanaka). However, on the contrary, Hikosaemon received penitence for a bribe that he doesn't know.
The King and His Vassal 2 - The Great Riot of Edo
1982
8.0Drama set in the world of Formula 2 motor racing in Japan.
F2 Grand Prix
1984
NRThis is a story of "Takechiyo," the previous name of Iemitsu Tokunaga, the third Shogun (General). Takechiyo got sick of daily run-of-the-mill tasks, and it put him off being the Shogun, saying "there is no truth". Then, Hikozaemon Ookubo took him to Tasuke Isshin to bring him up into a full-fledged and admirable man.
The King and His Vassal
1981
9.0A 30-year-old man's life gets up-ended when his girlfriend accepts an arranged marriage meeting with a more successful man.
A Tale of Young Elopement
1987
NRThe sisters lived near a pond called Koigafuchi, near Edo, and kept a father-and-son cat named Tama and Kaze. The elder sister, Oichi, was discovered by a samurai named Kazuma who rescued her when she had fallen ill, and she was sent to serve him at his mansion in Edo, but this was the beginning of her misfortune.
Kaibyō Koi-ga-fuchi
1987
Through the relationship between a woman who has lost her husband and her brother-in-law who proposes to her, the complexity of the female psyche and the differences between their hearts are portrayed in detail.
Tokimeki no Gogo
1985
1970s · 13 titles
7.8A young journalist interviews an elderly woman about being forced into prostitution in Borneo at a brothel called Sandakan No. 8.
Sandakan No. 8
1974
8.3Mainly the story of Shinsuke and his stepmother, ranging from Shinsuke's infanthood to his mid-teens. Coal workers and the mines dominate nearly every aspect of the life of the characters. Shinsuke's father dies while bravely using dynamite to rescue a group of trapped Korean miners. Several older men attempt to help he and his mother cope, including a kind Korean and a Harley-riding yakuza.
The Gate of Youth
1975
6.1A man whose son has been murdered pushes to create laws to financially protect victims' families.
Oh, My Son!
1979
6.1This extraordinarily complex film is not only a send-up of every samurai film ever made, it is also an extrapolation of the value of life. The Yamatai, represented by Prince Susano-O and elderly advisor Sumuke, hire Yumihiko of Matsuro to hunt the phoenix so that Queen Himiko, sister of Susano-O can have eteranal life.
The Phoenix
1978
NRRemake of 1949 film
Aoi sanmyaku
1975
7.5Mid 50s: the trials and tribulations of Shinsuke Ibuki, freshly arrived in Tokyo from Kyushu.
The Gate of Youth Part 2
1977
7.0In 1979 Toei president Shigeru Okada saw the future. More precisely, he saw Walter Hill's The Warriors in the US prior to its Japanese opening. Okada rushed back to make his own version. "Towards the 80! Our era! Now filming!" the trailer exclaimed. The plot is roughly the same as in The Warriors except this time the chased gang has to make it from Kobe to Tokyo and the leader's got the enemy's sister handcuffed to him. Hardly great cinema, but undeniably entertaining with frantic pacing, loads of music and even a massive roller blade street chase! As a vision of future, it wasn't too far off if the future was defined as 80s rock, bad fashion and comic book films.
Violent Fighters
1979
6.8The Japanese pop music duo Pink Lady are circus performers who show kindness toward a captured "monster," a sad, furry being (played by a man in a bulky, over-sized pink acrylic costume) who suffers acts of unusual cruelty by the keeper and ringmaster before the girls escape with the creature in a circus trailer.
Pink Lady's Motion Picture
1978
8.0A rural high school takes part in a mountain-climbing exercise and are caught in a sudden typhoon.
Monument to Holy Service
1978
NRNo synopsis available yet.
Aspiration
1977
NRNo synopsis available yet.
Isho: Shiroi shōjo
1976
10.0Reiko is young, pretty, and restless. A random encounter at the park puts her in the path of love.
Elegy
1976
6.0Fujishita Kumi is an ordinary office lady. Longing to escape her poor fishing village for a life in the city, she came to Tokyo. One day while alone in the office, she's spotted rolling up her pantyhose by the window cleaner Kurata Katsuo. This was to be their first encounter. Completely enchanted by Kumi, Katsuo does everything he can to get close to her. Katsuo is a man with a terrible past. With the death of his coal miner father, his family was broken up and he was forced to follow in his father's footsteps laboring away in the mud. In spite of this, Katsuo still has dreams. He dreams of living in Resiporuko, a utopian fantasyland that exists only in his imagination. When Katsuo and Kumi finally meet they find themselves unable to communicate. Katsuo spends all his time talking about Resiporuko with a starry look in his eyes, while Kumi dreams of living the high life in the city. One day when the two travel to the seashore, they discover a wounded seagull.
Oh Seagull, Have You Seen the Sparkling Ocean? An Encounter
1975
Series credits
7.3Mariko is a forensic scientist working at the Kyoto PD Crime Lab. Her credo is “science never lies” and she delves into the truth of the case with her colleagues with their specialized skills and knowledge in forensic medicine, physics, chemistry etc. Mariko’s steadfast belief in science makes her stand against conventional institutional ethics of the police department, diehard detectives averse to scientific investigation and sometimes even with her own colleagues, but she stays faithful to her belief in science and continues to pursue the truth.
The Woman of S.R.I.
1999
8.2Yuri Ishikawa and her team try to crack unresolved cold cases in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.
Cold Case: Door of Truth
2016
7.0Continuation of the popular series of films about the assassins in Edo. This show marks the return of the jidaigeki series "Hissatsu Shigotonin," which has had several seasons between the 1970s and the 1990s. The franchise came back in 2007 with a one-shot special, but this is its first full season since 1992. Makoto Fujita returns as the protagonist Nakamura Mondo, one of the "shigotonin," a team of hired assassins.
Mission To Kill
2009
8.3The 41st NHK Taiga Drama is Toshiie to Matsu. During the turbulent Warring States Era, one man's life and career intertwined with the three great generals of Japanese history-Nobunaga, Hideyoshi, and Ieyasu. With political savvy and the support of his fiercely loyal wife, Maeda Toshiie rose to second in power in the shogunate and built up a fiefdom that encompassed Echizen, Noto and Kaga.
Toshiie and Matsu
2002
5.5In a corrupt world, a low-ranking official named Song Jiang rises to fight for justice, uniting 108 outcasts under his banner to challenge the oppressive state in a desperate rebellion.
Kenzo Kitakata: SUIKODEN
2026
9.0An ex-detective, Kagawa, is found dead in a park in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Swearing revenge, detectives of the #1 investigation team, including Tozawa (Shosuke Tanihara), begin to investigate Kagawa’s death. Meanwhile, Sono (Masanobu Takashima), at the public security bureau, orders his subordinate Shimizu (Taizo Harada), to uncover the truth behind the case in secret. Sono believes the maintenance of trust held by the general public for the police could be jeopardized if anything afoul is discovered in the case stemming from the police. Sono wants to coverup the case as unsolved if the police are involved.
Blood on the Tracks
2014
8.5In the 1770's, the shrewdest man of the age, Tanuma Okitsugu, had abused his political power, and the corruption of government officials and moral decay of the public were prevalent. At that time, there was a box for complaints made by the general public. It was called "Meyasubako" and was placed at the front gate of the central government's Supreme Court. The appeals went directly to the shogun who assigned the “Otakagumi” (Falconers Unit) to investigate. Led by Uchiyama Kanbei (samurai superstar Mifune Toshiro) they fought injustice and helped the oppressed. Not only were they skilled swordsmen, but their trained falcons would swoop down on enemy troops, especially those using firearms. Superb fighting throughout with Mifune at the forefront in one of his finest roles. As the vile Tanuma Okitsugu continues to abuse his political power, more and more clashes with the Falcons of Edo, who stand for justice and morality are bound to occur, leading to a conclusion the likes of which has never been seen. Putting his life on the line, time and time again, Uchiyama Kanbei fights to prevent Tanuma from destroying the falconers’ group and take him to task for his vicious treatment of the Japanese people. Aided by his trusty Vice-Chief Ichiyanagi Kakuto, he wades bravely into battle in a land where “Take no prisoners” is the mantra. Brilliant fighting and a clever story line create a highly charged action series that brings out the best in samurai cinema. Can the Falcons of Edo prevail and save Japan from being crushed underfoot!
Falcons of Edo
1978
8.5Just when about to commit suicide after being deserted by his bride-to-be during the wedding, a man meets a university professor who is also at the point of killing himself. A woman nearby intervenes, one thing leads to another, and the three lost souls move in together. Each episode is a distinct story about the sometimes painful, sometimes warm romances between them and the people they meet while sharing an apartment.
The Last Song
1998
NRA milestone in Japanese teen drama, representing the 1970s. It questions the meaning of life, worries, and joys.
Oretachi no Tabi
1975
8.5Yume (Asano) is a single mother raising a now teenage daughter, Haruka, by herself. She has trouble trusting men, as Haruka's real father Kunio left before Haruka was born, and her first marriage ended when her husband cheated on her. It is then though that she meets Kunio's younger brother, Mitsugu (played by Oda). He falls for her immediately, and sets out to win her heart despite her disbelief.
What a Wonderful Life
1993
NRIt is the Edo period during the ninth Shogun Ieshige's reign. Orin's father was falsely accused of attempting to assassinate the former Shogun Yoshimune and in accordance with her father's wishes, Orin joins the secret assassination group Tegusari-nin, headed by Uemura Doestsu. In the organization, Orin fights through many dangers. But one day, she realizes she is being used by Doetsu in order to advance his ambition.
Nogaremono Orin
2006
NRIt is said that the Shinsengumi, led by Isami Kondo, delayed the start of the Meiji restoration by 10 years. This is a large-scale historical drama that tells about their life path up to the battle of Ikedaya.
Shinsengumi, Ikedaya's blood fight
1992
No synopsis available yet.
ときめきの午後
1985
NRNo synopsis available yet.
Hissatsu Kengekinin
1987
No synopsis available yet.
蝶たちは今・・・冥土からの手紙 死者からの電話
1979
