Acting
Yoshito Yamaji
Born
1904-09-28 (122)
Place of birth
Wakayama prefecture, Japan
Known for
Acting
Credits
61 titles
Known for
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
6.9In the early 18th-century, Lord Takumi-no-kami Asano, feuding with Lord Kira, tries to kill his opponent in the corridors of the Shogun's palace. The Shogun sentences Asano to seppuku and deprives the palace and lands from his clan, but does not punish Kira. Asano's vassals leave the land and his samurais become ronin and want to seek revenge against the Lord's dishonour. But their leader Kuranosuke Oishi seeks to restore the Asano clan with his brother Daigaku Asano. One year later, the Shogun refuses, and Oishi and 46 rōnin are out for revenge.
The 47 Ronin
1941
6.4In feudal Japan, gangsters chase a young girl who might testify against their boss. When the gangsters murder the girl's grandfather on sacred ground, the door is opened for the Yokai Monsters to step in.
Yokai Monsters: Along with Ghosts
1969
7.3The adventures of a blind, gambling masseur and master swordsman. Zatoichi targets a yakuza-controlled village, because war with a neighbouring town's smaller gang is brewing.
The Tale of Zatoichi
1962
NRNo synopsis available yet.
I Was Tokichiro
1955
NRNo synopsis available yet.
Hana no nijū hachinin shū
1955
Film credits
1960s · 19 titles
6.4In feudal Japan, gangsters chase a young girl who might testify against their boss. When the gangsters murder the girl's grandfather on sacred ground, the door is opened for the Yokai Monsters to step in.
Yokai Monsters: Along with Ghosts
1969
7.3The adventures of a blind, gambling masseur and master swordsman. Zatoichi targets a yakuza-controlled village, because war with a neighbouring town's smaller gang is brewing.
The Tale of Zatoichi
1962
7.1In 1863, when American warships approach Japan, an enigmatic ronin becomes an important figure in a complex game of power between the Shogunate and the empire.
Assassination
1964
6.5In Osaka's slum, capricious folks without futures engage in pilfering, assault and robbery, prostitution, and the trading of ID cards and blood.
The Sun's Burial
1960
7.1Returning to the village where a year before he had killed Hirate, a much-admired opponent, Zatoichi encounters another swordsman and former rival in love.
The Tale of Zatoichi Continues
1962
NRThe university professor Ozeki Hitoshi (Ryu Chishu) is regarded as an eccentric by people in his surroundings. When his daughter Tokiko is asked to marry a colleague, she and her mother are overjoyed, but Hitoshi is not satisfied with the situation.
A Good Man, A Good Day
1961
NRManao Horiuchi movie
Hikkoshi yatsure
1961
6.6The Dai-bosatsu toge trilogy is based on Kaizan Nakazato's unfinished long series of novels (41 books, written from 1913 to 1941). Set in the last period of the Tokugawa Shogunate, Daibosatsu Toge tells the story of Ryunosuke Tsukue, a nihilistic swordmaster who doesn't hesitate to kill anyone, bad or good.
Satan's Sword
1960
NRNo synopsis available yet.
恋と出世に強くなれ!
1963
6.2The plot is based on the novel "Akechi Samanosuke no Koi," the final work in a trilogy by Hiroshi Kato about the forced suicide of Oda Nobunaga at the temple Honnoji. Historically, the general Akechi Mitsuhide is credited with causing Nobunaga's downfall. Kato's novel focuses on Mitsuhide's nephew Samanosuke, who fought alongside his uncle during the assault on Honnoji.
Honno-Ji in Flames
1960
NR1962 Japanese movie
Sabakareru Echizen no kami
1962
NRJapanese crime film
Onatsu Detective Case: Mad Slasher
1960
9.5The warlords overrun the country while the farmers are starving, and forced to become soldiers to keep the wolf from the door. The farmers are recruited in groups of fifteen. In Yaju's village, there are only twelve men, so they press Oto, who looks more like a boy than a girl, to join, disguised as a man.
Rabble Tactics
1963
NRA country boss gives up his way of life because of his daughter's marriage.
A Country Boss
1962
6.9A story loosely based on the affair between Empress Kōken-Shōtoku and the monk Dōkyō, set during the Nara period (710–794 A.D.).
Bronze Magician
1963
7.0Japan, 1643, as the Kato clan of Aizu falls from power two brave samurai will settle a dispute in the time-honored tradition of their clan, by drawing their blades in a duel to the death.
Scars of Honor
1960
NRSecond "Pfc. Story" sequel and the ninth and final sequel to "Story of Second Class Private", the only one in both series not directed by Seiichi Fukuda.
Shin nitōhei monogatari medetaku gaisen no maki
1961
7.01961 Japanese movie
晴小袖
1961
NRNo synopsis available yet.
Edo no kaoyaku
1960
1950s · 29 titles
NRNo synopsis available yet.
I Was Tokichiro
1955
NRNo synopsis available yet.
Hana no nijū hachinin shū
1955
6.8Having completed the first year at his new medical practice, a doctor plans to relax on his day off. However, it is not to be: on this hectic day a man just back from the war front visits the doctor with a medical emergency, followed by a woman who claims to have been molested. Then a yakuza arrives to ask the doctor to cut his finger off...
Doctor's Day Off
1952
NRNo synopsis available yet.
Hana no nagadosu
1954
6.3A rural village elder plans an event on the return of a farmer's daughter from the city, unaware that she has become a Westernized burlesque artist.
Carmen Comes Home
1951
NRMasked avenger Kurama Tengu and his young sidekick try to stop a mysterious adversary from assassinating a group of young warriors who want to bring down the Shogunate...
Kurama Tengu: Anonymous letter to Tengu
1952
NRIn 1842, in the Umemoku Mansion within Hikone Castle, Naosuke Ii, despite the tumultuous times, was engrossed in the world of tea ceremony. His friend, the Kokugaku scholar Nagano Shuzen, introduced him to a captivating shamisen master named Murayama Taka. Naosuke became deeply infatuated with her, disregarding the jealousy of his consort Shizu and the warnings of his senior retainer, Gaiji. However, upon discovering Taka's relationship with Shuzen, Naosuke promptly ended his ties with her.
Hana no shôgai
1953
9.0Christian converts face persecution in the feudal society of 17th century Japan.
Christ in Bronze
1955
NRThis drama centers on an elderly politician and depicts how humans can return to their true selves when they are freed from selfish desires and self-interest.
People Waiting for Spring
1959
NRNo synopsis available yet.
Akuma no kao
1957
NRWatanabe Kazuma and Kawai Matagorō from the Bizen Okayama Ikeda clan were close friends, but they inevitably became enemies after Matagorō killed Kazuma's younger brother, Gentayū, and fled. Seeking assistance, Kazuma asked his brother-in-law, Araki Mataemon, for help, but Mataemon refused, saying that it was against the code for a brother to avenge another brother's death. On the other hand, the lord of the clan, Ikeda Tadao, ordered a search for Matagorō, who was found to be sheltered by the Hatamoto, including Andō Jiemon, in Edo. Tadao was furious but unable to act. Matagorō, in Edo, came to regret his birth as a samurai. He met and fell in love with Okō, a bathhouse maid. As the discord between the Hatamoto and the Ikeda clan deepened, Tadao died of illness. Seizing the opportunity to ease the conflict, the shogunate ordered the Ikeda clan to be succeeded by the young lord Katsugorō and to relocate to the Ikeda clan of Inshū Tottori. Meanwhile, Matagorō was exiled from Edo.
荒木又右衛門
1955
NRA samurai detective film.
Denshichi Torimonocho: The Case of the Golden Goddess
1954
NRNo synopsis available yet.
Tsubakuro kasa
1955
NRFourth sequel to "Story of Second Class Private".
Nitōhei monogatari: Shindara kami-sama no maki
1958
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
NRA continuation of the prior film (影法師).
Zoku kagebōshi ryūkoaiutsutsu
1950
8.0A period mystery in which an unconventional priest exposes the truth behind the bizarre death of a maid in the shogun's harem. Kinuyo Tanaka stylishly plays a constantly intoxicated geisha in this all-star entertainment film.
The Inner Palace Conspiracy
1951
NRNo synopsis available yet.
Haru no Wakakusa
1954
NRIn the era of the twelfth Shogun, Tokugawa Ieyoshi, a notorious bandit known as "Shippu" (or "Swift Wind") emerged in Edo. Shippu would send a warning message called the "Thief's Summons" before striking, yet despite the magistrate's desperate search efforts, they couldn't find any leads. One day, a summons was shot into the residence of Ono Ryusai, who was leading a peaceful retirement life with his two concubines, O-Ran and O-Koshi. With the summons, various individuals including O-Ran's brother Itami Shigoshiro, the master of the Muso-ryu dojo, vigilante Mankichiro, rope expert Gohei, and Den'ichi from Kuromon Town were assigned to monitor the situation. However, while they were distracted by a neighboring fire, a chest containing a thousand ryo was stolen, and O-Koshi was killed.
Denshichi Torimonocho: Senryo Human Skin
1954
NRFifth sequel to "Story of Second Class Private".
Nitōhei monogatari: Aa senyū no maki
1958
NR1957 Japanese movie
Utau yajikita kogane dōchū
1957
NRNo synopsis available yet.
The Life of a Uniquely Interesting Man: Katsura Harudanji
1956
NRThe crew of the Red Ocean, shipwrecked off Taiwan, was mostly rescued, but only the radio operator Toyono was missing. Toyono, drifting at sea, was rescued by a smuggling ship. However, fearing the secret would leak, the leader Inomoto ordered the captain to kill him. But the captain left him a mysterious message to wait at the Ibo Jewellery Store on Okinawa Island before escaping him. Upon arriving in Okinawa, Toyono went to the jewellery store and heard from the owner that the captain said he would wait for a while so that he could definitely return to the mainland.
Okinawa Interlude
1959
NRDuring the era of Tokugawa Ieyasu, one night a carver named Fujijiro was murdered. Immediately launching an investigation, Denhichi, accompanied by Otoshi and Take, toured the entertainment houses of Ryogoku. There, they discovered a connection between an acrobat and the incident. On their way home, Otoshi unexpectedly encountered an old friend, Inosuke, nervously buying a dagger. Inosuke, a clerk at the Kashimaya store, was in love with Oko, a secret lover of Bunzaemon. Amidst this, Seihei, the head clerk, was murdered by someone, and a dagger belonging to Inosuke was found at the scene, leading Gohei to suspect Inosuke as the culprit. However, Otoshi was hiding Inosuke. Driven by Otoshi's plea and a professional instinct that Inosuke wasn't the perpetrator, Denhichi desperately searched for the real culprit.
Denshichi Torimonocho: Tattoo Woman Trouble
1954
NRHatamoto Ooka Gentaro was deeply committed to a future with a beautiful girl named Omachi, a relationship facilitated by his love of the shamisen. Omachi was stalked by a ronin named Akiyama Kanosuke, and at one point, Gentaro and Akiyama dueled at Matanuiyama, but the confrontation was left unresolved when Omachi, sensing urgency, called the authorities. Meanwhile, Gentaro's uncle, Kii-no-kami, concerned about Gentaro's whereabouts, ordered him to investigate a conspiracy by Tachibana Tadama, a tyrannical director of Hachijo who exercised his power oppressively in Shimousa Iioka. Gentaro attempted to leave on a journey with Omachi but was obstructed by his uncle's retainers.
八州遊侠伝 白鷺三味線
1955
NRDuring the Genroku era, Azusa Gennosuke, renowned in Nara as a top swordsman and a scholar, crossed swords with the Magistrate Kurobane Yatayu, who tried to force himself on Gennosuke's beloved foster-sister, Kikuno. As a result, Gennosuke's younger brother, Shichisaburo, was killed. Separated from his mother, Gennosuke found himself on the run from the officials.
お役者変化
1954
NRAboard a ship connecting Kyoto and Osaka, Osan was pickpocketed by a sham blind biwa player. A man who looked like a merchant retrieved the wallet for her. Osan was a woman being sold off for the sake of her yakuza-like brother, Nin'kichi. The man in the guise of a merchant turned out to be the Rat Thief, Jirokichi, the infamous thief of Edo. Due to this chance encounter, the two ended up staying at the same hot spring inn. However, one morning, as Jirokichi was about to leave alone, Osan, with the intuition of a smitten woman, confessed she knew he was the famed Rat Thief.
治郎吉格子
1952
NRNo synopsis available yet.
The Further Adventures of Genta
1955
NROn the night the shogunate's treasury was breached, the guard Utsugi had already been taken down. His colleague Ryunosuke felt responsible and decided to catch the culprit, not only for the sake of the beautiful wife of Utsugi, Chika, but also for his own honor. Chika's younger brother Shinjiro and the powerful Uechi family living near Ryunosuke's abode, join hands to support Ryunosuke. Counterfeit coins begin to surface—a scheme by the corrupt faction led by Yanagisawa. The henchman behind this is Koyamada Tesshin, who gathers ronin to amplify Yanagisawa's power. Among those ronin is Tendo Sakon—a man who drinks silently and plays the flute when in a mood.
Kagebōshi
1950
1940s · 11 titles
6.9In the early 18th-century, Lord Takumi-no-kami Asano, feuding with Lord Kira, tries to kill his opponent in the corridors of the Shogun's palace. The Shogun sentences Asano to seppuku and deprives the palace and lands from his clan, but does not punish Kira. Asano's vassals leave the land and his samurais become ronin and want to seek revenge against the Lord's dishonour. But their leader Kuranosuke Oishi seeks to restore the Asano clan with his brother Daigaku Asano. One year later, the Shogun refuses, and Oishi and 46 rōnin are out for revenge.
The 47 Ronin
1941
6.6Iemon Tamiya is an impoverished masterless samurai who craves a better life, which he cannot have because of his marriage to Oiwa, who is completely devoted to her husband.
Yotsuya Ghost Story Part 1
1949
6.6Part 2 starts where the first film ended, with Iemon disposing of the bodies of his wife and Kohei, marrying upward, and being blackmailed by the evil Naosuke.
Yotsuya Ghost Story Part 2
1949
6.7The mistress of a crook real estate broker comes to terms with her soulless existence after an artist paints her portrait.
The Portrait
1948
NRThe adventures of a demobilised soldier and a group of war orphans under his care on Ringing Bell Hill. Second installment of a wartime film trilogy.
Slope of the Ringing Bell Hill: The Second Volume
1949
NRJapanese Warmovie
Sinking the Unsinkable
1944
NRJapanese war movie.
Air Raid of the Enemy Plane
1943
7.0The tale of a feudal swordsman who cynically takes no responsibility for anything, relegating it to others, and then taking the credit.
Ishimatsu of the Forest
1949
NRIn the 30th year, Nirasaki Den'emon established the Nirasaki Hokkaido Development Company with investment from Sonoi to build railway facilities. However, the endeavor faced criticism for attempting to buy Ainu land at low prices. Tokyo Nippo reporter Toshimasa Matsuzaka, who was actually Nirasaki's son, wants to expose the flawed practices of the company.
Rira no hana wasureji
1947
6.3A young man who is unable to tell his childhood friend how he feels makes a pledge with her to reveal all of their secrets during the upcoming festival.
The Girl I Loved
1946
NRKazuo Hasegawa's debut at Daiei.
Koga Manshion
1949

