Tokuzō Tanaka

Directing

Tokuzō Tanaka

Born — Died

1925-09-15 — 2007-12-20

Place of birth

Osaka, Japan

Known for

Directing

Credits

40 titles

Tokuzō Tanaka (田中徳三, Tanaka Tokuzō, September 15, 1920 – December 20, 2007) was a Japanese film director. He is well known for directing Zatoichi series and Nemuri Kyōshirō series films.

Known for

The Snow Woman poster
7.1

Two sculptors spend the night in a mountain lodge after being caught in a snowstorm. A female spirit appears and takes the life of one of the men. She spares the other man's life on the condition that he never tell anyone what happened that night.

The Snow Woman

1968

New Tale of Zatoichi poster
7.0

Wishing to find peace, Zatoichi travels to his old village but only finds trouble when he ends up in a love triangle and finds old scores have followed him home.

New Tale of Zatoichi

1963

Bloody Shuriken poster
8.0

Ronin samurai Ibuki-san enters a town and sells his skills to the warring families. He falls in love with the beautiful horse stable owner but like all heroes, cannot stay.

Bloody Shuriken

1965

Dodonpa suikoden poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Dodonpa suikoden

1961

Assignment Dragon No. 3 poster
7.0

In late 1940 the Japanese were anxious to conclude peace in China and to that end sent Colonel Hidaka to inaugurate negotiations. He was mysteriously assassinated, however, when his car was blown up. The General Staff Headquarters in Japan, sends Lieutenant Shiina, a graduate of the famed Nakano School of Spies inaugurated by Colonel Kusanagi, to investigate the matter. Arriving in Shanghai, he disguises himself as a Chinese coolie and sets out to watch for developments, the only clue being a silver dollar found beside what was left of the victim.

Assignment Dragon No. 3

1967

Zatoichi the Fugitive poster
6.9

After arriving in the town of Shimonita, Ichi finds that a price has been put on his head by a local yakuza boss. He's drawn into a trap, but after hearing of the slaying of a former love, Ichi furiously fights his way through the entire clan to face the killer, a hired ronin.

Zatoichi the Fugitive

1963

Behind the camera

The Snow Woman poster
7.1

Two sculptors spend the night in a mountain lodge after being caught in a snowstorm. A female spirit appears and takes the life of one of the men. She spares the other man's life on the condition that he never tell anyone what happened that night.

The Snow Woman

1968

New Tale of Zatoichi poster
7.0

Wishing to find peace, Zatoichi travels to his old village but only finds trouble when he ends up in a love triangle and finds old scores have followed him home.

New Tale of Zatoichi

1963

Bloody Shuriken poster
8.0

Ronin samurai Ibuki-san enters a town and sells his skills to the warring families. He falls in love with the beautiful horse stable owner but like all heroes, cannot stay.

Bloody Shuriken

1965

Dodonpa suikoden poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Dodonpa suikoden

1961

Assignment Dragon No. 3 poster
7.0

In late 1940 the Japanese were anxious to conclude peace in China and to that end sent Colonel Hidaka to inaugurate negotiations. He was mysteriously assassinated, however, when his car was blown up. The General Staff Headquarters in Japan, sends Lieutenant Shiina, a graduate of the famed Nakano School of Spies inaugurated by Colonel Kusanagi, to investigate the matter. Arriving in Shanghai, he disguises himself as a Chinese coolie and sets out to watch for developments, the only clue being a silver dollar found beside what was left of the victim.

Assignment Dragon No. 3

1967

Zatoichi the Fugitive poster
6.9

After arriving in the town of Shimonita, Ichi finds that a price has been put on his head by a local yakuza boss. He's drawn into a trap, but after hearing of the slaying of a former love, Ichi furiously fights his way through the entire clan to face the killer, a hired ronin.

Zatoichi the Fugitive

1963

Shinobi no Mono 4: Siege poster
6.2

[Period covered: 1614-1615] Tokugawa Ieyasu is now the ruler of all Japan. But one last loose thread must be tied up before his domination is complete -- the destruction of the Toyotomi clan, now beseiged in Osaka castle. Ieyasu's ninja are the only ones who can penetrate the fortress, but unfortunately for Ieyasu, Kirigakure Saizo and the other Toyotomi ninja can just as easily get out. As armies of samurai maneuver for battle, the fate of the nation will be decided by a desperate struggle in the dark!

Shinobi no Mono 4: Siege

1964

The Whale God poster
7.0

A fishing village is terrorized by a giant whale, and the fishermen are determined to kill it.

The Whale God

1962

The Beggar General poster
7.0

No synopsis available yet.

The Beggar General

1964

The Betrayal poster
6.5

A naively honorable samurai comes to the bitter realization that his devotion to moral samurai principles makes him an oddity among his peers, and a very vulnerable oddity in consequence. He takes the blame for the misdeeds of others, with the understanding that he will be exiled for one year and restored to the clan's good graces after the political situation dies down. As betrayal begins to heap upon betrayal, he realizes he'll have to live out his life as a ronin, if not hunted down and killed.

The Betrayal

1966

Tough Guy poster
7.0

Asakichi beats a ganster, Sada, in a physical fight, leading to recognition by Sada's clan boss. When Kotoito, the geisha Asakichi is in love with, is kidnapped by a rival clan and sold to a a house of pleasure, Asakichi and Sada set out to rescue her.

Tough Guy

1961

Zatoichi's Vengeance poster
6.9

Zatoichi comes upon a dying man who asks him to give a bag of money to "Taichi". Zatoichi has no idea who this is but when he comes upon a small town harassed by gangsters, he finds that "Taichi" was the man's young son. Along his travels he also met a blind monk who makes Zatoichi question his murderous lifestyle. In trying to help the town, Zatoichi kills some gangsters and becomes a hero to the boy. He must make a choice of whether to use non-violence and set a good example, or violence and set the boy on the wrong path in life.

Zatoichi's Vengeance

1966

Bad Reputation: Three Notorious Men poster
8.0

No synopsis available yet.

Bad Reputation: Three Notorious Men

1963

Sleepy Eyes of Death 10: Hell Is a Woman poster
6.8

Two devious retainers are competing to take control of a fief when the current Lord dies, but involving Kyoshiro in the conflict against his will is the textbook example of a bad idea - especially when the collateral damage starts to tick him off.

Sleepy Eyes of Death 10: Hell Is a Woman

1968

No artwork available
4.0

When Nizaemon Kumogiri, a major thief quits his job as a thief, he has two more big jobs planned in order to obtain a huge sum of money to enable his many subordinates scattered all over the country to live out the rest of their lives. First, he targets Matsuya, a medicine wholesaler in Nagoya and seduces the master of the shop by using his female subordinate, Nanakake. He then calls upon Sanji, a skilled locksmith to Nagoya, but the bandit Yagura no Fukuemon who is plotting to intercept the thief plots to extract Sanji for a large sum of money. Furthermore, Abe Shikibu, the chief of the firebrand bandit reformatory who is obsessed with Nizaemon's arrest, sends his men to Nagoya.

Kumokiri Nizaemon: The Great Bandit

1991

Lone Wolf & Child: Assassin on the Road to Hell poster
6.8

The tale of Ogami Itto and his son Daigoro has come full circle with the greatest sword actor of all time, Wakayama Tomisaburo now playing Lone Wolf's mortal enemy, the evil Lord Yagyu Retsudo, who masterminded Ogami's fall from grace. Brilliant sword actor Takahashi Hideki takes over as the former shogunate decapitator, and his stunning swordsmanship is second to none! The story of Lone Wolf and Child has been told many times, but never before like this. With the magnificent sword skills of Takahashi Hideki as Ogami Itto, the Shogun's Decapitator and Wakayama Tomisaburo as the power hungry Lord Yagyu Retsudo the story has come full circle.

Lone Wolf & Child: Assassin on the Road to Hell

1989

Kyoto Yokai Map 1: A 900-Year-Old New Bride Living in Sagano poster
NR

Kaori, a doll hairdresser, is a demonic woman who has been alive for over 900 years. She has maintained her youth by drinking the blood of young men while waiting for her husband, who disappeared shortly after their wedding. However, when Kinosaki, who looks exactly like her husband, uncovers her true identity, Kaori transforms into a terrifying figure.

Kyoto Yokai Map 1: A 900-Year-Old New Bride Living in Sagano

1980

A Samurai Never Tells a Lie poster
9.5

The shogun's vassal Harima Aoyama and a chamber maid are in love with each other, but they cannot be together due to a difference of their status. Soon, an offer of marriage is brought to Harima. Trying to test his love, Okiku breaks one of the plates of the family treasure of the Aoyama family, but Harima doesn't notice. However, someone surrounding her witnesses the moment Okiku breaks the plate on purpose.

A Samurai Never Tells a Lie

1963

The Demon of Mount Oe poster
6.5

A band of warriors journeys to Mount Oe to rescue abducted women from a demon, overcoming supernatural threats like a giant spider and a diabolical witch along the way.

The Demon of Mount Oe

1960

Vagabonds from Badgerville poster
8.5

A musical about the escapades of some tanuki passing themselves off as humans in human society.

Vagabonds from Badgerville

1961

No artwork available
8.0

Samon Kamiyama, a yoriki of the Minami-machi magistrate infiltrates the Denzū-machi prison disguised as Mushuku Sahēji. Samon is mistaken for a snitch and about to be beaten up when he was saved by the quick thinking of a ferryman Sanji. The infiltration is the plan of Samon and chief elder Abe Isenokami, who has asked Samon to obtain smuggling evidence against shipping whole retailers Kawachiya Senemon and his son Sennosuke.

Samon’s Hell Revenge: Unauthorised Jutte Records 2 - The Assassination of the Shogun

1983

The Shogun's Vault I poster
NR

Tomizo, a master storehouse-breaker who has been released from prison in Denmacho after serving five years plans to break into the Edo Castle gold storehouse to avenge the death of his father, who died a violent death at a gold mine on Sado Island. With the help of Hanji, a playboy who took care of him in prison, as his partner, Tomizo decides on the night of fireworks to be held in Edo Castle as the day to carry out his plan. Kanpei, a wise man, is suspicious of the plan.

The Shogun's Vault I

1981

Nemuri Kyōshirō poster
7.0

Kyoshiro rescues Shizu who was being abused by her husband, even since she had been violated by the man posing as Ieyoshi. He then learned that Ieyoshi had been acting oddly ever since returning from Kyoto six months ago. Sir Fumiya's investigation of the O'oku (Shogun's harem in Edo Castle) uncovered the plot and reported that Sir Higo-no-Kami had been controlling the fraud. That's when Kyoshiro heads to Kyoto to find clues...

Nemuri Kyōshirō

1989

Scars of Honor poster
7.0

Japan, 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

Haunted Castle poster
6.8

A young woman turns to the supernatural to wreak revenge on a murderous warlord.

Haunted Castle

1969

Bad Reputation Returns poster
4.8

No synopsis available yet.

Bad Reputation Returns

1961

The Last Loyalty Offering poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

The Last Loyalty Offering

1967

Ojo-kichiza poster
10.0

No synopsis available yet.

Ojo-kichiza

1959

A Drop of Grease poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

A Drop of Grease

1966

Hoodlum Soldier's Flight to Freedom poster
7.0

No synopsis available yet.

Hoodlum Soldier's Flight to Freedom

1966

Kyoto Yokai Map 3: The 800-Year-Old Female College Student Who Lives in Toribenyama poster
NR

Matsuko, an assistant professor of history, discovers ancient human bones at Toribeyama, and her student, Suzuko, starts to approach her. As Suzuko shows an unusual fascination with the bones, the two eventually become romantically involved. However, Naomi, a fellow assistant professor who harbors a rivalry with Matsuko, hires a journalist to secretly photograph Matsuko’s bedroom…

Kyoto Yokai Map 3: The 800-Year-Old Female College Student Who Lives in Toribenyama

1985

Girl with Bamboo Leaves poster
10.0

Yasuda plays Omon, a woman using bamboo leaves as darts/blades to disable and kill her enemies.

Girl with Bamboo Leaves

1969

Bad Reputation: Two Notorious Men in Tokyo poster
7.0

No synopsis available yet.

Bad Reputation: Two Notorious Men in Tokyo

1963

Sleepy Eyes of Death 1: The Chinese Jade poster
5.3

Nemuri Kyoshiro, a youthful and cynical ronin with unparalleled skill, is approached by both sides in a game of corruption, ambition, and double crosses. The leader of the Kaga clan, who thinks he has killed his smuggling partner, fears that the shogunate will discover his illegal activities. He learns of evidence that will prove his guilt. Meanwhile, his partner is not dead, and, assisted by a master of Shorenji boxing, is looking for revenge and for his loot. The Kaga leader sends the beautiful Chisa to enlist Nemuri's aid. The unexpected happens: the hard-bitten Nemuri falls in love. Can he protect her, topple the criminals, and avoid the boxer's deadly skill?

Sleepy Eyes of Death 1: The Chinese Jade

1963

Hoodlum Soldier: Looting and Pillaging poster
9.0

No synopsis available yet.

Hoodlum Soldier: Looting and Pillaging

1968

Homeless Dog poster
7.0

First movie of the Inu series directed by Tokuzō Tanaka

Homeless Dog

1964

Bad Reputation: Invincible Notorious Men poster
8.0

No synopsis available yet.

Bad Reputation: Invincible Notorious Men

1965

Fantastico poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Fantastico

1961

Kyoto Yokai Map 2: A 400-Year-Old Ice Woman Living on Kirara Slope poster
NR

The frozen corpse of a young apprentice monk is found near Kirara Hill in Rakuhoku. Detective Hayakawa from the Kyoto Prefectural Police grows suspicious of the fact that someone froze to death in the middle of summer and visits his nephew Saburo, who works at a cryogenics research institute. Shortly after, the frozen body of Saburo’s father, Takayoshi, is also discovered. Recently, Takayoshi had been closely involved with a designer named Saori.

Kyoto Yokai Map 2: A 400-Year-Old Ice Woman Living on Kirara Slope

1981

New Bad Reputation Continues poster
7.0

No synopsis available yet.

New Bad Reputation Continues

1962