
Acting
Sabu Kawahara
Born
1945-11-10 (80)
Place of birth
Kure, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan
Known for
Acting
Credits
64 titles
Actor and tarento.
Known for
9.5No synopsis available yet.
Yonimo Kimyou na Monogatari Tokubetsuhen
1990
9.3After participating to a previous show where they have to bet or be challenged to any kind of competitions, the losing members of the Gaki no Tsukai are selected to spend 24 hours in a setting which they have no knowledge of the theme nor the course of the events. They are exposed to various absurd and crazy situations nonstop for 24 hours and must refrain from laughing. If they do so, hang-men appear and hit the rule breakers with a weapon (the weapon varies every year).
Gaki no Tsukai No Laughing Batsu Game
2003
7.5A deaf garbage collector happens upon a broken and discarded surfboard. The discovery plants in him dreams of becoming a surf champion. Encouraged by his also deaf girlfriend, he persists against all odds.
A Scene at the Sea
1991
6.9A businessman kills his adulterous wife and is sent to prison. After his release, he opens a barbershop and meets new people, talking to almost no one except for an eel he befriended while in prison.
The Eel
1997
7.0A convict, newly released from prison for murder, joins two strangers on a road trip through Hokkaido to visit his ex-wife, whom he hasn't seen in four years, knowing that if she puts a yellow handkerchief on the window, it would mean that she wants him back at home.
The Yellow Handkerchief
1977
NRSet in a city hotel called Point, where there is a strange "Room 0" that can reveal one's "grade" as a human being. Various guests with different circumstances visit the room, hoping to determine their own worth.
Guest in Room 0
2009
Film credits
2010s · 5 titles
6.3The story of a village woman given the grueling task of looking after (and fulfilling the sexual needs of) her quadruple amputee husband, a Japanese soldier in the Second Sino-Japanese War who has been decreed a "War God" by the Emperor.
Caterpillar
2010
8.1After the uprising at Wushe, Mona Rudao faces a guerrilla war against the militarily superior Japanese and Seediq clans. He and his followers must fight for their dignity and honor so that they can truly be "Seediq Bale" or "real men." Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale - Part 2: The Rainbow Bridge is Part two of the two-part, four-hour Taiwanese edition of the film Warriors of the Rainbow.
Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale - Part 2: The Rainbow Bridge
2011
7.3An indigenous clan-based people living in harmony with nature find their way of life threatened when violent interlopers from another culture arrive, intent on seizing their natural resources and enslaving them. Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale - Part 1: The Sun Flag is Part one of the two-part, four-hour Taiwanese edition of the film Warriors of the Rainbow.
Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale - Part 1: The Sun Flag
2011
6.8Wasao, an Akita dog in Aomori Prefecture that became famous as an ugly-yet-cute dog from a traveller's blog. Heartwarming drama starring Wasao himself turns part of the life of this former stray into an original story. Setsuko, who runs a grilled-squid shop in a fishing village at the foot of the Shirakami mountains, decides to take in a large dog with a long, unruly fur that has shown up in town. She names the dog Wasao and showers it with affection, but Wasao at that time doesn't take to Setsuko.
Wasao
2011
7.8An indigenous clan-based people living in harmony with nature find their way of life threatened when violent interlopers from another culture arrive, intent on seizing their natural resources and enslaving them.
Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale
2012
2000s · 13 titles
NRNo synopsis available yet.
Gozamareji
2003
6.7"Pika*nchi Life Is Hard Dakedo Happy" centers around five friends who are residents in a Tokyo apartment complex. Now senior high school students, the five friends live the wild life in Harajuku before encountering unforeseen surprises.
Pika*nchi Life Is Hard Dakedo Happy
2002
6.7A year after the celebrated cracking of “The Glorious Team Batista” case, the talented medical staff at Tojo University Hospital once again finds itself embroiled in a web of intrigue and scandal.The scandal occurs this time in the ER when a mysterious letter arrives for Dr. Kimiko Taguichi. The letter reads: “Chief Surgeon Hayami of the Emergency Center has a collusive relationship with a medical supplies maker. And the head nurse is in on it with him.” An unimaginable truth then awaits.
The Triumphant Return of General Rouge
2009
5.8Kasumi is in the midst of an affair with Ishiyama, one of her husband's clients. When Kasumi and her family visit Ishiyama's villa in Hokkaido, she plans to abandon them to be with Ishiyama. The next morning, her daughter Yuka disappears, which throws Kasumi's life into turmoil. Years later, Yuka remains missing, and Kasumi journeys back to Hokkaido with Utsumi, a terminally-ill former detective, and tries to follow any leads she can.
A Tender Place
2001
6.0Chizuru, a typical Japanese young female office worker, is socially clumsy, poor at romance and unhappy with her job. Being weary from a busy and stressful city life, she seriously desires to end her life somewhere faraway from the city and leaves for deep in the mountains, where she finds one lonely house. Then she attempts to commit suicide by taking sleeping pills in the guest house but she fails.... This is the beginning of her new life.
Faraway Heaven
2008
NRUrushibara Kazuki heads to Kyoto to explore the secret of his wife, Saeko, who is hospitalized for terminal cancer.
10 Years - A Wife's Betrayal
2004
7.2A disabled child of separated parents gets caught up in police espionage due to his uncanny ability to remember license plate numbers.
Chicken Is Barefoot
2004
9.0Adult video store clerk, Issa, feels like a total loser after losing his job and being dumped by his girlfriend. He is blessed by a stroke of luck when his invention, a curry package squeezing tool, suddenly gains immense popularity. Not only does his invention attract buyers and money, it even attracts unwanted attention from the Yakuza.
IKUSA
2005
5.0It is the second work of the Oita trilogy of Obayashi . Following " Nigori Snow ", Ise Masazo draws a song written by composers and songwriter "Farewell of 22 years old " as a motif and draws a story of love that spans two generations of mother and daughter.
Song of Goodbye
2007
7.7When corporate executives are blackmailed into public displays of nudity on the busy streets of Shinjuku, the big guns are called out to locate "Oboreru Sakana". The "big guns" are a misfit duo of ethically questionable characters who must infiltrate a gay nightclub and "fit in" while they search for clues. What ensues is both hilarious and action-packed. Oboreru Sakana is a rather ambitious and often hilarious contemporary crime thriller. Its narrative swings from the grisly to the humorous and pulls in as many pop culture elements as it can manage.
Drowning Fish
2001
NRIn the late 6th century, the leaders of the Yamato Dynasty had no clear plan for the creation of a unified state. Battles still raged among various warrior clans. Prince Shotoku, second son of Emperor Yomei, strived to create a new nation out of this chaos. NHK captures this great man from a time in history rarely depicted on screen, in a story of epic proportions.
Prince Shōtoku
2001
8.0Juri swears revenge on her brother after deciding that he is responsible for the murder of their parents . . . but otherwise lives a normal and happy life. The action takes place in the Yokohama underworld as brother and sister are reunited . . . for battle!
Bashment
2005
3.7Three strangers gather in search of an elusive cherry blossom. The tree hardly matters after a while, though, as they stumble into one funny and revealing episode after another.
Looking for Cherry Blossoms
2009
1990s · 17 titles
7.5A deaf garbage collector happens upon a broken and discarded surfboard. The discovery plants in him dreams of becoming a surf champion. Encouraged by his also deaf girlfriend, he persists against all odds.
A Scene at the Sea
1991
6.9A businessman kills his adulterous wife and is sent to prison. After his release, he opens a barbershop and meets new people, talking to almost no one except for an eel he befriended while in prison.
The Eel
1997
7.4It is 1965. High-school student Takeyoshi Fujiwara hears "Pipeline" by the Ventures, and is mesmerized by their unique sound. With three friends, he forms a band called "The Rocking Horsemen." A warm and comic glimpse into high-school and small-town life in Japan in the 60's.
The Rocking Horsemen
1992
7.0An erotic bizarre action in which the three sisters of the Ijuin family, descendants of Kunoichi, fight against the hostile Mao Noichi clan.
Nine-One II
1996
1.0A fifteen year old boy travels through the Amagi Pass, he encounters some strange people, one of them is the geisha Ozuka Hana. After a murder takes place, the police searchs for the culprit.
Amagi Pass
1998
7.0Japanese anthology follows the depressing lives of several people just trying to keep going in a nihilistic world. Movie version of Kosuke Suzuki‘s previous SOV movie by the same title.
Happy People
1997
9.0No synopsis available yet.
Saiyūki
1993
5.8The unexpected death of Fujishima Motoharu, president of a medium-sized firm, triggers a fierce battle over his estate inheritance among family members.
Estate Inheritance
1990
5.7Tomoko Tamura, a second-year high school student living in a detached house in Miyahara-chō, Omiya City, Saitama Prefecture (now Kita Ward, Saitama City), goes on an overnight hot spring trip to Izu with eight of her classmates, four boys and four girls, to enjoy her last summer before their entrance exams. However, Tomoko cleverly gets off at a station along the way to buy some ekiben (boxed lunches), which causes her to miss the train and get separated from her friends. From there, a series of tragedies unfolds in this coming-of-age comedy. Based on the comic by Minako Fujino. Screening alongside the film is That's Cheating! The Biggest Plan in History? (starring Tatsuya Yamaguchi and Namie Amuro, directed by Hiroshi Sugawara) as a double feature theatrical release.
In Tomoko's Case
1996
8.5A porn film director supports his wife and child while facing the complexities of the industry. Upon rediscovering an 18mm film he made as a student, he starts to question his life.
Skinless Night
1991
2.0Reiko and Tetsuya continue to live together. Reiko, who was informed by Kyoko that she was engaged to Takada, pretended not to be interested in her marriage, but in her heart, she wanted to marry Tetsuya. Tetsuya, unable to see through Reiko's true feelings, replies, "We shouldn't think about marriage until we're both adults and can live on our own." Meanwhile, Reiko's father, Shotaro, is stricken with cancer and receives a call that he has six months to live. In order to fulfill her father's wish, "I wanted to see Reiko as a bride while I was still alive," Reiko asked Tetsuya to marry him, and Tetsuya hesitated but accepted. However, Shotaro's doctor informs him that the cancer was misdiagnosed. While Reiko is relieved, she does not want to cancel her marriage to Tetsuya, so she proceeds with her wedding preparations without informing the people around her.
My name is Reiko Shiratori! The Movie
1995
NR#6 in the King of Minami series, following "Ginjiro vs. Liquidator." Manda travels to the Philippines to help a young woman track down the man who orchestrated a scam against her father's office computer business.
The King of Minami: Tactical Debt
1994
8.2No synopsis available yet.
The Files of Young Kindaichi: School's Seven Mysteries Murder Case
1995
Hikaru, who helps out at her uncle's detective agency, is tasked with inve stigating married women's infidelity and behavior. One day, the agency receive s a request to search for a runaway who looks just like Hikaru. As she investig ates, the case becomes embroiled in a secret yakuza account book.
Sweet Room 2
1993
9.0Youngsters find work as part-time festival street vendors and flourish in work, friendship and love.
Balloon
1990
NRA beautiful widow named Ruriko Omuta visits the Akechi residence and asks Kogoro Akechi to provide her with personal security. Just then, art dealer Yamano is shot dead right before Ruriko’s eyes. Sensing that there is more to the incident than meets the eye, Akechi sets out to investigate on his own. Meanwhile, back in her hometown of Nagasaki, a man named Shigeyuki Satomi—claiming to be a distant relative of Ruriko’s late husband—appears before her. Though Ruriko finds herself drawn to Satomi, she already has a lover named Yoshio Kawamura. What’s more, Kawamura has been involved in a terrible crime alongside Ruriko. Will Akechi be able to uncover their secret? And who is Satomi really?
The Beauty in Mourning
1994
8.0Sukiyaki can be viewed two ways, a popular Japanese cuisine or a gathering of a family. This heart-warming comedy takes place in Yokohama, where the Mihara family owns a restaurant called “Boston Grill”. Experience the ups and downs of this family and learn how they deal with the everyday problems they are faced with during difficult times.
Sukiyaki
1995
1980s · 18 titles
7.6Shigematsu Shizuma, who lives with his family in a village near Fukuyama, was in Hiroshima with his wife and niece just after the devastating atomic bombing, a tragedy that cruelly took the lives of thousands of people and forever marked the harsh existence of the survivors.
Black Rain
1989
4.8After watching her friend fall from a building a depressed high school girl runs away from home. When she is picked up by a nice guy on a phone date she realizes too late that he has plans to use her for his own ends.
Captured Mother and Daughter: She Beast
1987
NRMomoko Watanabe—a student who, upon visiting a shrine in order to wish good luck on a friend of hers, witnesses a murder in the forest...and she knows the culprit! Unfortunately, she doesn't have it in her to tell anybody about it, and to make matters worse, said aforementioned friend gets accused of the murder.
Sotsugyou -GRADUATION-
1985
5.3Filled with guilt over his forbidden desires, a young man leaves home and his studies. He finds a new smaller place to stay, a low-paying but satisfying job and a girlfriend. Then his mother, unable to fight her forbidden desires, shows up.
Moment of Demon
1985
4.0Koichi and Mariko are a married couple. Both husband and wife have their own careers. Koichi is a civil servant who returns home on time, while Mariko returns home late at night, leaving their love life cold.
Married Woman Assault Apartment
1985
6.7Barbara, a dancer, is coming home to Nagoya after a long absence. She lives above a bar in an area whose inhabitants are mainly from Okinawa. Upon her return, Barbara faces problems beyond her control. Her brother and two friends take one of their teachers hostage to extort money to go on a school trip. Miyazato, the man who loves Barbara is there, but not Aiko, her best friend. Miyazato, a yakuza and manager in a nuclear power plant has forced Aiko into prostitution for the workers of the plant. Barbara plans to help her escape from this hell. Aiko has been sent to Mihama. Without even thinking for a moment, Barbara decided to go see her friend.
Nuclear Gypsies
1985
7.2Eiji lives a quiet life running a small Izakaya with his wife. He spends his days cooking for and serving the lively residents of his small hometown.
Choji Snack Bar
1983
4.7A drunk office worker spots a discarded doll in the trash and decides to bring it home. When the doll mysteriously comes to life as a normal sized but naked young woman his life gets very complicated.
Mischievous Lolita: Attacking the Virgin from Behind
1986
2.0The reasonable happy life of an unmarried librarian goes to hell after she meets a pregnant young woman.
Onna Jimuin: Shikijo Seikatsu
1982
5.0Three people whose lives have taken a turn for the worse retreat into a world of erotic dreams made flesh in this drama from director Sai Yoichi. An executive with a large industrial corporation finds his job and his future is on the line when his firm is beset by labor troubles at the same time severe financial mismanagement has been discovered. As the executive looks for a way out of his situation, he becomes involved in a ménage à trois relationship with two fellow employees, a woman and another man. As real life becomes all the more unpleasant, the businessman and his lovers become deeply attached to one another as he explores sides of his sexual nature he's never been able to investigate in the past.
Sexual Crime
1983
9.0A martial arts master/detective investigates a series of murders and helps a deaf bathhouse attendant, Hisako.
Karate Cop
1982
8.5The melodramatic story of a pink crew’s tragi-comedic adventures on location. A fictionalized adaptation of set photographer Ichiro Tsuda's 1980 book The Location (Za Rokēshon), an illustrated 229-page document about the cameraman’s experiences with pink cast and crew on the sets of several films produced in the late 1970's.
Location
1984
9.0No synopsis available yet.
The Great Department Store Robbery
1987
2.0A group of friends get together to remember a decessed classmate. One of them is a detective who loves one of the women. But the woman is in love the delinquent of the group. And the delinquent has been ordered to do a hit...
Bu-ra-i no onna
1988
4.2Two sisters living together have a complicated relationship due to a past incident. Trouble begins when one sister becomes interested in a newly divorced man.
Neko no youni
1988
4.0A female prisoner escapes from the law but she can’t escape from her carnal desires.
Nokezoru onna
1980
NRA trading company employee's girlfriend loses her memory while on a trip. In place of the friend who was supposed to have accompanied her the whole time is a mysterious man.
Mystery of the Coral Seas
1988
7.0The film is an adaptation of the novel of the same title by Takashi Kitajima.
cf Girl
1989
1970s · 7 titles
7.0A convict, newly released from prison for murder, joins two strangers on a road trip through Hokkaido to visit his ex-wife, whom he hasn't seen in four years, knowing that if she puts a yellow handkerchief on the window, it would mean that she wants him back at home.
The Yellow Handkerchief
1977
6.2This time, Kousuke investigates a murder in a hospital. The murderer leaves misleading evidence to divert Kousuke's attention on the case. Suspicion and doubt clouds Kousuke's mind.
The House of Hanging
1979
5.6Utamaro was an artist who lived in Edo (which was later to become modern-day Tokyo) in the late 18th century. This film, which has a complex and wide-ranging storyline, recreates the world of that time, as it appeared in Utamaro's paintings.
Utamaro's World
1977
7.9When his pistol is stolen, police detective Murakami is humiliated, especially when the gun is later implicated in a crime. Working with his superior, Chief Detective Sato, Murakami works feverishly to trace the location of his pistol, ultimately clashing with a gang of youthful Okinawans.
Stray Dog
1973
2.5Ryoko leaves the chaos of her dorm for the peace and quiet of her own place because she wants to keep her relationship with a doctor at Murata Hospital a secret. Unfortunately, that privacy is short-lived as she discovers a “peeping tom” next door neighbor that spies on her all the time. When the doctor’s wife learns of the affair, poor Ryoko gets caught in a web of jilted lovers, frisky lesbians, slapstick sexual assault and embarrassing incidents with household appliances.
Nurse Diary: Wicked Finger
1979
2.7A resilient clam diver lives way she wants despite hostile villagers and the various men that share her bedroom.
Shiofuki Ama
1979
NRBased on the comic by Kazuo Koike
Kôkôsei burai hikae: Tsuki no Muramasa
1973
Series credits
9.5No synopsis available yet.
Yonimo Kimyou na Monogatari Tokubetsuhen
1990
9.3After participating to a previous show where they have to bet or be challenged to any kind of competitions, the losing members of the Gaki no Tsukai are selected to spend 24 hours in a setting which they have no knowledge of the theme nor the course of the events. They are exposed to various absurd and crazy situations nonstop for 24 hours and must refrain from laughing. If they do so, hang-men appear and hit the rule breakers with a weapon (the weapon varies every year).
Gaki no Tsukai No Laughing Batsu Game
2003
NRSet in a city hotel called Point, where there is a strange "Room 0" that can reveal one's "grade" as a human being. Various guests with different circumstances visit the room, hoping to determine their own worth.
Guest in Room 0
2009
No synopsis available yet.
Saotome Typhoon
2001
