Kōji Shima

Directing

Kōji Shima

Born 1901-02-16 · Nagasaki, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan

Born as Takehiko Kagoshima in Nagasaki, Shima left for Tokyo after graduating from high school. He was in the first class of the Nihon Eiga Haiyū Gakkō and joined the Nikkatsu studio as an actor in 1925. Playing mostly romantic leads, he appeared in films directed by such masters as Tomu Uchida and Kenji Mizoguchi. He turned to directing in 1939, and quickly came to prominence with films such as Kaze no Matasaburō, an adaption of a Kenji Miyazawa story, and Jirō Monogatari. After the war, he directed such films as Ginza Kankan Musume and Jūdai no Seiten at Shintoho and Daiei Studios. He won a prize at the 1st Moscow International Film Festival for Unforgettable Trail. Some of his last films were made in Hong Kong for Shaw Brothers. He directed over 90 films as a director and appeared in over 90 films as an actor. He was once married to the actress Yukiko Todoroki.

Acting credits

The Woman Who Touched The Legs poster
9.0

A twice-remade ironic comedy about a writer's encounter with a female thief.

The Woman Who Touched The Legs

1926

No artwork available
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Hatobue wo Fuku Onna

1932

No artwork available
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Sōbō

1937

No artwork available
6.3

Tōjin Okichi is a 1930 film by Kenji Mizoguchi based on the novel by Gisaburo Juichiya. Only 4 minutes have survived. The fragment has been published on DVD coupled with The Downfall of Osen (1935) by Digital MEME in 2007.

Mistress of a Foreigner

1930

Tokyo March poster
6.1

A classic melodramatic love tragedy addressing social inequality in Taishō-era Japan, The nostalgic scenes of 1920s Tokyo provides a valuable visual experience set against the background of the title song, "Tokyo March." (Sadly, less than a half hour of the footage has been recovered and restored.)

Tokyo March

1929

Sweat poster
6.8

Sweat (1929) is a slapstick riff on tendency-film themes, as a bored young millionaire has his clothes stolen by a tramp; dressed in the tramp’s clothes, he has to accept work as a labourer. As the hero ends up building the mausoleum he had himself commissioned.

Sweat

1929

Mito Kōmon poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Mito Kōmon

1926

Passionate Poet Ishikawa Takuboku - Hometown poster
NR

Film about poet Ishikawa Takuboku

Passionate Poet Ishikawa Takuboku - Hometown

1936

A Paper Doll's Whisper of Spring poster
8.0

Otane, the daughter of a thread shop owner in Ryogoku, is in love with Sumio, the son of an ivory craftsman who lives nearby. The two are united in a tatami room on the second floor of a soba restaurant. Soon Sumio goes to study in Paris, but during that time Otane realizes that she is pregnant with Sumio's child. Considered a lost film.

A Paper Doll's Whisper of Spring

1926

Daughter and Springtime poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Daughter and Springtime

1932

Behind the camera

The Orchid poster
8.0

Tour bus driver Ching Pang Wen (Fang Ying) and tourist/student Annie Yeh (Lily Lo) sing and romance their way through Singapore.

The Orchid

1970

No artwork available
9.0

Romantic musical comedy.

Love Song Over the Sea

1970

Asakusa monogatari poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Asakusa monogatari

1953

Koshō musuko poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Koshō musuko

1953

Koshō musuko poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Koshō musuko

1953

Muchana Yakko poster
NR

A comedy directed by Koji Shima about a men's game. Reckless and exciting, definitely worth watching! Miyoshi Oki was born in Hokkaido and grew up in a dirty carriage that his father owned. His dream was to have a horse with a good coat that costs 10 million yen and he set a goal for it. At the invitation of Otaki-gumi executive Iwasa, he joined Otaki-gumi while the leader Sozaburo was sick. Miyoshi's method is not to deal with the yakuza's morale and slashing, but to handle things mentally....

Muchana Yakko

1964

Zoku bakurō ichidai poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Zoku bakurō ichidai

1952

The Phantom Horse poster
6.5

Following the tragic death of his father, a young boy's family trains his horse to compete in the local derby.

The Phantom Horse

1955

The Phantom Horse poster
6.5

Following the tragic death of his father, a young boy's family trains his horse to compete in the local derby.

The Phantom Horse

1955

No artwork available
NR

The innocent devotion of a woman eagerly awaiting her lover’s return from the war touches people’s hearts.

Kimi ka to omohite

1946

A Thousand and One Nights with Toho poster
8.0

The debut film of Shin Toho Productions

A Thousand and One Nights with Toho

1947

Warning from Space poster
5.3

Large star-shaped aliens travel to earth in hopes of warning them about an oncoming catastrophe. To prevent panic about their appearance, one alien takes the form of a popular singer.

Warning from Space

1956

Various Flowers poster
NR

A heartwarming tale of romance and thrills featuring an aging groom who discovers the potential of an exceptional racehorse hidden within an ordinary bloodline and dedicates his life to that horse, and an up-and-coming jockey, set against the backdrop of a thrilling steeplechase race.

Various Flowers

1959

Various Flowers poster
NR

A heartwarming tale of romance and thrills featuring an aging groom who discovers the potential of an exceptional racehorse hidden within an ordinary bloodline and dedicates his life to that horse, and an up-and-coming jockey, set against the backdrop of a thrilling steeplechase race.

Various Flowers

1959

Kaze no Matasaburô poster
10.0

Saburō Takada transfers from a city to a very small school. The village children suspect that Saburō is actually Matasaburō, the wind sprite.

Kaze no Matasaburô

1940

Asakusa at Night poster
7.0

A young scriptwriter with a yakuza upbringing, an iron-fire dancer, a young painter, and a pure-hearted downtown girl fall in love in Asakusa in this entertaining tale of love and action.

Asakusa at Night

1954

Asakusa at Night poster
7.0

A young scriptwriter with a yakuza upbringing, an iron-fire dancer, a young painter, and a pure-hearted downtown girl fall in love in Asakusa in this entertaining tale of love and action.

Asakusa at Night

1954

Enoken no bikkuri shakkuri jidai poster
NR

Enoken's first film at Daiei.

Enoken no bikkuri shakkuri jidai

1948

All-out Attack on Singapore poster
NR

This film, which was recommended by the Ministry of Education, is based on the Malaya Campaign and the Battle of Singapore and was produced to boost morale. It depicts the Japanese Army’s advance from the perspectives of the artillery units and the “Silver Wheel” units (bicycle units).

All-out Attack on Singapore

1943

Shogun's Holiday poster
NR

During the reign of Hidetada, the second shogun of the Tokugawa dynasty, the advisor Okubo Hikozaemon (Ganjiro Nakamura) entrusts the young Takechiyo (Hiroshi Kawaguchi) to the fishmonger Isshin Tasuke (Kazuo Hasegawa) to help him understand the world. Tasuke, who does not know that Takechiyo is the shogun's heir, trains him harshly. Tasuke's wife Naka (Michiko Ai) is concerned about his harsh teaching style, but Takechiyo gains strength day by day and adapts to his new life. Soon, Takechiyo begins secretly talking about love with a city girl named Otoyo (Hitomi Nozoe), but...

Shogun's Holiday

1958

No artwork available
NR

Princess Yuzuki, the only daughter of Moonlight Castle had no shortage of people asking for her hand. Finally, unable to bear it any longer, the princess asked the astrologer Priest Jien to divine who her future husband would be. He replied, “The man who touches the rose that blooms at night in the castle will become your husband.” That night, Princess Yuzuki went out to watch the Harvest Festival dance and was accosted by a drunken man. Just then, a young man named Yoshimaru, riding a horse and accompanied by two retainers, appeared dashingly and rescued the princess. Yoshimaru fell in love with her charm at first sight and tried to pluck a rose blooming beneath her window to present to her, but failed. Soon after, following the princess’s wish to choose a husband based on character rather than reputation, a public notice reading “Seeking a Husband for Princess Yuzuki” was posted.

The Thief of Moonlight Castle

1948

Ambassador Ramen poster
9.0

Frankie Sakai plays a Chino-Japanese man who after trudging along in odd jobs discovers his true talent in making excellent, tasty and somewhat spicy ramen. As well as friendship and love, too...

Ambassador Ramen

1967

No artwork available
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Unmei no koyomi

1948

Good-Bye! poster
8.0

No synopsis available yet.

Good-Bye!

1949