Kōji Shima

Directing

Kōji Shima

Born — Died

1901-02-16 — 1986-09-10

Place of birth

Nagasaki, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan

Known for

Directing

Credits

50 titles

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 …

Known for

Film credits

1920s · 5 titles

Behind the camera

Tokai toiu minato poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Tokai toiu minato

1958

My Son's Revolt poster
NR

A coming-of-age film.

My Son's Revolt

1958

Escape from Temptation poster
NR

A young man who is ostracized by society because his older brother has a criminal record—a situation that even threatens his marriage—is on the verge of falling into a life of crime. To protect him, the older brother takes up a gun once again.

Escape from Temptation

1957

Woman of Fire poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Woman of Fire

1954

Shōbushi to sono musume poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Shōbushi to sono musume

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

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

Zoku bakurō ichidai poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Zoku bakurō ichidai

1952

The Makioka Sisters poster
8.5

Based on the famous novel by Junichiro Tanizaki, this is a story of the four sisters of the ancient and reputable Makioka family of Osaka.

The Makioka Sisters

1959

Miss Teacher poster
NR

As she takes a position as a gym teacher at a girls’ school as a form of “life training” before marriage, what awaits her is… A coming-of-age story of laughter and tears that unfolds at this all-girls’ school, revolving around a rookie teacher.

Miss Teacher

1955

Koshō musuko poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Koshō musuko

1953

Koshō musuko poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Koshō musuko

1953

A Woman's Skin poster
NR

Set in the midst of the Satsuma Rebellion, this story depicts the sadness of a woman’s heart. Though she hates the Imperial Army captain who violated her, she cannot bring herself to hate him completely.

A Woman's Skin

1957

Made in Japan poster
NR

A love affair between a beautiful fashion designer returning from France and a naïve young judo player against the backdrop of Japan in the early post-war period, where new customs and old traditions mix.

Made in Japan

1953

No artwork available
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Unmei no koyomi

1948

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

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

Good-Bye! poster
8.0

No synopsis available yet.

Good-Bye!

1949

No artwork available
NR

A war propaganda film centered on the mobilization of student soldiers.

Twelve Hours Before Departure

1943

Musume no boken poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Musume no boken

1958

Asakusa monogatari poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Asakusa monogatari

1953

New Tale of Genji: Shizuka and Yoshitsune poster
NR

1956 Daiei movie

New Tale of Genji: Shizuka and Yoshitsune

1956

The Golden Demon poster
9.0

Tokyo, 1890. Through avarice, a series of misunderstandings, and failures of courage, the engagement of Kan-ichi (a student) and Miya (the daughter of Kan-ichi's debtor) is canceled to enable Miya to marry Tomiyama, a wealthy banker's son. In bitter despair, Kan-ichi breaks with his friends, drops his studies, and declares he has ceased to be human. He apprentices to a money-lender, and he's soon ruthless and wealthy. Several years later, Miya's in misery, her husband mistreats her. She goes to Kan-ichi to beg forgiveness; he pushes her away. He's now pursued by Akagashi, herself a cold-hearted loan shark. Can anything free Kan-ichi's hard heart from the golden demon

The Golden Demon

1954

The Golden Demon poster
9.0

Tokyo, 1890. Through avarice, a series of misunderstandings, and failures of courage, the engagement of Kan-ichi (a student) and Miya (the daughter of Kan-ichi's debtor) is canceled to enable Miya to marry Tomiyama, a wealthy banker's son. In bitter despair, Kan-ichi breaks with his friends, drops his studies, and declares he has ceased to be human. He apprentices to a money-lender, and he's soon ruthless and wealthy. Several years later, Miya's in misery, her husband mistreats her. She goes to Kan-ichi to beg forgiveness; he pushes her away. He's now pursued by Akagashi, herself a cold-hearted loan shark. Can anything free Kan-ichi's hard heart from the golden demon

The Golden Demon

1954

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

Hibari no komoriuta poster
6.0

Hibari no komoriuta (ひばりの子守唄, literally "Hibari's Lullaby") is a 1951 black-and-white Japanese film directed by Koji Shima. The movie is based on Das doppelte Lottchen, a novel later adapted as The Parent Trap.

Hibari no komoriuta

1951

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

The Beloved Image poster
8.0

A girl marries her elderly employer but in reality is in love with his son.

The Beloved Image

1960

The Beloved Image poster
8.0

A girl marries her elderly employer but in reality is in love with his son.

The Beloved Image

1960

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

The Grave Tells All poster
NR

Yamazaki Ryotaro is an Olympics' athlete and an asset. He accepts two jobs and responsibilities that are thrust upon him. One involves a a painting and an advertising poster. The other is about coaching the hockey team. Simultaneously, however, he is head over heels for three gals, one is a hairdresser, one is a fashion model and of course the third is part of the cheering squad for the hockey team.

The Grave Tells All

1960

Anchin and Kiyohime poster
4.8

Princess Kiyo accidentally injures a local priest, Anchin, while on a hunt. She apologizes, but feels irritated by Anchin’s indifference to her in spite of her beauty. One night, while Anchin is recuperating in a hot spring, he is approached by Kiyo. She tells him that she is in love with him.

Anchin and Kiyohime

1960

A Geisha on Horseback poster
7.0

Based on the original work of Akutagawa Prize-winning writer Ashihei Hino, the film depicts the love of the proud geisha Nobukichi Hakata in the early Taisho era.

A Geisha on Horseback

1954

A Geisha on Horseback poster
7.0

Based on the original work of Akutagawa Prize-winning writer Ashihei Hino, the film depicts the love of the proud geisha Nobukichi Hakata in the early Taisho era.

A Geisha on Horseback

1954

Teinen Taishoku poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Teinen Taishoku

1963

The Pit of Death poster
9.0

Kuramoto, who works for a large trading company, is a skilled employee who is well-liked by the company president. He is engaged to an employee named Nishino Etsuko, but he used her for his own career advancement and kills her so that he can marry the company president's daughter. When Kuramoto returns from his honeymoon with his new wife, Etsuko's brother shows up in search of the whereabouts of his missing sister.

The Pit of Death

1968

Autumn Interlude poster
NR

A young woman (Kuga), recuperating at a sanitarium in Karuizawa, falls in love with a young student (Ishihama) but returns to Tokyo to be with her father (Yamamura).

Autumn Interlude

1954

The Tale of Jiro poster
9.0

No synopsis available yet.

The Tale of Jiro

1941