Akira Ifukube

Godzilla Fest 5: Great Monster Battle (2024)

A continuation of "Godzilla Fest 4: Operation Jet Jaguar", it's Godzilla and Jet Jaguar vs. a new King Ghidorah! ...

Godzilla: Attack on Tokyo (2024)

Godzilla attacks the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, smashing a massive hole in the structure, but is intercepted by a modified Super X2 developed in secret by the Tokyo government. ...

Godzilla Minus One (2023)

In postwar Japan, Godzilla brings new devastation to an already scorched landscape. With no military intervention or government help in sight, the survivors must join together in the face of despair and fight back against an unrelenting horror. ...

Godzilla vs. Megalon (2023)

Godzilla and Megalon battle each other in Japan. ...

Fesu Gojira 3: Gaigan Raishū (2022)

Some time after Godzilla's battle with Hedorah, a new threat emerges. Gigan, a cyborg dinosaur from the outer space, confronts Godzilla while trying to invade the Earth. ...

Godzilla vs. Gigan Rex (2022)

When army of Gigans tries to invade and destroy the Earth, the only one who can stop them is Godzilla. ...

Godzilla vs. Hedorah (2021)

A short sequel to Godzilla Appears at Godzilla Fest, released on G-Fest 2021 and dedicated to the 50th anniversary of original Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971). ...

Godzilla Appears at Godzilla Fest (2020)

A short film made exclusively for Toho's Online Godzilla Fest 2020. Godzilla rampages through the city before approaching a reporter standing in the street. ...

Shin Godzilla (2016)

When a massive, gilled monster emerges from the deep and tears through the city, the government scrambles to save its citizens. A rag-tag team of volunteers cuts through a web of red tape to uncover the monster's weakness and its mysterious ties to a fore ...

Geharha: The Dark and Long-Haired Monster (2009)

A fishing boat is attacked at sea by a gigantic, hairy monster. After examining the sole survivor (Kanji Tsuda), scientific adviser Dr Murakami (Shiro Sano) suspects the culprit is a "Keukegen spectre", a shaggy supernatural beast from Japanese folklore. T ...

Genius Party Beyond (2008)

Five stories, five maestros, five styles and one common denominator: maximum creativity. Studio 4°C, the coolest label on the planet, invites us for the second time to an exclusive reunion of a talents with a group film, full of freedom and ingenuity, tha ...

Gala (2008)

Depicted in a mostly playful manner, a gagaku-fantasy as never ever seen before! ...

Always: Sunset on Third Street 2 (2007)

A year has passed in postwar Tokyo, and struggling writer Chagawa enters the Akutagawa Prize competition in hopes of securing a better future for the boy in his care, while the Suzuki family unexpectedly take in a new relative who looks down on their humbl ...

Tetsujin 28: Morning Moon of Midday (2007)

Japan, ten years after World War II. Boy detective Shotaro solves mysteries and fights crime with the help of Tetsujin 28, the 50-foot tall giant robot left for him by his late genius father. But one day he's shocked to learn that his father also adopted a ...

Godzilla: Final Wars (2004)

Humanity finally rids themselves of Godzilla, imprisoning him in an icy tomb in the South Pole. All is peaceful until various monsters emerge to lay waste to Earth's cities. Overwhelmed, humanity is seemingly saved by a race of benevolent aliens known as X ...

Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001)

Godzilla has become a distant memory for Japan when the destruction of a US submarine raises alarms for Admiral Tachibana. His estranged daughter Yuri investigates the legend of the guardian monsters, who must rise to protect Japan against the vengeful spi ...

Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (2000)

In an alternate timeline the original Godzilla is never defeated and repeatedly reemerges to feed on Japan's energy sources. A new inter-dimensional weapon called the Dimension Tide is created with the intent of eliminating Godzilla. However, the new weapo ...

Godzilla 2000: Millennium (1999)

An independent group of researchers called the Godzilla Prediction Network (GPN) actively track Godzilla as he makes landfall in Nemuro. Matters are further complicated when a giant meteor is discovered in the Ibaragi Prefecture. The mysterious rock begin ...

Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995)

A burning Godzilla, on the verge of meltdown, emerges to lay siege to Hong Kong. At the same time horrifying new organisms are discovered in Japan. These crustacean-like beings are seemingly born of the Oxygen Destroyer, the weapon that killed the original ...

Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla (1994)

A mysterious extraterrestrial being resembling Godzilla rapidly approaches Earth. The monster, dubbed SpaceGodzilla, lands to challenge the King of the Monsters. ...

Monster Planet of Godzilla (1994)

A former 3D theme park attraction at Sanrio Puroland. A spaceship called Earth is dispatched to investigate the disappearance of its counterpart on a monster-filled planet beyond our Solar System. Once there, it quickly spots the downed craft, and is prom ...

Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II (1993)

The U.N.G.C.C. (United Nations Godzilla Countermeasure Center) recovers the remains of Mecha-King Ghidorah and construct Mechagodzilla as a countermeasure against Godzilla. Meanwhile, a giant egg is discovered along with a new monster called Rodan. The egg ...

Godzilla vs. Mothra (1992)

Mothra's dark counterpart, Battra, emerges to eliminate humanity on behalf of the Earth. Two tiny fairies called the Cosmos offer their help by calling Mothra to battle the creature. Unfortunately a meteorite has awoken a hibernating Godzilla as a three wa ...

Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991)

The Futurians, time-travelers from the 23rd century, arrive in Japan to warn them of the nation's destruction under Godzilla. They offer to help erase Godzilla from history by preventing his creation. With Godzilla seemingly gone, a new monster emerges as ...

Dozoku no ranjo (1991)

A documentary surrounding the ties between Japan and the Korean peninsula, particularly folk rituals of the aforementioned region. Reportedly is the first film acclaimed composer Akira Ifukube wrote for after his hiatus from scoring. ...

Toho Unused Special Effects Complete Collection (1986)

A collection of deleted scenes and bloopers from the library of Toho Studios films, including several films from the famous Godzilla franchise. ...

Sayonara Jupiter (1984)

In the 22nd century, scientists from an energy-depleted Earth research new fuel sources in the far corners of the solar system, where they discover an ancient alien race from Jupiter as well as the emergence of an apocalyptically dangerous black hole. Koji ...

Godzilla Fantasia (1984)

Akira Ifukube has arranged music from his fantastic films into a three-movement symphony, presented here with scenes from the films the music was originally written for. The second half features Makoto Inoue's synthesizer arrangements of Ifukube's music. I ...

Wolfman vs. Godzilla (1983)

A high production fan film directed and produced by Shizuo Nakajima and several former Toho filmmakers in 1983. Principal photography on Wolfman vs. Godzilla began in 1983 and concluded in the mid 1980's. Post-production ("editing, sound design, and visual ...

Love and Faith (1978)

Sen Rikyu is a ceremonial tea master who advises warlord Hideyoshi in sixteenth-century feudal Japan. His daughter, the beautiful Lady Ogin, has an unrequited love for Lord Ukon, who has angered Hideyoshi by becoming a Christian convert. Ogin's father Riky ...

Godzilla (1977)

A re-edited Italian-language dubbed version of the original Godzilla, using as a basis the U.S. version, "Godzilla, King of the Monsters!" (1956), plus WWII newsreel footage and clips from other science fiction films. The re-edited film was then colorized ...

Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975)

A submarine expedition to salvage the remains of Mechagodzilla is thwarted by a massive dinosaur named Titanosaurus. An Interpol investigation leads biologist Ichinose to uncover the work of Dr. Mafune and his mysterious daughter Katsura. Aligned with the ...

Sandakan No. 8 (1974)

A young journalist interviews an elderly woman about being forced into prostitution in Borneo at a brothel called Sandakan No. 8. ...

The Last Samurai (1974)

The film follows the story of Sugi Toranosuke, a ronin, who returns to his home town of Edo many years after his attempted suicide as a sickly child. Rescued and adopted by a master swordsman, he has grown into a master swordsman and a very kind gentleman. ...

The Human Revolution (1973)

Zatoichi's Conspiracy (1973)

Zatoichi, the famed blind swordsman, returns to his home village for the first time in many years. He is befriended by Omiyo, who had the same wet-nurse as Zatoichi. He also encounters a boyhood friend, Shinbei, who is now wealthy and appears not to rememb ...

Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972)

Manga artist Gengo Odaka lands a job with the World Children's Land amusement park only to become suspicious of the organization when a garbled message is discovered on tapes. As Gengo and his team investigate, Godzilla and Anguirus quickly decipher the me ...

Wolfman vs. Baragon (1972)

Wolfman instantly appears from behind some trees where he is reputedly abused by armed Japanese army tanks, he allegedly flees and later battles Baragon at a burning construction site. ...

Will to Conquer (1970)

The struggles of a low-ranking samurai (Nakamura) coming to terms with the end of the Tokugawa shogunate and the end of Japan's feudal age with the 1868 Restoration. ...

Space Amoeba (1970)

When a space probe crash-lands on a far-flung Pacific atoll, the craft's alien stowaways decide to take over their new world one creature at a time. Soon, the parasitic life forms latch onto three indigenous critters -- a squid, a crab and a snapping turtl ...

Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo (1970)

Zatoichi treks to a village that has always been a favorite spot of his, only to discover that it's become a living hell, plagued by feuding father and son yakuza as well as the younger crime boss's bodyguard, scruffy, smart-mouthed, cash-hungry Yojimbo of ...

Latitude Zero (1969)

A massive underwater volcano erupts and puts a group of investigative scientists in danger. They are rescued by an atomic super submarine named The Alpha under the command of Captain McKenzie. The group is quickly taken to a vast underwater city known as L ...

Devil's Temple (1969)

An abandoned temple in the mountains outside of the old capital city of Kyoto is the scene of a fated meeting between a traveling priest, two women, and a vicious killer. Bloody violence erupts whenever strangers approach the temple. Can the traveling prie ...

Young Challengers (1968)

A story depicting the challenges faced by today's youth in working to build a better tomorrow, based on the theme of Toshiba's progress as one of Japan's leading manufacturers of electronic and electric goods. ...

Destroy All Monsters (1968)

At the turn of the century, all of the Earth's monsters have been rounded up and kept safely on Monsterland. Chaos erupts when a race of she-aliens known as the Kilaaks unleash the monsters across the world. ...

Kawachi fūten zoku (1968)

1968 film ...

The Snow Woman (1968)

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. ...

Zatoichi Challenged (1967)

Ichi is staying at an inn when a woman dies. Her dying wish is that Ichi take her son to his father, an artist living in a nearby town. After arriving in the town, Ichi finds out that the father has been forced by a local boss to create illegal pornography ...

Eleven Samurai (1967)

The lord of the Oshi fief is killed by his trespassing neighbour, the cruel and despotic Nariatsu, son of the former Shogun. After an investigation, the Oshi clan is blamed for what happened and sentenced to be disbanded. Eleven of the best samurai of the ...

King Kong Escapes (1967)

An adaptation of the Rankin/Bass cartoon, "The King Kong Show". King Kong is brought in by the evil Dr. Who to dig for Element X in a mine when the robot Mechani-Kong is unable to do the task. This leads to the machine and the real Kong engaging in a treme ...

Sleepy Eyes of Death 8: Sword of Villainy (1966)

Nemuri Kyoshiro discovers a conspiracy centering around a band of disgruntled samurai wanting to avenge the death of their sensei, a political reformer that pushed for better provisions for the lower classes until he was assassinated by Shogunate agents. T ...

A Thousand Suspects (1966)

Suspense film based on Ryuji Hori's non-fiction book about the kidnapping and murder of 4-year-old Yoshinobu Murakoshi in 1963. ...

Return of Giant Majin (1966)

The tyrannical Lord Danjo Mikoshiba covets the rich, fertile lands surrounding Lake Yakumo. During a memorial ceremony for the late Chigusa lord, Mikoshiba launches an attack, overthrowing the honorable Lord Juro. Just when all seems lost, Daimajin rises f ...

The War of the Gargantuas (1966)

Gaira, a humanoid sea beast spawned from the discarded cells of Frankenstein's monster, attacks the shores of Tokyo. While the Japanese military prepares to take action, Gaira's Gargantua brother, Sanda, descends from the mountains to defend his kin. A bat ...

The Betrayal (1966)

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 understandin ...

Zatoichi's Vengeance (1966)

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 bli ...

Adventure in Kigan Castle (1966)

Osami, a soldier-of-fortune from Japan, joins with priest Ensai in a quest for the ashes of the great Buddha. Their journey takes them to a kingdom in the Middle East, where they find intrigue and romance in the court of an evil king. ...

Daimajin (1966)

A giant stone statue comes to life to protect the residents of a small town against the depradations of an evil warlord. ...

Sleepy Eyes of Death 7: The Mask of the Princess (1966)

The masked daughter of the Shogun wants to kill a samurai who has seen her scarred face. She sends waves of ninja warriors to kill the samurai and plots diabolical schemes / ambushes without much success. ...

Zatoichi and the Chess Expert (1965)

Zatoichi makes friends with a dangerous chess player, while fending off angry yakuza and bloodthirsty relatives out for revenge, and trying to save a sick child. Meanwhile, his luck with dice is turning. ...

Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965)

Astronauts Glenn and Fuji investigate Planet X and encounter mysterious aliens known as the Xiliens, who ask Earth's people to help save their world from "Monster Zero". In exchange for borrowing Godzilla and Rodan, the Xiliens offer a cure for cancer. As ...

Frankenstein Conquers the World (1965)

During WWII, Germans obtain the immortal heart of Frankenstein's monster and transport it to Japan to prevent it being seized by the Allies. Kept in a Hiroshima laboratory, it is seeming lost when the United States destroys the city with the atomic bomb. Y ...

Life of Matsu the Untamed (1965)

A poor rickshaw driver finds himself helping a young woman and her son after the woman's husband dies suddenly. ...

A Chain of Islands (1965)

When a US army sergeant is found drowned in Tokyo Bay, an investigation is launched to determine how and why he lost his life. The investigation uncovers a black market scheme involving counterfeit money, murder, and conspiracy. ...

Zatoichi's Revenge (1965)

Itinerant masseur and master swordsman, the blind Zatoichi, is near the village of his teacher, Hikonoichi, so he decides to visit. He learns of Hikonoichi's recent robbery and murder and the imprisonment of his virginal daughter, Osayo, in a brothel. Thro ...

Lord Tokugawa Ieyasu (1965)

In turbulent 16th-century Japan, the leaders of a minor fief have their child taken from them as a political hostage. His mother and his clan endure years of tribulations until he can return. ...

Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964)

After a meteorite unleashes a three-headed beast upon Tokyo, Mothra tries to unite with Godzilla and Rodan to battle the extraterrestrial threat. ...

Kojiki taishō (1964)

Fight, Zatoichi, Fight (1964)

Blind swordsman/masseuse Zatoichi befriends a young woman returning home with her baby. When gangsters mistake her for Zatoichi and kill her, Zatoichi determines to escort the baby to its father. He gains the reluctant help of a young pick pocket and toget ...

The Life of a Chivalrous Man in Suruga: Broken Swords (1964)

The second film in the "Suruga yukyoden" series, in which Shintaro Katsu plays Jirocho Shimizu. The film features Omasa, Komasa, Ocho, who will become Jirocho's wife, as well as other members of his future family. There is a particularly great swordfight n ...

Dogora (1964)

A floating amorphous life-form descends from the atmosphere to consume carbon in the form of diamonds. ...

Shinobi no Mono 4: Siege (1964)

[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 w ...

Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964)

Journalists Ichiro Sakai and Junko cover the wreckage of a typhoon when an enormous egg is found and claimed by greedy entrepreneurs. Mothra's fairies arrive and are aided by the journalists in a plea for its return. As their requests are denied, Godzilla ...

The Long Death (1964)

On January 26, 1948, a robbery of the Teigin bank took place in Tokyo - the criminal poisoned the bank employees and fled the scene with a large amount of money. In parallel with the investigation conducted by the Japanese police, journalists are also tryi ...

Whirlwind (1964)

Set at the end of the Siege of Osaka this film follows the exploits of several members of the defeated Toyotomi clan as they cope with the post battle chaos and the persecution of the Shogun's army. Five samurai decide on different fates when it becomes c ...

Atragon (1963)

The legendary empire of the lost continent of Mu reappears to threaten the world with domination. While countries unite to resist, an isolated World War II Captain has created the greatest warship ever seen, and possibly the surface world's only defense. ...

13 Assassins (1963)

A sadistic Daimyo (feudal lord) rapes a woman and murders both her and her husband, but even when one of his own vassals commits suicide to bring attention to the crime, the matter is quickly hushed up. Not only will there be no punishment, but because the ...

Zatoichi on the Road (1963)

Zatoichi is sworn to protect the life of a young girl and without any real allies finds himself in the middle of a bloody turf war. ...

Bronze Magician (1963)

A story loosely based on the affair between Empress Kōken-Shōtoku and the monk Dōkyō, set during the Nara period (710–794 A.D.). ...

Zatoichi the Fugitive (1963)

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 k ...

King Kong vs. Godzilla (1963)

When an underhanded pharmaceutical company goes to a remote tropical island to steal King Kong for advertising purposes, they get more than they bargained for when the gigantic ape attacks an unsuspecting village and an enormous octopus. ...

A Samurai Never Tells a Lie (1963)

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 t ...

Tragedy of the Coolie Samurai (1963)

Gonza was a handsome young laborer, a footman and spear-carrier, working hard for his meager wage. All Gonza wanted was to marry his young sweetheart, but despite their mutual poverty, her status as the daughter of a samurai blocked their path to happiness ...

The Little Prince and the Eight-Headed Dragon (1963)

In this influential cult-classic animated film based on Japanese folklore, Susano is the youngest son of Izanagi and Izanami, the heavenly couple who created the Earth. Still a young boy, Susano is devastated by the passing away of his mother. Determined t ...

New Tale of Zatoichi (1963)

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. ...

Varan the Unbelievable (1962)

In an effort to find an economic means of purifying salt water, a joint U.S.-Japanese military command is set up on an isolated Japanese island where an unusual salt water lake is situated. However, their purifying experiments arouse the prehistoric monste ...

The King (1962)

The film takes place at the junction of the two eras of Meiji and Taisho. Sakata Sankichi, an uneducated zori sandal maker, becomes a professional shogi player through his genius shogi skills and lives a fanatically devoted shogi game supported by the love ...

Chûshingura (1962)

After their lord is tricked into committing ritual suicide, forty-seven samurai warriors await the chance to avenge their master and reclaim their honor. ...

The Great Wall (1962)

In 221 BC, Qin Shihuangdi conquered the rest of China. Qin's great accomplishments and also his serious faults are showed in this film. Qin adopted autocratic dictatorship and led a luxurious life: abolition of feudalism and the centralization of power in ...

King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)

The advertising director of Pacific Pharmaceuticals, frustrated with the low ratings of their sponsored TV program, seeks a more sensationalist approach. He orders his staff to Faro Island to capture King Kong for exploitation. As Godzilla re-emerges, a me ...

The Whale God (1962)

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

A Carpenter and Children (1962)

A carpenter, Shigetsugu, learns a lesson of love and humanity from five orphaned children and an affectionate woman named Oritsu. It's a winning combination of drama and humor. The warm friendship that grows between the carpenter, the woman and the childr ...

The Tale of Zatoichi (1962)

The 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. ...

Her Hidden Past (1962)

Adaptation of a famous Kyouka Izumi novel. Set in the early 1900's, it tells the story of the impossible love between a young scholar a beautiful geisha. ...

Different Sons (1961)

In the middle of the period of high economic growth in Japan, a family is thrown into disarray over work, money, and romance. Their father's sudden unemployment later in life causes friction among the siblings of the Akagi family. Kensuke, a salaryman at a ...

The Conspirator (1961)

Young lord Saburo Nobuyasu struggles to find comfort in life. His arranged marriage to Tokuhime, daughter of one-time family enemy Oda Nobunaga, provides little happiness. His manipulative mother adds further complications through her constant interference ...

Buddha (1961)

An Indian prince leaves his world of comfort and riches behind to wander and meditate for six years in search of spiritual enlightenment. Siddartha (Cojoin Hong) turns his back on the old religion when people are starving needlessly and holy rituals includ ...

Miyamoto Musashi (1961)

In this first episode, we are introduced to Takezo, what Musashi used to be before he became the man of legend. His beginning are not exactly auspicious. He sides with the Toyotomi at Sekigahara, and as a result finds himself on the losing side of the hist ...

Daredevil in the Castle (1961)

During the raging war between the Toyotomi and Tokugawa clans, the swordsman Mohei (whose family has been completely decimated) is recruited by Toyotomi to overcome the seat of power, Osaka Castle. Mohei's daredevil skills will be put to severe tests. ...

Lord Tadanao (1960)

Castle of Flames (1960)

In 17th century Japan, Young Lord Masato returns after years abroad to find everything changed: his peace-loving father has died in what he soon finds to be mysterious circumstances, and his mother's married to his uncle, whose ruthless ambition is causing ...

Shinran, Part II (1960)

Continuation of the biographical film about the monk Shinran, based on the novel by Eiji Yoshikawa. Shinran, born of the fading aristocratic class, was placed in a monastary on Mount Hiei when still a child. He did not come down for twenty years, when his ...

Scars of Honor (1960)

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. ...

Shinran (1960)

A biographical movie about Shinran ...

Battle in Outer Space (1959)

In 1965, the space station JSS-3 is destroyed by a fleet of UFOs, which then begin a global siege on Earth, using rays to manipulate gravity and control the minds of men. In response, a global council meeting is held to determine the source of the attacks ...

The Three Treasures (1959)

The legend of the birth of Shintoism. In Fourth Century Japan, the Emperor's son Ouso expects to succeed his father on the throne, but Otomo, the Emperor's vassal, prefers Ouso's stepbrother, and conspires to have Ouso die on a dangerous mission he has con ...

A Killed Stewardess: White or Black (1959)

Break Down that Wall (1959)

A man is wrongfully accused of murder. ...

Samurai Saga (1959)

Edmund Rostand's play Cyrano de Bergerac, transplanted to Japan. A poet-warrior with an oversized nose (matched only by his great heart) loves a lady. But she sees him only as a friend, so he helps another man to woo her by giving him the poetry of his own ...

The Woman and the Pirate (1959)

In the early Edo period, among the pirate ships that roamed the seas near Ryukyu and Korea, there was a ship called the Sueyoshi, led by a man known as Misaki Shogoro, who was infamous for his devilish cruelty. Shogoro had a rule: he would kill all the men ...

A Whistle in My Heart (1959)

The story is about the social problems faced by Japan's indigenous Ainu, mostly centered on the reactions of the characters to their oppressed state. ...

The Big Boss (1959)

Ryuta and Mineo Komatsu are brothers, both yakuza (gangsters). Mineo, although complicit in crime, even murder, wants out of the gangster life, hoping to become a successful singer instead. Ryuta loves his brother, but Mineo's possible defection presents p ...

Varan (1958)

When a rare species of butterfly is found in a mysterious valley in Japan, a pair of entomologists go to investigate and find more. They discover Varan, a giant monster, who decides to leave the valley and head straight for Tokyo. ...

Beyond the Seasonal Wind (1958)

Japanese drama film. ...

Night Drum (1958)

Following a yearlong attendance upon his shogun in Edo, samurai Hikokuro makes a long-awaited return to his home and doting wife, Dane. Initially greeted by the effusive welcome of his family, spiteful whispers also reach his ear about an adulterous affair ...

The Precipice (1958)

Kosaka drops to death while ice climbing with his friend Uozu to see the sunrise on the New Year's Day. The investigators try to find the cause of the death, then discover that the cut rope was made in the factory for which Uozu's brother works. ...

A Bridge for Two Alone (1958)

Sorrow Is Only for Women (1958)

The beauty of the Japanese family system is portrayed through the women who greet a woman who went to America thirty years ago to visit her grave. ...

Yagyu Secret Scrolls: Ninjitsu - Part II (1958)

In the Tokugawa Era, the clan of Lord Yagyu has hidden away three scrolls containing clan secrets which, if revealed, would cause revolution and disaster for the clan. The information is divided among the three scrolls, all of which must be possessed for t ...

The Mysterians (1957)

In Japan, scientifically advanced invaders from the war-destroyed planet Mysteroid cause an entire village to vanish, then send a giant robot out to storm the city by night, after which they request a small patch of land on Earth and the right to marry ear ...

On This Earth (1957)

Ichiro's family used to be a large landowner, but now he is living in poverty with his mother. His mother works hard to get her son through school. Under such circumstances, Ichiro meets Wakako, the daughter of a wealthy man, and they fall in love with eac ...

Rodan! The Flying Monster! (1957)

US dubbed and edited version of the Japanese film Rodan. A mining engineer investigates the death of his fellow co-workers and discovers prehistoric dragonfly nymphs emerging from the mines. As he heads deeper into the mines, he makes a more horrifying dis ...

Down Town (1957)

A woman struggles to raise her young son on her own in postwar Japan, finding companionship with a kind laborer while still hoping for the return of her missing husband. ...

Roar and Earth (1957)

Roar and Earth ...

Harbor Rats (1957)

A scrap iron carrier arrived at Tokyo bay. The ship swarmed with the stevedores, the souvenir seller and the hookers. The crews of ship were oppressed by arrogant captain and his officers. The crews caused an uprising. A manager of stevedore ordered his em ...

Who's the Real Killer (1957)

Film about a car dealer who gets into financial trouble. ...

Jigoku bana (1957)

Period drama based on the novel by Saisei Murō. ...

Yagyu Secret Scrolls (1957)

In the Tokugawa Era, the clan of Lord Yagyu has hidden away three scrolls containing clan secrets which, if revealed, would cause revolution and disaster for the clan. The information is divided among the three scrolls, all of which must be possessed for t ...

Godzilla, the Monster of the Pacific Ocean (1957)

Obscure French version of the original Godzilla. The film combines elements of the original Toho version and the American King of the Monsters! in a unique assemblage exclusive to the Francophone market. Released by Les Films du Verseau. ...

An Osaka Story (1957)

A poor peasant, after years of scraping, becomes a rich and powerful Osaka merchant. Mizoguchi Kenji's final project; he died before completing it and directing duties turned over to Yoshimura Kozaburo. ...

Rodan (1956)

Mining engineer Shigeru investigates the disappearance and death of his fellow coworkers when prehistoric nymphs are discovered emerging from the mines. After an attack on the local village, Shigeru heads deeper into the mines only to make a more horrifyin ...

Actress (1956)

Based on Kakuko Mori's autobiography, about her life and retirement from acting due to her increasing blindness. ...

Sound in the Mist (1956)

In the heart of the Japanese Alps, in Kamikochi, Nagano Prefecture, botany professor Kazuhiko Onuma spends time with Tsuruko, his lover. One night, Kazuhiko's wife Kazuyo comes to see them and confronts the professor about his extramarital affair, and Tsur ...

Will-o'-the-Wisp (1956)

Ryûri no kishi (1956)

Ryûri no kishi ...

Godzilla, King of the Monsters! (1956)

During an assignment, foreign correspondent Steve Martin spends a layover in Tokyo and is caught amid the rampage of an unstoppable prehistoric monster the Japanese call 'Godzilla'. The only hope for both Japan and the world lies on a secret weapon, which ...

Darkness at Noon (1956)

Police beat a murder confession out of four innocent men who are then sentenced to death. Based on a true story. ...

Love is Lost (1956)

Based on the novel by Torahiko Tamiya. ...

Rainy Night Duel (1956)

Masahiko Koseki, a judo master, gets in several fights as a result of protecting a young woman. Despite his success, Koseki is expelled from his judo school because of his propensity for street fighting. He goes to work for a gangster named Joji, but when ...

The Burmese Harp (1956)

In Burma during the closing days of WWII, a Japanese soldier separated from his unit disguises himself as a Buddhist monk to escape imprisonment as a POW. ...

Policeman's Diary, Part 2 (1955)

From runaway brides to a typhoon, the continued adventures of Ushikata police station. ...

Brooba (1955)

Japanese Tarzan ...

The Beauty and the Dragon (1955)

​A powerful priest uses his magical abilities to imprison the rain gods within a waterfall, causing a devastating drought. The imperial court sends a princess to his remote mountain retreat to seduce him and break his spiritual concentration. ...

Typhoon's Eye (1955)

1955 short film ...

Three Faces (1955)

Five years have passed since the three comrades who saved their lives on the Burma Campaign-Kenichiro Kishi, Eiji Shiga, and Daizo Kobayashi promised to meet again five years later at the platform of Shinagawa Station, which was crowded with repatriates. , ...

The Wolves (1955)

A group of five rookie insurance salespersons, driven to desperation by the impossibility of their work in Japan's failing postwar economy, form a plan to rob a cash delivery truck in order to provide for their families. ...

The Maid's Kid (1955)

In order to pay back Mrs. Kajiki for her good deed in the past, Hatsu moves from her village in Akita to Tokyo to start working as a maid for her family. She grows close to their youngest son Katsumi, experiencing things that will change her view on life. ...

Women of Ginza (1955)

At Shizumoto, a geisha shop not far from Ginza, a group of geisha are going about their day, putting up a modest resistance to the tragedies of life. The proprietress, Ikuyo, is a ridiculously good-natured woman who gives money to a poor but brilliant youn ...

Life of Geisha (1955)

The tragedy of the geiko girl Ume and the men who try to pursue her. ...

Godzilla (1954)

Japan is thrown into a panic after several ships are sunk near Odo Island. An expedition to the island led by Dr. Kyohei Yamane soon discover something far more devastating than imagined in the form of a 50 meter tall monster whom the natives call Gojira. ...

Turbid Youth (1954)

Shigeki Kachi, Tosuke Satomura, and Nanako, who belong to the theater company Vuanbert around Dosa, withdrew at the indignation of the chairman Hayashi and seeked their own careers in the film industry. ...

Jinsei Gekijo Yokubo hen: sanshu kirako (1954)

1954 Theater of Life adaptation. ...

Ditch (1954)

Postwar Tokyo. Pin and Toku live in the squatter area of Kappanuma. Pin and Toku are avid gamblers. They take in Tsuru, a slightly demented woman who has run away from a geisha house. ...

Cape Ashizuri (1954)

Among Yoshimura's complex and political works, this episodic film, set in the early 1930s, follows the life of a young left-wing student activist disenchanted by the increasingly hawkish state of Japanese society. ...

A Samurai's Love (1954)

A film about the Ghost of Okiku that's based on the kabuki play Bancho Sarayashiki. ...

Onna no issho (1953)

Based on "Une vie" by Guy de Maupassant ...

Before Dawn (1953)

Hiroshima (1953)

Historical fiction about the aftermath of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan, on 6 August 1945, and its effects on various civilians, especially children, of that city. ...

The Cannery Boat (1953)

Describes the oppressed life of the crab fishermen and their final revolt which is bloodily suppressed by the Royal Navy. ...

White Fish (1953)

A family comprised of a man, woman and their only son is torn apart when the father, who is a doctor with his own clinic, is to go off to war. Soon the wife and the son are left without an update of his status and whether he is alive or not. With the clini ...

Anatahan (1953)

From June 1944, twelve Japanese seamen are stranded for seven years on an abandoned and forgotten island called Anatahan. ...

Aijô ni tsuite (1953)

Michiko Asakura was married to the eldest son of the Sakuma family, an unsealed family in Shinshu, but died from her husband and returned to her parents' house in Tokyo with her five-year-old daughter Yoshiko. ...

Yokubo (1953)

Nobuko Otowa won the Blue Ribbon for the Best Actress for this movie among others. ...

Miniature (1953)

Ginko, a poor cobbler's daughter, becomes a geisha to support her family. She passes from one geisha house to the next, trying to find love and hope in the process. No matter how hard she tries, she just can't escape her sad fate. ...

Murahachibu (1953)

A villager's family is ostracized after he makes an accusation of rigged elections ...

Reminiscence (1953)

Kazuo Miyagawa's prizewinning black-and-white cinematography draws out the moral shadings of Nobel laureate Yasunari Kawabata's 1952 novel Thousand Cranes, a quietly devastating story of a young man, orphaned during the war, who stumbles into a passionate ...

Swift Current (1952)

The film follows a young civil engineer, played by Toshiro Mifune, who is assigned to the Tase Dam construction site in what is now Hanamaki City, Iwate Prefecture, and the human relationships involved in building the dam. A masterpiece by director Senkich ...

Violence (1952)

Children of Hiroshima (1952)

Shows the devastation caused by the atomic bomb, and by use of a fictional storyline, portrays the struggle of the ordinary Japanese people in dealing with the aftermath. ...

Shi no machi wo nogarete (1952)

Group of women escape Chinese controlled area for Japanese occupied lands during Pacific War. ...

Sisters of Nishijin (1952)

A family of Kyoto textile workers struggles after tragedy. ...

The Tale of Genji (1951)

Genji, the illegitimate offspring of a Japanese potentate, goes by the philosophy of "love 'em and leave 'em" as a matter of course. Only when his heart is broken by Awaji does Genji realizes how much pain he himself has caused. ...

Stolen Love (1951)

Romantic melodrama ...

Who Will Judge Me? (1951)

Directed by Senkichi Taniguchi ...

Freedom School (1951)

Minamimura, who had always wanted to be free, suddenly quits his job. His hardworking wife is surprised and angry, and throws him out of the house. Confused by his sudden freedom, Iosuke ends up living as a vagrant under a bridge. His wife, Komako, also fi ...

The Man Without a Nationality (1951)

Thriller drama by Kon Ichikawa ...

Judge of the Ashuras (1951)

Clothes of Deception (1951)

The story of two sisters in post-war Japan. One is a geisha and the other works for the tourist board. ...

Beyond Love and Hate (1951)

A young man, convicted of a crime and imprisoned in the penitentiary, comes to believe that his wife is being unfaithful to him. He contrives his escape from the prison in order to seek her out and learn the truth, but the police give chase and he must fle ...

Les Miserables II: Banner of Love and Freedom (1950)

Les Miserables I: God and the Devil (1950)

The Rainbow-Colored Flower (1950)

Ebihara is a budding novelist entangled in a complicated web of relationships with three women from three different generations: Kazue, a coquettish teenage war orphan who tries to offer herself for money but is instead taken in by Ebihara, Koyabu, a middl ...

Senka o koete (1950)

Crazy Uproar (1950)

Also known as Crazy Uproar. ...

Listen to the Voices of the Sea (1950)

This film is strongly anti-war film. The film is based on the collection of writings by Japanese student soldiers who died during World War II. The film is located to Burma. It shows the everyday problems of soldiers in contrast of their ideas and the cyni ...

White Beast (1950)

Keiko Yukawa is a former prostitute and the newest inmate at White Lily, a female rehabilitation facility. ...

Heat and Mud (1950)

With one million yen in stolen cash, Kurita plans his escape to Hokkaido with an unwilling bar girl named Katsumi. ...

The Motherland Far Far Away (1950)

Directed by Daisuke Itō. ...

Devil's Gold (1950)

The protagonist descends from the mountains with a huge amount of panned gold dust. Upon learning of his wealth, all sorts of people, driven by greed and a desire to get their hands on his money, immediately begin to gravitate toward him. ...

Ore wa yōjimbō (1950)

1950 Japanese movie ...

The Rainbow Man (1949)

When a young woman is named as the prime suspect in a murder, her girlfriend and her girlfriend's boyfriend set out to prove her innocence. Their investigation leads them to an isolated, creepy house in the middle of nowhere, where sinister goings-on aboun ...

Jakoman and Tetsu (1949)

In a village subsisting on it herring fishery, a one-eyed criminal named Jakoman terrorizes the inhabitants. One of them, the son of the head of one of the fish companies by the name of Tetsu, decides to overthrow Jakoman and his cohorts. ...

Late Night Confession (1949)

Japanese mystery thriller. ...

Kirare no Senta (1949)

Directed by Eisuke Takizawa ...

The Quiet Duel (1949)

A young army surgeon, Kyoji Fujisaki, accidentally contracts syphilis during a WWII field operation. Back at his father's clinic, he treats himself in secret and breaks off his engagement rather than risk his fiancée's future, even as he confronts the irr ...

A Woman in the Typhoon Area (1948)

Four unlucky pirates head to a weather tracking station set on a remote island with the intention of holding the weather trackers as hostages and assaulting their next incoming supply ship; but at the station they are told that a serious typhoon is on the ...

Kuro-uma no danshichi (1948)

A Second Life (1948)

1948 Japanese drama film. ...

Shachō to onna tenin (1948)

Invitation to Happiness (1947)

Kôfuku eno shôtai - Invitation to happiness ...

Snow Trail (1947)

Three bank robbers, Eijima, Nojiri, and Takasugi, flee the police and escape into the mountains. At an inn high in the Japanese Alps, Eijima and Nojiri encounter a young woman and her father, as well as Honda, a mountaineer. The inn folk do not realize the ...

Making of Godzilla vs. Mothra (2010)

A look into the production of the nineteenth Godzilla film. Includes filmmaker and actor interviews with behind the scenes footage of the film's visual effects. Includes an interview with Akira Ifukube and a brief discussion of the late Ishiro Honda. ...

Godzilla, King of the Monsters (1998)

Documentary focusing on the Japanese Godzilla, featuring interviews with such people as Director Jun Fukuda, the wide of the late Ishiro Honda and Alex Cox. This documentary incorporates footage from rare shows like "Ultra Q" and films like "King Kong Esca ...