Masao Mishima

Inn of Evil (1971)

In feudal Japan, when any commerce with the rest of the world is strictly prohibited, an idealist appears at an isolated inn, headquarters of smugglers with stolen money intended to ransom his loved one forced to work in a brothel. ...

Love and Death (1971)

Yuji, a budding writer, meets and starts falling in love with his best friend's girlfriend, Natsuko. The attraction is mutual but due to the circumstances, they try to not act on their attraction. However, as time goes by, they realise that, perhaps, they ...

Maboroshi no Satsui (1971)

Adaptation of the Shôji Yuki novel. ...

Little Remi and Famous Dog Capi (1970)

Japanese animation adaptation of a 19th century French novel: A boy is given up by his foster parents to a traveling performer. ...

Tora-san's Grand Scheme (1970)

After winning big at the races, Torajiro Kuruma wants to take his aunt and uncle on a trip to Hawaii to partly pay the great filial debt he feels he owes them, but the plan hits a snag. Also, a pretty kindergarten teacher rents a room at Toraya. ...

Killer's Mission (1969)

Ichibei is assigned by Shogun Tokugawa to prevent the sale of a Dutch ships-load of rifles to the hostile Shogun Satsuma. On his mission he meets a cowardly Ronin who becomes his assistant, as well as a female spy and a female warrior... ...

Tale of the Last Japanese Yakuza (1969)

Yakuza drama with Meiko Kaji directed by Masahiro Makino ...

Art of Assassination (1969)

A beautiful hostess of a small restaurant moonlights as a well-trained assassin tasked with taking the life of a wealthy businessman... ...

The Final Winner? (1968)

In a high school, two men are fighting over a beautiful female teacher who has been assigned as an English teacher. ...

Record of a Girls' High School Doctor: Pregnancy (1968)

Horus: Prince of the Sun (1968)

Young Horus lives in a mythical Scandinavia of the Iron Age. Recovering the stolen Sword of the Sun from a rock giant, he learns he must travel to the lands of his ancestors, encountering the beautiful but enigmatic Hilda as his journey leads to a series o ...

The Time of Reckoning (1968)

"The Time of Reckoning" transforms a screwball-comedy plot into a sober study of a successful businessman with serious relationship problems involving three women: his wife of ten years who announces she is pregnant by another man; a mistress who wants to ...

Hymn to a Tired Man (1968)

During WWII, Zensaku, middle-aged and deaf in one ear, learns that his son has fallen for the daughter of a war officer responsible for the maiming. ...

Dice and Swords (1968)

The year is 1926. It has been three years since the Great Kanto earthquake hit Tokyo. Everything is being rebuilt from the ground up. Odera crime syndicate saw this as an opportunity to expand its territory. The Odera boss arranges marriage between his dau ...

Shogun and His Mistress 2 (1967)

In the year 1786, Shogun Ieharu Tokugawa selected beautiful Ochisa to be his concubine. It causes other concubines to become very jealous and mean. When the Shogun passes away, his concubines are forced to become nuns, which they are not happy to be. The s ...

The Greatest Challenge of All (1967)

After an argument with his father a son leaves his home and comes back only, as an adult, many years later just to cause them problem after problem. ...

Samurai Rebellion (1967)

The mother of a feudal lord's only heir is kidnapped by the lord. Her husband and his samurai father must decide whether to accept the unjust decision, or risk death to rescue her. ...

Two Wives (1967)

After a random encounter at a bar, two couples collide. Two men, two women, embroiled in a love-and-hate drama that threatens to engulf them. The sexual anxiety between the interwoven couples tautens right up to the nearly unbearable tension of the climax. ...

River of Forever (1967)

A truck driver from Toyama discovers he has contracted leukemia, a condition linked to his past exposure to nuclear fallout while working as a fisherman. Initially despondent and feeling like a medical curiosity, he eventually finds solace in the unwaverin ...

Zatoichi's Pilgrimage (1966)

Zatoichi's trek through 88 temples to atone for his violent past is interrupted as he stumbles into a village terrorized by a violent yakuza boss. ...

Watashi, chigatteiru kashira (1966)

Nothing But Bones (1966)

The harrowing journey of Kinu Wada, a young woman who is sold into prostitution to pay her family's debts. ...

Kill the Night Rose (1966)

An entertaining but silly and fairly forgettable action film with much tongue-in cheek James Bond influence ...

By a Man's Face Shall You Know Him (1966)

Immigrant gangs terrorize a Japanese town with their threats, loud jazz, and tasteless fashion sense, and only the tough but suave Dr. Amamiya (Ando) can stop them, as long as he gets rid of his silly peace-loving ideals. ...

The Actress vs. the Greedy Sharks (1966)

Framed by his enemies, Manbe finds himself imprisoned for a murder he didn't commit. His only hope lies with his daughter Yuki who takes it upon herself to clear his name. ...

Young Boss: Invitation to Fight (1966)

In Tears (1965)

Hiroshi is the second officer on board the Hakuromaru. Lead by his captain, he heads out to town to recruit new crew members for their next voyage. Hiroshi is baffled when his captain approaches the Daigo-Kuroshiomaru crew, a notorious group nicknamed "the ...

The Ghost of the One Eyed Man (1965)

Japanese horror film directed by Tsuneo Kobayashi. ...

The Spy (1965)

Based on true events surrounding a Korean student who had entered Japan unlawfully and escaped illegal alien internment. ...

Born Under Crossed Stars (1965)

A young man with a strong sense of justice is torn between two girls: the flighty Taneko and the serious Suzuko. With wisdom, courage and honor in a Japanese spirit of manliness he wins the day. ...

Illusion of Blood (1965)

The ghost of a samurai's wife takes revenge on her husband. ...

The Last Judgment (1965)

Driven by greed and a desire for his cousin's wife, Jiro orchestrates a complex frame-up to have his cousin arrested for murder. ...

A Charming Devil (1965)

Movie adaptation of the TV series. ...

Nami kage (1965)

Ayako Wakao won the Blue Ribbon and the Kinema Jumpo for this film. ...

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. ...

Revenge (1964)

An innocuous comment during a weapon inspection wounds the pride of low-ranking samurai Shinpachi, leading to an argument with his superior. The situation snowballs out of control, leading to a deadly duel and political fallout which threatens the entire c ...

Blind Monk Swordsman (1964)

This is the story of a bad man who re-discovering humanity via woman and child while clashing with the yakuza and being hunted by a man called "Death" who has his own dark past. The prototype for the later two yakuza priest series with Shintaro Katsu and T ...

The Frolic of the Beasts (1964)

The wife Yuko Kusumon operating a pottery store was a chastal wife without complaints even though her husband is cheated with her heart. Koji Umeya, who was working part-time at a shop, was able to see the unparallel rag, and brought her to the cheerful si ...

Shingo's Final Duel (1964)

After Aoi Shingo, the illegitimate son of Shogun Yoshimune has gained prominence as the finest swordsman in the land, he tries to lead a peaceful life with his mother far away from the seat of government in Edo. Not wanting to inconvenience his father anym ...

The Man Disappears Yesterday (1964)

Tired of everyday life, the 8th Shogun Yoshimune flees Edo Castle and asks Ooka Echizen to become his personal assistant. In a rice shop, Yoshimune meets a simple ronin Ohashi Kenshiro, and receives permission to stay at his house, but a mysterious corpse ...

Ukyunosuke's Reverse Ichimonji Cut (1964)

In this exciting sequel to the popular samurai-ninja movie Ukyunosuke On Patrol, his mission to avenge his father's death continues. His discovery of a mysterious note written by his father, Inspector Sena, held a clue to the inspector's murder 18 years ag ...

Shinobi no Mono 3: Resurrection (1963)

[Period covered: 1595-1600] We last saw ninja Ishikawa Goemon, as he was about to be boiled alive. But a good ninja is both hard to find, and even harder to kill. With the help of the enigmatic Hattori Hanzo, Goemon lives to skulk another day, and sets his ...

A Life of Intimidation (1963)

Japanese action film. ...

Duel of Blood and Sand (1963)

Frustrated with the bad behavior of his lord, Inaba Yajuro (Otomo) declares that he is leaving the clan and sets off on a journey that leads him into a small town besieged by a violent group of brigands. In a kind of homage to Kurosawa's 7 Samurai, the ...

Ukyunosuke on Patrol (1963)

This is one of the most powerfully effective ninja films that dispenses with the silly magic of earlier efforts, and concentrates on an excellent story with expert fighting. Sena Denemon is the rarest of government officials, a man of integrity, sent on a ...

Tange Sazen (1963)

In 1730, the Tokugawa Shogunate orders the Yagyu Clan to repair a huge shrine. Since it cannot refuse the Shogunate's request, the impoverished Yagyu Clan tries to raise funds by obtaining a sword which holds the key to a wondrous, hidden treasure. After l ...

The Coin Thrower Zenigata (1963)

The film tells about a young detective Zenigata Heiji who successfully solves a disgusting and unusual case involving the manufacture of counterfeit money. ...

The Black Trademark (1963)

Ide of the Kokusai Rayon Company visits a supermarket and finds cheap shirts being passed off as his company's products. But a closer look reveals that the last letter of "Kokusai" has been changed to "n" and reads "Kokusan." The buyers, however, are all u ...

20 Duels of Young Shingo: Conclusion (1963)

While on his journey through the countryside of Japan, Shingo encounters many people whose lives have been affected by his actions. Though the many duels he fought were intended to bring justice to those who sought to do evil, he is faced with the knowledg ...

Castle of Owls (1963)

Movie adaptation of the 1959 ninja novel. With war against Korea looming on the horizon, Hideyoshi Toyotomi, the 'Taiko' becomes the target of an assassination attempt to be carried out by the Iga Clan of ninja spies. Master spy Juzo Tsuzura (Ryutaro Otom ...

Pressure of Guilt (1963)

A seasoned prosecutor uncovers the perfect crime committed by a young lawyer. ...

Sing, Young People! (1963)

A story about four best friends and their lives inside and outside college. Then suddenly one of them receives a surprising offer to be a movie star. ...

Beyond the Green Hills (1963)

Shinko Terasawa was always considered to be the odd ball of the bunch. At a time when romance was against school regulations, Shinko was the first to take a bite out of the forbidden fruit. Expelled from her former school, she finds herself in an all-girls ...

Revenge for His Lover (1962)

Kamio a mistreated samurai clerk of Edo Castle and ronin ("Sir Quarrel") Ibara, take up a vendetta against 17 wicked castle men. ...

Jigoku no kagebōshi (1962)

1962 Japanese movie ...

Tengu Priest (1962)

Kichizaburo, a samurai keeping peace in Edo, helps a young geisha Kozome avenge her father's death. ...

Mark of Blood (1962)

Three young yakuza, Fujitaro, Matsugoro and Kanjuro, travel the country fighting evil. ...

Harakiri (1962)

Down-on-his-luck veteran Tsugumo Hanshirō enters the courtyard of the prosperous House of Iyi. Unemployed, and with no family, he hopes to find a place to commit seppuku—and a worthy second to deliver the coup de grâce in his suicide ritual. The senior ...

Case of Umon: Red Lizard (1962)

Umon goes on an investigation to unveil the murderer known as Red Lizard. ...

The President's Son (1962)

All Rascals (1962)

Ishihama is planning a casino robbery with his wife and mother-in-law. They meet a man named Tsuneda who is planning the same robbery and agree to work together. ...

Black Lizard (1962)

The cunning detective Akeichi must foil a kidnapping plot orchestrated by the notorious jewel thief known as Black Lizard. ...

Teppo Yasu no Shogai (1962)

1962 Japanese movie ...

A Warrior Generation (1962)

Knightly Advice (1962)

The Eve of the Chinese Festival (1962)

A kabuki actor is assassinated during a New Year celebration show, in front of everyone, fortunately the great detective Umon is among the audience. Along with his quirky assistant they set on the trail of revenge killing. Revenge for what? Who and where i ...

The Temple of Wild Geese (1962)

Satoko is a mistress by trade or fate: when her master, the silkscreen artist of the Kohoan Temple in Kyoto, dies, she is given to the temple's lascivious head priest Kikuchi. She is drawn to a melancholy young acolyte, Jinen, who has observed the profliga ...

The Actress and the Three Rascals (1962)

Mannen Taro and His Feminine Colleagues (1961)

Himalayan Wanderer (1961)

One after another, expedition teams were being attacked in the Himalayas. With the unprecedented boom in snow men, the public began to make a fuss about the fact that the monster that attacked them must be the snow man. Even in Las Vegas, betting began on ...

The Orphan Brother (1961)

After their father quarrels with local military men, Anju and Zushio are forced to flee, but they are captured and sold into slavery. When their mother dies, they are sold to Sansho the Bailiff, a cruel man who subjects them to hideous torments. While Anju ...

20 Duels of Young Shingo, Part 2 (1961)

The second film in the 20 Duels of Young Shingo trilogy directed by Sadatsugu Matsuda. ...

Amazon mushuku seiki no dai maō (1961)

Chiezo's two-guns-at-all-costs film, directed by Ozawa Shigehiro (Kengo Tengu Matsuri) from a screenplay by Matsuura Kenro (The Dice Magistrate). Shot by Nishikawa Shoei (I Am the Magician of Hell). ...

A Young Warrior on Mount Fuji (1961)

The epic battles between the Heike and Genji (Taira and Minamoto clans) take centerstage as the defeated leader of the Genji, Minamoto Yoritomo resolves to end his clan's exile and avenge the brutal loss in December, 1159 as they had fought under the white ...

Pigs and Battleships (1961)

In the city of Yokosuka, Kinta and his lover Haruko, both involved with yakuza, brave the post-occupation period with a goal to be together. ...

20 Duels of Young Shingo, Part 1 (1961)

With plenty of action, and a strong story about the growth and development of an expert swordsman, who just happens to be from an extremely privileged background. ...

Case of a Young Lord 8 (1960)

A family is brutally murdered in their own home and the official government's sake dealer is framed as a rebel by a corrupt member of the Shogun's Council of Elders. Young Lord decides to take on the Shogun's vile chief attendant. ...

Wait for Tomorrow (1960)

Kohei Misugi works in a vegetable market, but his ambition is to be a photographer. He is given his first opportunity to demonstrate his talent by the Sakura Film Company which offers him an assignment to "Cover Tokyo" with a camera. But he is disillusione ...

Volunteering for Villainy (1960)

Two outsiders start a relationship in a mining town. ...

Bet on a Seaside Romance (1960)

1960 action film. ...

Hero of the Red Light District (1960)

A successful textile industrialist from the provinces, who is beloved by his employees for his kindness, cannot find a wife because of a disfiguring birthmark on his face. Even the courtesans in Yoshiwara refuse to entertain him, until an indentured peasan ...

Lord Mito: All Star Version (1960)

In 1691 a terrible fire broke out in Denmacho, Yotsuya, burning down the towns around it, up to the shores of Shibaura. A month and a half later, another fire broke out, this time in Komagome, burning down the two gates of Asakusa and Sujikai, and continui ...

Tokyo Mighty Guy (1960)

Mega star Akira Kobayashi stars as Jiro in the rambunctious tale of a chef who opens a restaurant in the busy Ginza district. His culinary skills and dashing good looks bring in the women as well as unwanted trouble, while an explosive political scandal bu ...

Good-for-Nothing (1960)

Yoshida's first feature follows the lives of young students against a background of jazz, emptiness and boredom. The plot is fairly simple: a "good-for-nothing" from a poor background falls in love with the young secretary of his rich friend's father. The ...

Hibari’s Favorite 2 (1960)

Young girl Kichiza searches for her missing brother and the person responsible for the death of her parents. ...

The Second Bullet is Marked (1960)

Tsunokichi and Ken face off against a rival yakuza in Kyushu. ...

The Cards Will Tell (1960)

A 1960 crime film ...

Evil Man of Edo (1959)

A classic battle between good and evil pits an unscrupulous fortuneteller who has been preying on the good citizens of Edo against a master-less samurai who founded a school for underprivileged children in a poor neighborhood. Into the mix comes a young wo ...

Isshin Tasuke: A Man Among Men (1959)

In the third entry into this mega-hit series, Isshin Tasuke, a spirited fishmonger in Edo who looks just like Shogun Iemitsu undergoes a series of unforeseen troubles in his newly wedded life. ...

The Human Wall (1959)

Drama which shows the struggle of Fumiko, a female teacher, at work and at home. ...

53 Stages of the Road (1959)

An Edo appointed official Baba must ensure the safe delivery of shogunate funds to Kyoto. ...

The Medicine Case (1959)

Magistrate Ooka-Echizen faces a crime over a pillbox. ...

Yuganda tsuki (1959)

Lord Mito 2: The Nation's Vice Shogun (1959)

After settling the matter of shogunal succession, the retired Old Lord of Mito finds himself in a sea of trouble when he gets involved in the succession of the Takamatsu clan. The usurpers try by every means to effect their takeover, even if it leads to bl ...

Sudden Attack of the Christian Lord (1959)

Tokyo no Kodoku (1959)

A coming-of-age story about two newcomers to the world of professional baseball who compete for Rookie of the Year honors and love. ...

No Stronger Swords (1959)

Featuring some of the finest swordsmen ever to grace the silver screen, this Toei classic tells the story of a battle between the evil sword style called "Otonashi" (The Silent Form) and the proper way of swordsmanship as promoted by such historical stalwa ...

I Will Challenge (1959)

Akira, a student who is professionally engaged in boxing, aspires to follow in the footsteps of his late father and become a champion when, during training, he becomes embroiled in a murder case. His school friend is involved in the case, and Akira also be ...

Kiku and Isamu: Two Siblings Born in Japan (1959)

Kiku and her brother Isamu are social outcasts, children of a prostitute mother and black GI father, in postwar Japan. ...

Turbulent Highways (1959)

Kaze no uchi so to (1959)

Case of Umon: One-Eyed Wolf (1959)

Five swordsmen are murdered and hung from a tree and the chase is on to find the killers. Two magistrates pursue the leads to solve the crime and it leads to a potential conspiracy to kill the Shogun. ...

The Forbidden Castle (1959)

From an original story by Shibata Renzaburo, the novelist who created such classics as: the "Nemuri Kyoshiro" series (Son of the Black Mass), "Destiny's Son" etc. comes the complex story exploring the mystery behind why Ino Morimasa betrayed his sworn brot ...

Lucky Dragon No. 5 (1959)

An ageing fishing boat, Dai-go Fukuryu Maru ("Lucky Dragon No. 5") sets out from the port of Yaizu in Shizuoka Prefecture. It travels around the Pacific line fishing. While the ship is near Bikini Atoll, the ship's navigator sees a flash. All the crew come ...

The Bastards of Lawless Town (1959)

An action-packed, dramatic gangster film. ...

The Human Condition I: No Greater Love (1959)

After handing in a report on the treatment of Chinese colonial labor, Kaji is offered the post of labour chief at a large mining operation in Manchuria, which also grants him exemption from military service. He accepts and moves with his newlywed wife Mich ...

Tange Sazen: Mystery of the Twin Dragons (1959)

In this film in the long running series, Tange Sazen and his friends are asked to guard a dragon-shaped incense burner that holds the key to hidden treasures. This is the most exciting film in the series, and contains some of the best action sequences of O ...

Shingo's Original Challenge, Part 1 and 2 (1959)

A young samurai learns that he is the illegitimate son of the Shogun. Hoping to reunite with his birth father, he travels to Edo to find Shogun Yoshimune. ...

Roughneck From Asama (1958)

When Boss Juzo's Shinmachi Yakuza family struck fear into the hearts of his adversaries, Boss Shohei's Okabe Yakuza family with a merciless gang of raiders, Itaro of Asama was missing. With the courage of a lion he had gone off to face the enemy and settle ...

Points and Lines (1958)

Based on Matsumoto Seicho's classic mystery novel of the same name, the story centers around a group of detectives who are determined to find the truth behind an apparent double suicide. ...

His Scarlet Cloak (1958)

The humorous tale of Jimbei, a miller, and his wife Osen who live in complete happiness. But Osen's beauty attracts numerous would-be lovers among whom is the local governor, a timid creature, who is dominated by his high-born and beautiful wife, who dress ...

Feline Spirit (1958)

Go master Matashichiro Ryuzoji, during the game, was killed in anger by the Lord of the Nabeshima clan, Hizen-no-kami. The mother of the murdered Matashichiro, Akishino, cursing the Nabeshima family, commits suicide. Akishino's spirit passes to Matashichir ...

Beyond the Seasonal Wind (1958)

Japanese drama film. ...

Romance Freestyle (1958)

The love between young college students Toki and the handsome Takaga is tested when Takaya's parents, who despise Toki's family's geisha house business, intervenes in their relationship. ...

Love River (1958)

Secret of The Golden Spell (1958)

One of Japan's most popular folklore characters, Tange Sazen, the one-eyed and one-armed swordsman, must rescue the Yagyu clan from the treachery of a master plotting to take control over a sword fighting school. ...

Firefly Light (1958)

Set in the 1860s, the final years of the Tokugawa Shogunate, The Fireflies focuses on Tose (Awashima Chikage), the mistress of the Teradaya, a small inn in the Kyoto suburb of Fushimi. She does not have an easy life. Her husband, Isuke (Ban Junzaburo), is ...

Man of Thirteen Eyes (1958)

Japanese mystery film. ...

Travel Romances (1957)

Romantic comedy. ...

Ghost Ship Part 1 (1957)

As Part I opens, Jubei (Denjiro Okochi), the best of sea skippers, is unable to overcome the stormy seas of Luzon. All hands on board the Kannonmaru were lost except for Shinkei, who alone made his way to land & eventually home to inform his grandson Jirom ...

Ghost Ship Part 2 (1957)

Jiromaru (Kinnosuke Nakamura) investigates the dark "Ghost Ship" in search of his father. Meanwhile, Princess Yuki (Yumiko Hasegawa) and Chacha (Eiko Maruyama) are kidnapped by pirates, so after dedicating himself to rescuing them for the second time, he d ...

Temple of Revenge (1957)

Revenge breeds revenge. Ikuta Denpachiro, the martial arts instructor of the Honda family in Koriyama, lost a fight to the young samurai Enjo Sozaemon in a martial arts tournament and as a result lost his position and was expelled from home. Wanting to ave ...

Kurama Tengu: The Tale of a Government Thief (1957)

The third film in the "Kurama Tengu" series starring Azuma Chiyonosuke, based on the original work by Osaragi Jiro. The staff remains the same as in the previous film, "Kurama Tengu Kakubei Shishi" (1951), and the cast is the same, including the lead actor ...

Rebellion (1957)

In the mist of the warring age (Sengoku Era), the Kyushu based Hayato Clan is faced with a monumental battle to determine their survival. ...

Tales of Young Genji Kuro (1957)

Genji Kurô is a master swordsman and entrusted with protecting the ancient sword Kaen by the Otsubo family. ...

The Lord Takes a Bride (1957)

Young Lord Gentaro (Otomo Ryutaro) takes a journey to Edo in search of his future wife. Easier said than done, evil forces lurk in Edo and Gentaro must use his phenomenal sword skills to overcome the evil and find the love of his life. Another must have fo ...

Lords of Oppression 2 (1957)

Period drama directed by Yasushi Sasaki. ...

Lords of Oppression (1957)

Period drama directed by Yasushi Sasaki. ...

Lofty Ambitions (1957)

The Forest Is Alive (1956)

Film adaptation of the stage version of Samuil Marshak's "Twelve Months" ...

The Ceiling at Utsunomiya (1956)

Ryutaro is a spy employed by the shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu, who is the target of assassination attempts that aim to hand power over to his younger brother Tadanaga. ...

Ancient Coins (1956)

This 1956 adaptation of the novel with the same title puts more focus on the characters and their interactions than the previous version. ...

Bored Hatamoto: The Mysterious Ghost Ship (1956)

Bored Hatamoto film #20 ...

Swordsman of the Two Sword Style (1956)

The story of Japan's greatest warrior, Miyamoto Musashi, after his historic duel with Sasaki Kojiro on Ganryu Island. ...

Policeman's Diary, Part 2 (1955)

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

Santōshain to onna hisho (1955)

Japanese film. ...

Tsukiyo no kasa (1955)

Housewives from four neighboring households casually gather at an old well at Kaneko's house in a residential area on the outskirts of Tokyo. If two people come together, they will talk about selling kimonos, if three people come together, they will discus ...

Seven Masks of Revenge (1955)

The eighth film in the "master detective with seven faces" series. Bannachi patrols the town in his taxi when he sees a man heading into Shiodome Town. Next day the man is found brutally murdered and the mystery starts to unravel. ...

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. ...

Six Assassins (1955)

Golden Valley (1955)

A samurai thief fights a gang of ghostly thieves using scorpions for treasure in the unexplored Shinano region, which is guarded by a descendant of the Heike clan. ...

Burden of Love (1955)

The female members of the family of the Minister of Health and Welfare, who has just proposed a program of birth control, become pregnant one after the other. ...

Mysterious Dwarf (1955)

The daughter of a wealthy family goes missing at the same time a mysterious dwarf is running around town scattering body parts in public areas. ...

Policeman's Diary (1955)

Lending money, job hunting for civilians and babysitting. All these things are usually not listed on a policeman's job description. But for the officers of this local police station, it's part of their daily routine. One day, patrolman Yoshii (Hisaya Moris ...

Foul Play (1955)

Private eye Bannai Tarao (Chiezo Kataoka) and his assistant Masako (Chizuru Kitagawa) investigate the mysterious murder of a baseball player who was killed in the middle of a game. ...

Fall of the Shogun's Militia (1954)

Kondo Isami, the "Devil" commander of the Shinsengumi was one of Japan's greatest national heroes and a peerless swordsman who devoted his life to protecting the shogun and fighting on the side of the Tokugawa. This tells the story of the Shinsengumi start ...

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. ...

The Street Without Sun (1954)

Based on the novel by proletarian writer Sunao Tokunaga. The story is about a long strike by workers at a large printing house and the strikers' steadfastness, which neither hunger nor violence could break. The heroine of this story actively participates i ...

Five Sisters (1954)

The story of five sisters. ...

Denshichi Torimonocho: Senryo Human Skin (1954)

In the era of the twelfth Shogun, Tokugawa Ieyoshi, a notorious bandit known as "Shippu" (or "Swift Wind") emerged in Edo. Shippu would send a warning message called the "Thief's Summons" before striking, yet despite the magistrate's desperate search effor ...

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. ...

A Lonely Woman in a Lonely Land (1953)

Onna Hitori Daichi wo Yuku (A Lonely Woman in a Lonely Land, Kinuta Production, 1953) was the second feature film directed by Kamei Fumio, who is known as a master of documentary films, and followed his "Haha Nareba Onna Nareba(Become a Mother, Become a Wo ...

Vacuum Zone (1952)

Just before the end of the war, Japanese soldier Kitani is released from prison, having served his term for theft. Told in flashback, viewers learn about Kitani's past and reasons behind his prison sentence. ...

Mother (1952)

A teenaged girl witnesses her widowed mother's attempt to sustain her family. ...

Devil’s Statue (1952)

A gallant swordsman takes on the forces of evil with the help of his trusty friends. ...

Kurama Tengu: Anonymous letter to Tengu (1952)

Masked avenger Kurama Tengu and his young sidekick try to stop a mysterious adversary from assassinating a group of young warriors who want to bring down the Shogunate... ...

Riverside Fish Market Empire (1952)

Obscure Japanese movie by director Kyotaro Namiki ...

Become a Mother, Become a Woman (1952)

Satsuma-bikyaku (1951)

Five Men of Edo (1951)

During the 17th Century roving bands of hatamoto were causing trouble in the new capital city of Edo and constantly fought with the townspeople at every turn. The leader of these ruthless samruai was Mizuno Jirozaemon, who despite his high rank was in deep ...

Kurama Tengu: Acrobat in a lion mask (1951)

Two child performers lose their money, but are saved by the masked avenger Kurama Tengu. When the children return the favor in foiling an attempt on the hero's life, they find themselves in need of protection once again... ...

G-men of Japan 3: Fearless Counterattack (1951)

A man with two identical faces challenges the wicked and lawless escaped prisoner to an unsuitable battle, intertwining with the chilling image of the emergency line. ...

Ginza Cosmetics (1951)

A few days in the life of a quiet geisha, single mother of a smart young boy, in the lively Tokyo quarter of Ginza. A woman devoted to others' needs, she'll end by taking part herself in one of the many disguises of Ginza. ...

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 ...

I Saw a Phantom Fish (1950)

A village struggles to survive when the nearby lake becomes barren of fish. ...

The Motherland Far Far Away (1950)

Directed by Daisuke Itō. ...

Town of Violence (1950)

An attempt is made to suppress a journalist's investigation of collusion between a rural police chief and the local gangster bosses. ...

Escape from Prison (1950)

Late Spring (1949)

Noriko is perfectly happy living at home with her widowed father, Shukichi, and has no plans to marry -- that is, until her aunt Masa convinces Shukichi that unless he marries off his 27-year-old daughter soon, she will likely remain alone for the rest of ...

The Blue Mountains: Part II (1949)

Continuation of The Blue Mountains: Part I. Released a week later. ...

The Blue Mountains: Part I (1949)

Teacher Yukiko finds herself in opposition to conservative faculty and villagers after defending a student for being in a relationship with a young man from Tokyo. ...

Flirtation in Spring (1949)

Japanese adaptation of Marcel Pagnol's play "Marius", set in early XXth century Japan. ...

A Woman's Life (1949)

Yūkyō no mure (1948)

1948 Japanese movie ...

The Grand Master (1948)

Shogi, a Japanese form of chess, is a game that requires skill and determination. When poor sandal-maker Sakata decides to pursue his dream of becoming the Shogi Grand Master Champion, everything is at stake – including his family. What will it cost for ...

Actress (1947)

During the late Meiji period, at the beginning of the twentieth century, Sumako, a country girl, becomes a great actress with the help of Hogetsu, a scholar who brought European realism to the Japanese stage. The relationship leads to the end of his marria ...

The Brick Factory Girl (1946)

This film focuses on Koreans living in Japan. The filmmaker's humanism comes across in the portrayal of a girl living in a shabby tenement, the warmth of a Korean girl she meets, and the friendliness of this Korean girl's family. ...

Battle Troop (1944)

Three IJN flyers Mikami (Susumu Fujita), Kawakami (Masayuki Mori) and Murakami (Akitake Kono) are good friends, and they are all renowned for their torpedo techniques. Mikami is posted as a staff officer at a base on an island in the Pacific. Kawakami and ...

Tsuruhachi and Tsurujiro (1938)

Mr. Tsurujiro is a Japanese folk singer assisted by Ms. Tsuruhachi on the shamisen. The pair is popular, but he often nitpicks her music and so they split. She marries a benefactor, but after a joint show, feels music is above marriage. ...

Composition Class (1938)

Masako, the daughter of an impoverished itinerant tinsmith, wins a grammar school composition contest with an essay about her neighborhood. The much publicized essay ends up causing the family problems and their chronic money troubles threaten Masako's fur ...

Avalanche (1937)

The study of a one-year marriage that begins to crumble. A married man is torn between the love of his wife, and the attraction to a cousin of his wife. ...

Mother's Melody (1937)

The prewar film Haha no kyoku (Mother's Melody, 1937) is known for its place in Japanese film history as one of the top three melodramas as well as for its authorship: Yamamoto Satsuo is an auteur not usually associated with filming melodramas. Yamamoto ma ...

Hikoroku Laughs a lot (1936)

Hikoroku Laughs a lot ...

Morning's Tree-Lined Street (1936)

After some fruitless career hunting in downtown Tokyo, Chiyo accepts a job as a bar hostess in Shiba ward. Well away from glamorous Asakusa and Ginza, this is a neighbourhood tavern where the women are dirt poor, each having only one kimono to their name.. ...

Man of the House (1936)

This film is based on a real Meiji era performer -- and tells of Tochuken's partnership with his wife (played by Chikako Hosokawa) who played shamisen for his songs/recitations), his affair with a geisha (Sachiko Chiba), and the deterioration of his partne ...

The Actress and the Poet (1935)

Among the tight-knit neighbours are a poet, his actress wife, a bachelor budding author, a tobacco shop owner-cum-landlady, an insurance salesman and his nosy and greedy wife. Enter a young and seemingly high-class couple who just so happens is open to pur ...

Three Sisters with Maiden Hearts (1935)

Three sisters earn money for their bossy mother by being samisen street musicians. This means mainly playing a banjo type instrument for tips in bars... ...