Shōichi Hirose

Lonely Heart (1981)

A police procedural surrounding murder at a bookstore and the private lives of the cops trying to solve the case. ...

The Adventures of Kosuke Kindaichi (1979)

Obayashi's take on the famous Kosuke Kindaichi series, made popular partly thanks to the numerous movie-adaptions by Kon Ichikawa, the most known being The Inugami Family. Kosuke Kindaichi is the most famous detective in Japan. Kindaichi gets a new case to ...

House (1977)

Hoping to find a sense of connection to her late mother, Gorgeous takes a trip with her friends to visit her aunt's ancestral house in the countryside. The girls soon discover that there is more to the old house than meets the eye. ...

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 ...

Lady Snowblood 2: Love Song of Vengeance (1974)

Lady Snowblood is caught by the police and sentenced to death for her crimes. As she is sent to the gallows she is rescued by the secret police who offer her a deal to assassinate some revolutionaries. ...

Lady Snowblood (1973)

Yuki's family is nearly wiped out before she is born due to the machinations of a band of criminals. These criminals kidnap and brutalize her mother but leave her alive. Later her mother ends up in prison with only revenge to keep her alive. She creates an ...

Kamishibai Showa History: The Golden Bat is Here (1972)

The dramatized tale of the 1935 creation of Japan's first superhero, the "Golden Bat", alongside the changes during and after the Second World War, not just to the hero himself, but the art of "kamishibai" picture stories that he originated from. ...

The Battle of Okinawa (1971)

The Americans are swiftly closing on Okinawa, an island just south of the Japanese mainland. The Imperial command sends top generals and several army divisions to defend it at all costs. The mission quickly degenerates as vital resources and troops are div ...

Japan's No. 1 Traitor (1968)

The sixth "Japan's No. 1 Man" feature. Followed by "Japan's No. 1 Disconnected Man". ...

Mexican Free-for-All (1968)

The eleventh film in the comedy series starring Japan's leading comedy group, the Crazy Cats. Susumu Sakamori and his friends travel to Mexico to find a stone statue that contains the location of the secret treasure "Olmeca". ...

Golden Eyes (1968)

A killer-for-hire gets mixed up with a cast of wacky characters involved in a gold smuggling route from Beirut to Tokyo. ...

Monsieur Zivaco (1967)

International thief Zivaco, who can assume any identity, eludes the authorities and battles rival thief WCWC for a rare gold samurai sword. ...

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 ...

Las Vegas Free-For-All (1967)

The Crazy Cats, a Japanese musical-comedy group, were showcased a series of comic adventures throughout the 1960s. Las Vegas Free-For-All, one of their most popular movies, featured scenes filmed on location in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Hawaii. Appearing ...

Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966)

Searching for his brother, Ryota stows away on a boat belonging to a criminal alongside two other teenagers. The group shipwrecks on Letchi island and discover the Infant Island natives have been enslaved by a terrorist organization controlling a crustacea ...

The Daphne (1966)

Four sisters are all named after flowers. While the two youngest are married, the eldest two remain single, much to the annoyance of their long-suffering mother. The mother and her brother try various schemes to find husbands for them. ...

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 ...

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 ...

The Crazy Adventure (1965)

After being mistaken for counterfeiters by the police, an inventor and reporter try to track down the real counterfeiters. ...

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 ...

Young Guy at Sea (1965)

Eternal young guy, Yuzo Kayama stars in this fifth installment of the Young Guy series. Young Guy returns to the swim team from the first movie, boards his rival Blue Guy's boat, and meets a young woman on a small island. ...

The Retreat from Kiska (1965)

In 1943, the Aleutian island of Kiska was fortified by a small contingent of Japanese soldiers. When word arrived of an impending attack by an overwhelming force of Americans, the Japanese Navy attempted one of the most daring and unlikely evacuations in m ...

Red Beard (1965)

Aspiring to an easy job as personal physician to a wealthy family, Noboru Yasumoto is disappointed when his first post after medical school takes him to a small country clinic under the gruff doctor Red Beard. Yasumoto rebels in numerous ways, but Red Bear ...

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. ...

Dogora (1964)

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

Trap of Suicide Kilometer (1964)

Klima, Deputy Minister of Industry of the Republic of Alabanda, has come to Japan to purchase materials for the water dam construction. Kitami, who called himself a salesman and met with Klima, acts as his bodyguard. However, Kitami learns that a large num ...

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. ...

Interpol Code 8 (1963)

Agent Jiro Kitami attempts to stop a smuggling ring from shipping arms to Vietcong guerrillas. ...

Young Swordsman (1963)

This Japanese action-adventure is set in the 17th century when all forms of swordplay were banned. One fighter, an excellent swordsman believes the law is unfair. His brother keeps his opinions about the law to himself. The swordsman vents his frustration ...

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. ...

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 ...

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 ...

Star of Hong Kong (1962)

Wang Xinglian returns from her studies in Japan to visit her father in Hong Kong where she has an encounter with the young Japanese Hasegawa Toru. The two meet again and fall in love in Hokkaido when Wang and her best friend Sugimoto Kanako are going on a ...

Sanjuro (1962)

In this companion piece and sequel to "Yojimbo," jaded samurai Sanjuro helps an idealistic group of young warriors weed out their clan's evil influences, and in the process turns their image of a proper samurai on its ear. ...

The Witness Killed (1961)

Japanese neo-noir crime drama movie directed by Jun Fukuda ...

Structure of Hate (1961)

Drama about two college friends, now working for the same banking firm, torn apart by jealousy over their inequitable positions and love lives. ...

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 ...

Mothra (1961)

Shipwreck survivors found on the presumably uninhabited Infant Island leads to a scientific expedition that discovers a surviving native population along with the Shobijin, tiny twin fairy priestesses of the island's mythical deity called Mothra. After the ...

Yojimbo (1961)

A nameless ronin, or samurai with no master, enters a small village in feudal Japan where two rival businessmen are struggling for control of the local gambling trade. Taking the name Sanjuro Kuwabatake, the ronin convinces both silk merchant Tazaemon and ...

The Merciless Trap (1961)

Taut thriller about a too-perfect criminal case against an ex-convict that makes a nosy detective suspicious. ...

The Human Vapor (1960)

A failed science experiment gives a librarian the ability to turn into a gaseous substance. He goes on to rob banks to fund his dancer girlfriend's career, killing those who interfere. Now Tokyo's most wanted criminal, can authorities stop him? ...

The Secret of the Telegian (1960)

Men are being murdered by a killer who uses a matter-transmitting device to locate his victims. ...

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 ...

The Beast Shall Die (1959)

A promising post-graduate literature student is transformed into a psychotic killer following the suicide of his father and a sleazy affair by his mother with a younger man. ...

Gigantis, the Fire Monster (1959)

A prehistoric monster called Gigantis emerges alongside another creature named Angurus. ...

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 ...

The Hidden Fortress (1958)

In feudal Japan, during a bloody war between clans, two cowardly and greedy peasants, soldiers of a defeated army, stumble upon a mysterious man who guides them to a fortress hidden in the mountains. ...

The Spell of the Hidden Gold (1958)

Historical drama about a sleepy-eyed ronin. ...

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. ...

The H-Man (1958)

When a narcotics deal goes sour and a suspect disappears, leaving only his clothes, Tokyo police question his wife and stake out the nightclub where she works. ...

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 ...

Zokuzoku Ôban: Dotô hen (1957)

Ushinosuke returns to his hometown to become a farmer. Part three (of four) of the film adaptation of Bunroku Shishi's novel, Oban. ...

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. ...

A Rainbow Plays in My Heart: Part 2 (1957)

An Ishiro Honda film. The second part of A Rainbow Plays in My Heart released the same day as the first film. ...

A Rainbow Plays in My Heart: Part 1 (1957)

An Ishiro Honda film. The first part of A Rainbow Plays in My Heart released the same day as the second film. ...

Half Human: The Story of the Abominable Snowman (1957)

An American scientist tells two colleagues about the finding of an abominable snowman living in the Japanese alps, where it is worshipped by a remote tribe as a god, and how it was discovered by modern man after it raided a skiers shelter following an aval ...

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. ...

Ôban (1957)

A young country boy leaves his village for Tokyo, where he begins to work as a stock trader. First part (of four) of the film adaptation of Bunroku Shishi's novel, Oban. ...

A Man in the Storm (1957)

Judo expert Saburô Watari fights his judo master, Tsujido, while simultaneously in conflict with a karate expert. ...

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 ...

The Lonely Swordsman (Part 1) (1956)

Historical drama about a sleepy-eyed ronin. ...

Love on Rainbow Island (1956)

Japanese counterpart to Romeo and Juliet ...

Will-o'-the-Wisp (1956)

Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island (1956)

A humble and simple Takezo abandons his life as a knight errant. He's sought as a teacher and vassal by Shogun, Japan's most powerful clan leader. He's also challenged to fight by the supremely confident and skillful Sasaki Kojiro. Takezo agrees to fight K ...

Marital Relations (1955)

​Ryukichi, the pampered heir to a cosmetics wholesaler, abandons his wife and child to pursue a scandalous affair with a famous geisha named Choko. This betrayal leads his father to disown him, leaving the unskilled Ryukichi with no way to earn a living. ...

Beast Man Snow Man (1955)

Three competing parties all race against time to track down an elusive creature known only as the Snowman. ...

Mother and Son (1955)

An Ishiro Honda film. ...

Godzilla Raids Again (1955)

Two fishing scout pilots make a horrifying discovery when they encounter a second Godzilla alongside a new monster named Anguirus. Without the weapon that killed the original, authorities attempt to lure Godzilla away from the mainland. But Anguirus soon a ...

Invisible Man (1954)

When an invisible man is run down by a car it's up to an eager young reporter and a strange clown to bring a dangerous gang to justice. ...

Seven Samurai (1954)

A samurai answers a village's request for protection after he falls on hard times. The town needs protection from bandits, so the samurai gathers six others to help him teach the people how to defend themselves, and the villagers provide the soldiers with ...

Farewell Rabaul (1954)

A squadron of Japanese fighter pilots realise that they are never going to win the war when they understand that Japanese military tactics have little regard for life. Seeking the companionship of any woman who will have them, they spend their days indulgi ...

The Eagle of the Pacific (1953)

Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, a brilliant tactician, is a loyal subject of the emperor, despite his grave misgivings about leading Japan's navy into war with the United States. He opposes the attack on Pearl Harbor, but, overruled, he leads his forces to the b ...

The Man Who Came to Port (1952)

An Ishiro Honda film. ...

Ikiru (1952)

Kanji Watanabe is a middle-aged man who has worked in the same monotonous bureaucratic position for decades. Learning he has cancer, he starts to look for the meaning of his life. ...

Tokyo Sweetheart (1952)

Following the Second World War, the lives of various people in a poverty-stricken area of Tokyo are entertwined. Pachinko parlor girls, shoeshine boys, a maker of costume jewelry, and a streetcorner artist all struggle to make their livings and to find hap ...

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. ...