Ayako Kobayashi

Edo is rocked by the news that a duel to the death is to be held at Takadanobaba, the famed site of a bloody revenge fought by Nakayama Yasubei, who late married into the Ako clan where he was one of the 47 ronin who took vengeance against the vile Lord Kira. This hallowed spot is to host a match between two of the finest swordsmen in Edo. Each is backed by a high ranking direct vassal of the shogun, who had bet their family heirlooms on the outcome. The loser was to commit seppuku and have his clan disbanded. Meanwhile a band of brigands are placing their bets on the fencer who had earlier killed their leader. Can retired master swordsman Akiyama Kohei keep this from becoming a major disaster?

Shūji Yamaoka was a suicide pilot during the war who somehow survived Japan's surrender. After decades of working as a fisherman in Kumamoto, a provincial seaside city in southern Kyushu, Yamaoka remains reluctant to discuss his wartime experiences with anyone, much less an intrusive reporter looking for a feature story. Then a series of events shake Yamaoka to the core, forcing him to re-evaluate his past.

Two historical incidents that deepened the friendship between Japan and Turkey are connected in this story of friendship and compassion: In the night of 16 September 1890 the Turkish frigate Ertuğrul is caught up in a typhoon and sinks off the Japanese coast. Risking their own lives, local villagers are able to rescue 69 Turkish sailors. Although being very poor and having hardly to eat, the villagers share what little they have with strangers from a country 9,000 kilometers away. 95 years later, during the Iran-Iraq War, more than 300 Japanese are stranded in Tehran. In the morning of 19 March 1985 a Turkish Airlines aircraft takes off for Tehran to evacuate the Japanese. But the remaining Turks at Tehran Mehrabad Airport still need to be convinced that they won't be able to board their own country's rescue flight.

Based on a novel written by Sumithra Rahubadda.

A young girl named Oshin is sent to work for another family, because of her own family's financial condition. Nevertheless, the young girl lives strongly.

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A runaway cat-loving girl begins a love triangle with a reckless older man and a young biker in high school. The film follows their subsequent chaotic relationships.

Oshin comes from a family of poor rice farmers. Her father and brother must work in the fields and her grandmother and mother, who is expecting another child, barely have enough to eat. In order to make ends meet for her family, 7-year-old Oshin gives up school and decides to become a servant in the household of a wealthy family, where she faces trials and tribulation beyond her worst fears.

This story is based on the novel "Jo no mai" by Tomiko Miyao which is based on the life of painter Shōen Uemura (1875–1949), the first woman to be awarded the Order of Culture. The title refers to the masterpiece bijinga ("picture of a beautiful woman") that Uemura painted at the age of 61. The main character, Tsuya Shimamura, is born in Kyoto as the second daughter of a tea trader who dies before her birth. Tsuya, who loves painting more than anything and is hopeless at housework, attends art school and at age 15 receives the name Shōsui (from the characters for "pine" and "green") from her teacher. The crown prince of England purchases one of her works, propelling her to fame overnight. The novel portrays the remainder of her stormy life, during which she is impregnated by her teacher and raises a fatherless child; through it all she devotes herself to her painting, undaunted.

Dvorak's Symphony No. 9, "From the New World" wafts through a hospice recreation room. Sitting at the grand piano is a young girl, Chiori, with a prodigious ability to play any piece of music after one hearing. Keisuke Kisaragi whose career was abruptly cut short when he jumped in front of a bullet fired by a crazed gunman. The nerves in one hand were severed but he saved the life of Chiori. The tragic incident takes the lives of Chiori's parents, however, and Keisuke becomes her guardian. Not long after their return to Japan, Keisuke discovers Chiori's musical gift.

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The samurai Akiyama Daijiro is asked to help a young boy who tries to bring the man who murdered his father to justice. In the course of their quest they uncover a plot by one of the clan officials that could change the course of history.

Looking for a change from city girls, legendary gigolo Jin Kaito heads to the beach town of Shōnan in search of sun, sea, and summer romance. He sets his sights on Ai — a stunning jet-skiing beauty — but she couldn’t care less. Worse yet, her friends beat him up right on a yacht. And the yacht belongs to none other than Ushio, a feared yakuza boss. As punishment, Jin is taken captive by Ushio’s classy but cold wife, Noriko, and her freakishly strong butler. Their demand? Instead of paying for the damages… Jin must satisfy Noriko. Still undeterred, Jin makes a daring bet with Ai, but can he really charm his way out of this mess?

At the strong insistence of his father, Ushimatsu Segawa conceals his origins from a “buraku” area of low-class “untouchables,” leaving his hometown to serve as an elementary school teacher where he excels and is loved by his students. But he constantly struggles with the secret of his low-birth status and is disturbed by all of the discrimination levelled upon his class. It prevents him from pursuing a romance with Shiho, whom he meets at the temple where he resides, but who descends from a samurai family.

A "Goze" is a blind entertainer who travels to various places singing stories while playing the shamisen (Japanese three-stringed lute). Becoming a goze due to her blindness at seven-years-old, Haru was strictly trained with a parent's affection by her once kind mother, Tome.

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Chiyo, a 59 year old mother of 4, had lost her husband seven years ago. She will soon lose her home so she is offered by her eldest son, Ryoichi to live with him and his family. But her children are disappointed to hear that Chiyo has decided to become a live-in housekeeper. Then her eldest daughter Setsuko announced that Chiyo has had an offer of marriage. It is from the widower Kurosaki who had been a friend to Chiyo's deceased husband. Kurosaki runs a small company and has no children but has enough life savings. However, second daughter Tomoe, and youngest child, Yoko, are opposed to it. The siblings begin to argue. Meanwhile, Kurosaki tells his sister Namiko that he has decided to remarry. She is furious because he refuses to tell her anything about Chiyo. Thus, she takes it upon herself to find out about Chiyo and soon has a confrontation with her. Around that time, Kurosaki’s company is about to go bankrupt...

A film adaptation of the great hit memoir of Shimada Yoshichi 'Saga no Gabai Bachan' which sold a total of 6.7 million copies for the entire series. He directed and wrote the script for this film. This tear-jerking and side-splitting work depicts the days of a boy and his "gabai (amazing)" grandmother who overcomes poverty with her bright nature and witty words. In 1958, first grader Akihiro (Morita Haruto) is sent to live with his grandmother (Kayama Yoshiko) in Saga Prefecture as his family struggles financially. He is initially bewildered by the unfamiliar countryside life, but grows into an energetic boy with the help of his lively grandmother.

Master swordsman Akiyama Kohei’s simple life in retirement is jarred into violent sword action when he meets an elderly fencing instructor who may be the target of a group of thieves planning a major armed robbery. At the same time dojo master Daijiro saves the life of man who, although skilled in archery has an aversion to killing and a woman artist comes into town where she is in danger of being raped by one of the thieves. From the pen of noted author Ikenami Shotaro, creator of such classics as Bandit Ve. Samurai, Hunter In The Dark, The Last Samurai, and Hissatsu-The Professional Killers! Brilliant storytelling that leads to superb swordsmanship!

A chance encounter on the road leads to the unusual need for a female bodyguard to protect the granddaughter of an old friend of Akiyama Kohei, a wealthy merchant who plans to bypass his son-in-law as head of the company. When Daijiro’s wife Mifuyu takes on the job strange things start to happen, including the brutal slaughter of company employees. With the backing of Lord Tanuma, a chief elder on the ruling council, Kohei, Daijiro, and Mifuyu form a plan to foil the kidnappers plot and save the girl from certain death.

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Noushin is a single mother who lives by her girl alone and has a peaceful life but when a foreign guy enters their life everything changes for them and new secrets reveal.

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