Kunitaro Sawamura

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.

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Japan, 1137. The Taira family, a samurai clan, becomes involved in the disputes between Emperor Toba and the monks of Mount Hiei.

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Japan, 1159. Moritō, a brave samurai, performs a heroic act by rescuing the lovely Kesa during a violent uprising. Moritō falls in love with her, but becomes distraught when he finds out that she is married.

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Directed by Daisuke Itō.

Itarō abandons his life as a hatamoto to become a yakuza.

A struggling Japanese neighborhood supermarket manager chances upon an old classmate, who has plenty of ideas for revitalizing his business.

A woman loses her son through an evil conspiracy and commits suicide. Shortly afterwards a ghost cat begins haunting the conspirators. This is Takako Irie's first bakeneko (ghost cat) movie; it started a Daiei cycle which was very popular at the time in Japan.

The sword of the chivalrous warrior is drawn amid the struggle for a legendary sword and a plot to assassinate a young princess.

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A historical drama about a foul-mouthed but good-natured traveller.

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A series of murders surrounds the 70,000 ryō in buried treasure hidden by the Kanayama Magistrate.

After killing a man who owed him neither a debt of gratitude nor a grudge, Tokijiro decides to leave the yakuza life behind in accordance with the code of honor—but becomes an assistant to yakuza for the sake of the man’s orphaned child his mother.

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The first film produced by Daiei.

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A handsome young man infiltrates the Tanuki Kingdom, where conspiracies swirl around the Divine Mirror; he rescues the princess and turns the evil ministers against each other.

A man gets rid of a cheap pot without knowing it contains a map to a treasure. As word spreads, many join in hunting it.

The story of the hardships facing women working as maids and waitresses at a resort hotel restaurant.

Roppeita is big in size, clumsy and full of energy. When his grandfather orders him to move out to Tokyo to save a sinking milk delivery business a distant relative of his runs, he encounters the most strangest of clientele.

Ise, a successful entrepreneur, accidentally murders his lunatic wife after he is spotted having an affair with his secretary, Harumi. In his attempt to perfect his crime, he drives to a remote quarry to bury his wife’s body, but along the way, he finds another dead body in the back of his car! Given no choice, Ise dumps both bodies. Meanwhile, Yoshie begins her search for her missing brother, Yoshihiko. After surprising twists and turns, Ise faces his fate.

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The film vividly shows the misadventures of Oishi Kuranosuke and the human dramas inside the castle, which lead to the surrender of Ako Castle after seppuku by its lord Asano Takumi-no-kami and the termination of his family's power. This is the first film of the Ako Castle trilogy.

In a warehouse area at night, a drunk chief engineer is stabbed to death by someone who whistles. After the break of dawn, two seamen join the crew of a rusty cargo ship Kaiyo Maru. One is a troublemaker with bad attitudes, Senkichi Nomura, who pursues an enemy in order to take revenge for his father's death. The other is Keizo Sasaki, a buff, eagle-eyed man on board for a certain mission.

When Mr. Kurano, a shady Osaka tycoon, had his mistress Yuriko Haruyama run off on him, he hired the bumbling detective Hanawa to track her down. Hanawa deduced she was staying in Tokyo and, using the birthmark on her breast as a clue, headed to Tokyo. He zeroed in on the “Chaotic Hotel” and stormed right in. The hotel’s guests include a motley crew of chaotic characters.

Japanese drama film.

Five years after parting ways, two people who had once envisioned a life together met again: he was a yakuza out of work, and she was a woman of the night.

A legendary gangster raises himself out of a small town and gathers followers on his rise to power.

At the end of the Edo period - On his way back after being invited by the three Mikados of Higashi Shirakawa, Kurama Tengu was attacked by the Shinsengumi. Given the circumstances, he began to suspect a connection between the Mikado and the Shinsengumi.

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Tradition and modernity clash when a young woman inherits a sweet-making firm in Kyoto.

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The 1st movie in the Kobushidake denki series.

The movie is about a man who started a brothel to make money out of his poor circumstances in the late Meiji period.

Jirocho's Tale of Three Provinces IV: All Gathered at Shimizu Harbor is the forth installment in the Jirocho's Tale of Three Provinces series.

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This is Kanjûrô Arashi's first film with Nikkatsu after his independent production company went bankrupt (many of these independent companies went bankrupt shortly after the transition to sound). As he is mostly famous for his portrait of Kurama tengu (and on the other hand, he's the definitive actor for Kurama Tengu as well), Nikkatsu made another version of Kurama tengu, co-directed by Masahiro Makino & Sadatsugu Matsuda who are both sons of Shozo Makino. Scripted by Yoshitake Hisa, a jidaigeki specialist who later scripted several Toei All-Star Jidaigeki.

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Early jidaigeki by Tai Kato.

Jirocho and his followers chase the Kurokomas into the Kai Province.

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The legendary tale of the forty-seven samurai who seek vengeance against the man who caused their master's death.

A film about sumo wrestler Wakanohana Kanji I. He was nicknamed "Devil of the dohyo" due to his excellent fighting spirit and endurance.

1958 Mito Kōmon film.

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A film about the rivalry and friendship between firefighter Chоji and sumo wrestler Sokichi Fudoyama.

The mysterious black hooded man, Kurozukin, helps transport funds raised to fight against the government.

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Kindaichi challenges the mystery of an incident in which three sisters were killed one after the other according to an ancient tradition on an isolated island in the Seto Inland Sea. Kosuke Kindaichi received a will from his friend Kito, which said, "Go to Gokumon Island to save my three younger sisters," and Kosuke went to Gokumon Island. Upon arriving at the residence of Quito, there were three beautiful sisters, a crazy father, a cousin of Sanae, and Kosuke plunged into a strange atmosphere. The film adaptation of the masterpiece novel of the same name by Seishi Yokomizo. Kyozo Kataoka plays Detective Kosuke Kindaichi, and Ryutaro Otomo plays Inspector Isokawa, who can be called Kindaichi's best partner.

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A samurai detective film.

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1952 Japanese movie

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The second film in the 1953 trilogy based on the long novel series The Great Bodhisattva Pass.

Jirocho the gambler hits the road.

Tatsuo Osone movie

Saotome, a sword master and guard of the Shogunate, pursues the mystery of a deadly aerial weapon that is responsible for the multiple deaths in town.

The story of legendary Korean-Japanese wrestler Rikidozan.

After being expelled from the Chiba Dojo , Hirate Zoshu , along with his acquaintances Tadaki Ganryu and Tamon Jubei, were hired as bodyguards by Sasagawa Shigezo, and became embroiled in a gamblers' feud known as the "Tenpo Suikoden.

The purple hood reveals the embezzlement of public money by officials. A remake of Masahiro Makino's 1923 film.

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Sequel to "Island of Horrors" (獄門島, 1949).

Bored Hatamoto film #16.

Bored Hatamoto movie #11

Famed swordsman Araki Mataemon must face his best friend as they are forced to take opposite sides in a vendetta caused by the murder of a family member.

In the midst of the Siege of Osaka in the Sengoku period, a thrilling tale unfolds featuring a trio of ronin who manipulate a group of spies, a mysterious woman protecting a young lord, and the overwhelming roar of the Warring States captured on the silver screen.

Based on the comic by Machiko Hasegawa

In Nihonbashi, a fire broke out in the Kodenma-cho prison, and the prisoners were released. With the proviso that if the prisoner does not return within three days, or if he leaves Edo Prefecture, he will be sentenced to death. Prisoner Yakichi went to Matsumoto to see his mother, who was in critical condition. However, Yoriki Matsukura tries to catch Yakichi and bring him to execution.

1954 Japanese movie

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The Lord of Okazaki is killed by his brother-in-law. Although the Lord's widow bears a child, she is also killed. Then, a ghost cat begins stalking in the castle.

The action of this historical drama takes place against the background of poverty and hunger in the city of Edo and depicts young people rebelling against the contradictions of feudal society.

An adaptation of the famous novel by Jiromasa Gunji about the difficult story of Niiro Tsuruchiyo, the illegitimate son of the great elder of the Bakumatsu era, Ii Naosuke. This masterpiece depicts the suffering and love of Tsuruchiyo, who never knew his father until the end of his life. Niiro Tsuruchiyo, the illegitimate son of Elder Ii Naosuke, grew up with his mother, a former geisha. However, he was refused an engagement to Yae, the daughter of Samanosuke Yoshimura from the Maeda domain of Kaga Province, to whom she tied her future. After this refusal, Tsuruchiyo begins to be interested in the mystery of his birth…

As the reputation of Sasaki Kojiro, who traveled through various provinces with his long sword seeking duels, began to spread, he was summoned by Lord Hosokawa Sansai upon the recommendation of Kokura clan warrior Iwama Kakubei. However, at this time, due to the proposal by Nagaoka Sado, it was agreed that Kojiro would face Miyamoto Musashi in a duel. If he won, Kojiro would officially become the chief instructor, as he desired. Until then, he had a provisional stipend of 500 koku. Learning that Musashi was in Kyoto, Kojiro set off for the city. En route, he was joined by a woman named Shino, who held a grudge against Musashi.

Hatamoto Ooka Gentaro was deeply committed to a future with a beautiful girl named Omachi, a relationship facilitated by his love of the shamisen. Omachi was stalked by a ronin named Akiyama Kanosuke, and at one point, Gentaro and Akiyama dueled at Matanuiyama, but the confrontation was left unresolved when Omachi, sensing urgency, called the authorities. Meanwhile, Gentaro's uncle, Kii-no-kami, concerned about Gentaro's whereabouts, ordered him to investigate a conspiracy by Tachibana Tadama, a tyrannical director of Hachijo who exercised his power oppressively in Shimousa Iioka. Gentaro attempted to leave on a journey with Omachi but was obstructed by his uncle's retainers.

1951 Japanese movie. The characters of Mito Kōmon and Yaji and Kita are brought together

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Two brothers, Takamaru and Kikumaru, are living with their father, Hakuraku-Ou, until one day Hakuraku-Ou is killed by "Death's-Head" Ginnosuke, a villain skilled in the art of sorcery. Hakuraku-Ou had long been seeking a Tiger Seal which, together with the Dragon Seal in his possession, would reveal the location of a huge ancestral fortune. But on the very night that the Tiger Seal was found, it was stolen by Tomomitsu, Ginnosuke's chief. When the two brothers receive the Dragon Seal from their father just before his death they determine to go to Death's-Head Castle, in order to recover the Tiger Seal.

Adaptation of the novel by Osaragi Jirō. Again scripted by the legendary Yamanaka Sadao

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Adaptation of the novel by Osaragi Jirō.

The rise of the famed gambler.

A man is brutally murdered and his famed shamisen (a three-stringed musical instrument) called the "Yamabiko" stolen. Prince Kogenta swears to avenge his father-in-law's death and retrieve the family heirloom.

Japanese film.

The time was the first year of Keio (1865). Upon hearing the news that the Imperial Army was approaching Hida Takayama, the district head Shimizu Uzen fled to Edo. Local officials like Yoshida Bunsuke and Yoshizumi Hironoshin showed their allegiance by welcoming them. The commander at the time, Umemura Hayami, was a former member of the Tengu Party and had previously been pursued in the town. He took refuge in a restaurant named Kabuya, and owing to a tip-off from a woman named Oraku, he was almost captured for her lover, Yoshizumi. Oraku and Yoshizumi probably feared revenge from that previous encounter, but Umemura had come back to Hida because he couldn't forget Oraku.

1929 Japanese movie

1950 Japanese movie

Fourth film in the 'Travels of Lord Mito' franchise.

On March 11 in the seventh year of Tenpo (1836), a monk named Bennō, who fell in love with a geisha named Oshima, was publicly exposed at Nihonbashi for committing an illicit act with a woman. While this was happening, an extravagant procession led by another monk named Nikkei passed over the bridge. Nikkei, the head of the Kanouin temple, in collusion with Nakano Harima-no-Kami, had schemed to make his younger sister, Miyoshi, the Shogun's mistress and aimed to transform Kanouin into the Shogun's family temple. To fund the renovations, Nikkei accepted bribes from a corrupt merchant named Koya Bunzo.

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The first film in the 1953 trilogy based on the long novel series The Great Bodhisattva Pass.

Kintaro goes on a journey to his hometown to meet his mother and sister. His love for singing leads him to a perceptive and cheerful girl named Onatsu... A road trip comedy featuring Kokichi Takada and Hibari Misora singing and dancing.

The 2nd movie in the Kobushidake denki series.

During the Tenpo era, the peasants of the Kanto region were in dire straits due to successive natural disasters. Maebashi's boss, Shiroganeya Ginjiro, allied with the magistrate Yamaoka Jintayu, and, using his baton as a shield, he committed a series of evil acts, earning the peasants' animosity. At this time, Omaeda Eigoro, who had been on a long journey, returned with his horseman Kunisada Chuji. Eigoro was popular with yakuza all over the country, and the Shiroganeya family, whose territory had been disturbed until then, were alarmed by the news of Eigoro's return.

Final installment of the Okochi / Arai / Yamanaka Mito Komon series and just as good as the others (a good deal longer, as well). Again, this film like the other two is similar in tone and spirit to the Yamanaka Tange Sazen film and would appeal to fans of that film.

The president of the Hong Kong Almond Cola company, Liu's grandfather, signed a purchase and sale agreement with Showa Nakajima from Japan, and shortly before leaving for Japan, someone attacked him. Before he died, before he lost consciousness, he transferred all the rights to the company to his close confidant Murota and told him to transfer them to his daughter, whom he left in Japan 20 years ago. Murota, who inherited Liu's will, went to Japan. However, the gang of James Howe, the head of the Hong Kong trading world, was waiting for him, seeking to obtain the rights to Almond Cola…

Ryō Hagiwara movie

The phantom thief, known as the "Actor Kid", who was creating a stir in the Daimyo's mansion, especially in the inner chambers, was called Inaba Goutaro. He was the adopted son of a samurai, Inaba Buemon. An incident occurred where his foster father collided with the palanquin of the lord's concubine. In the subsequent altercation, Goutaro killed one of the attendants. Taking responsibility for the act, his foster father committed seppuku, and Goutaro was hunted down. Facing death, his foster father revealed to Goutaro that after the death of his biological father, Goutaro's real mother and his younger brother were forcibly made to serve a lord. This revelation ignited Goutaro's determination to infiltrate the Daimyo's mansion to meet his birth mother.

Early jidaigeki by Tai Kato

The first film in the Daiei series. At the command of Lord Aiba, Tange Sazen targets two famous swords owned by Onozuka Tessai.

The story of a lovely "maiko" who bloomed in Gion. Three half-sisters play out a tale of tearful love between father and daughters against the backdrop of the city's dance festival.

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Second part of director Hiroshi Inagaki's 1940 adaptation of the story of Musashi Miyamoto.

A group of fishing boats dot the deep blue lake with white clouds rolling by. A heartwarming lyrical drama about the love story between an innocent girl and a young sailor set in a simple fishing village, set to the hit song by Yukiko Nomura, and the mother's love.

film directed by Tai Katô

O-Kiyo (Mitsuko Mito), who had escaped from her boss, Shoden, who controlled the Sensoji Temple district, was desperately contemplating suicide when she was rescued by ronin Kojuro Tozawa (Kazuo Hasegawa), who hid her in a dilapidated apartment building. The Shoden clan desperately searched for O-Kiyo, but Kojuro found a huge sum of 50 ryo and ransomed O-Kiyo. Unable to accept this outcome, the enraged Shoden clan attempted to win the favor of constable Jinnosuke Nakayama (Kusuo Abe), seeking to demolish the dilapidated building and transform the area into a pleasure district. However, Kojuro thwarted their plans, bringing joy to the poor residents of the building. After demonstrating his remarkable skills, Kojiro revealed his true identity - he was a prominent hatamoto.