Known for Acting
Born
January 30, 1937
Died
July 18, 2018 (age 81)
Birthplace
Kijimadaira, Nagano Prefecture, Japan
Filmography
73 films, 3 shows


Still the Water
2014 · 2h 1m
country: Japan
On the Japanese island of Amami, despite lacking parental guidance, Kaito and his girlfriend Kyoko try to find their place in the world. While Kaito suffers from the absence of his father, who moved to Tokyo after his birth, Kyoko must come to grips with her mother’s terminal illness.


Journey of a Dying Wife
2011 · 1h 53m
country: Japan
Why is it a crime for two people to be together? In the silence so profound that you could even hear the sound of falling snow, the man buried his wife alone. That was what his wife had wished for. When a loved one is dying, what can one do for them? 272 days, 6000 km—this is the true story of a couple's extraordinary love. December 2, 1999. A small article about the arrest of a man appeared on the social page of the newspaper. The charge was "abandonment resulting in death"—the crime of abandoning someone who needed assistance due to old age, childhood, physical disability, or illness, and causing their death. The man had been wandering around Japan for nine months with his wife, who had terminal cancer, in a van. In the fall of 2000, the monthly magazine "Shincho 45" published the memoir of the arrested man, Hisanori Shimizu, in two issues, which caused a great sensation.


Clouds of Yesterday
2005
country: Japan


Kah-chan
2001 · 1h 36m
country: Japan
Okatsu is a widow raising five children - adults but still mama-dependent - in mid-eighteenth century Edo, Japan. Her frugality attracts unflattering comment even amid national tough times (the region is in famine) What Okatsu tells no one is that she saves so that a friend can start his own business once he's released from prison.


Komugironotenshi sugare oi
1999 · 1h 35m
country: Japan
Kenichi, a fifth-grader, moved from Tokyo to the Ina Valley to receive treatment for his asthma. At his new elementary school, he meets Sabu, the class clown; Masaru; and Karen, a girl born in Brazil.


The Eel
1997 · 1h 57m
country: Japan
A businessman kills his adulterous wife and is sent to prison. After his release, he opens a barbershop and meets new people, talking to almost no one except for an eel he befriended while in prison.


Noh Mask Murders
1991 · 1h 49m
country: Japan
The patriarch of a bickering family announces his retirement, stirring competition about who will succeed him as a leading practitioner of Noh theater, his granddaughter or grandson.


Rainbow Kids
1991 · 2h
country: Japan
A wealthy matriarch is kidnapped by a gang of three. She is insulted by the amount of money they propose to demand as ransom, and a strange interchange of roles takes place.


Dreams
1990 · 1h 59m
country: Japan
Eight visually rich vignettes drawn from Kurosawa’s own dreams—fox weddings and vanished orchards, a soldier’s ghosts, a walk through Van Gogh’s canvases, nuclear nightmares, and a water-mill utopia—meditate on childhood, art, mortality, and humanity’s uneasy bond with nature.


Nozomi Witches
1990 · 1h 40m
country: Japan
Nozomi is a former actress who moves back to Japan from New Zealand. Upon arriving, she meets her fellow high school student neighbor Ryotaro Shiba, who decides to join the high school boxing club. Adapted from Toshio's Nobe manga, with the same title.


Universal Laws
1990 · 1h 59m
country: Japan
A young man working as a first-class fashion designer decides to give up his business and return to his hometown after the sudden death of his father.


Cats on Park Avenue
1989 · 1h 40m
country: Japan
A story about the lives of young aspiring dancers who strive to create their own musical about stray cats.


Business Trip
1989 · 1h 31m
country: Japan


Black Rain
1989 · 2h 3m
country: Japan
Shigematsu Shizuma, who lives with his family in a village near Fukuyama, was in Hiroshima with his wife and niece just after the devastating atomic bombing, a tragedy that cruelly took the lives of thousands of people and forever marked the harsh existence of the survivors.


Yawara!
1989 · 1h 37m
country: Japan
Yawara Inokuma is a girl who aspires to an ordinary life but due to her innate talent is forced to practice judo by her authoritarian grandfather, Jigorou Inokuma, with the aim of achieving the championship in Japan and the gold medal in the Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games. Because of the pressure from her grandfather she has a generally bad attitude about judo, avoiding it as much as she can. However, over time she comes to understand why her grandfather loves judo and appreciates it more.


The Panda Story
1988 · 1h 48m
country: Japan
Kayo, a zookeeper, dreams of raising a panda one day. However, she soon decided to study abroad in China, and her dream came true. As soon as Kayo arrived in Sichuan Province, she met a boy named Ryuryu, and together they helped save an injured panda cub. The panda cub regained his strength and was named Hua Hua, but one day he went missing…


Crane
1988 · 1h 33m
country: Japan
Based on the folk tales "Repayment from a crane". One snowy night a beautiful woman named Tsuru (Crane) visits poor peasant Taiju and says she will become his wife...


Yamada Village Waltz
1988 · 1h 34m
country: Japan
In Yamada Village, which is suffering from a serious shortage of wives due to the wave of depopulation, four young men from the village decide to go on an arranged marriage. However, they are rejected by the other women because of Yamada Village's too rural character. Then, a beautiful young writer, Ayakoji Reika, who has fallen into a slump, comes to Yamada Village in search of the countryside...


Golf Before Dawn
1987 · 1h 30m
country: Japan
Comedy film.


The Tale of Genji
1987 · 1h 50m
country: Japan
Genji, the son of the emperor, is the talk of the Kyoto nobility for his charm and good looks, yet he cannot stop himself from pursuing an unobtainable object of desire: his father's young and beautiful bride. Following the tragic consequences of his obsession, Genji wanders from one affair to another, always seeking some sort of completion to his life.


Bedtime Eyes
1987 · 1h 58m
country: Japan
Based on a polemic novel by Amy Yamada, Bedtime Eyes is about the intense love relationship between a second rate Japanese jazz singer and a black American GI on the margins of the law.


Castle in the Sky
1986 · 2h 5m
country: Japan
A young boy and a girl with a magic crystal must race against pirates and foreign agents in a search for a legendary floating castle.


No More Comics!
1986 · 2h 7m
country: Japan
Stuck doing show-biz schlock, an investigative reporter stumbles on a scheme to swindle pensions through an attractive gold futures scam, a potential news-story.


Ryota from Mandalaya
1986 · 1h 41m
country: Japan
Live-action adaptation of Jun Hatanaka's manga "Mandaraya no Ryota".


The Burmese Harp
1985 · 2h 13m
country: Japan
In the War's closing days, when a conscience-driven Japanese soldier fails to get his countrymen to surrender to overwhelming force, he adopts the lifestyle of a Buddhist monk.


Night on the Galactic Railroad
1985 · 1h 48m
country: Japan
Lonely and awkward, Giovanni struggles with his sick mother, absent father, and an afterschool job that isolates him from his peers. But on the night of the Festival of Stars, he is magically transported onto a celestial train with his only friend, Campanella. Together, they embark on an extraordinary journey through the galaxy, encountering mysterious characters and grappling with life's deepest questions.


Let Him Rest in Peace
1985 · 1h 43m
country: Japan
A man returns to his seaside roots to confront a yakuza boss. Along the way, he charms young men, softens a hard woman and busts a few heads.


Gon, the Little Fox
1985 · 1h 15m
country: Japan
Gon is a little fox. Looking for food he comes to a little village where he repeatedly steals food and creates other mischief, constantly evading the angry villagers.


Capone Cries a Lot
1985 · 2h 10m
country: Japan
Umiemon is a naniwa-bushi singer who travels with his wife to the United States in hopes of achieving fame and fortune.


Moment of Demon
1985 · 1h 54m
country: Japan
Filled with guilt over his forbidden desires, a young man leaves home and his studies. He finds a new smaller place to stay, a low-paying but satisfying job and a girlfriend. Then his mother, unable to fight her forbidden desires, shows up.


Adrift at Sea
1983 · 1h 37m
country: Japan
The Story of the three Japanese castaways Otokichi, Kyukichi and Iwakichi. After their ship the Hojunmaru was damaged, they drifted to America and landed on the US-Westcoast in 1834. They had the wish to return to Japan, a long journey was awaiting them.


Unico in the Island of Magic
1983 · 1h 31m
country: Japan
A young unicorn named Unico must fight an evil magician and save everyone who's trapped under his spell.


Karate Cop 2
1983 · 1h 46m
country: Japan
Karate expert Katayama (Takeda) investigates the robbery of a bank in Hokkaido, where an apple seed left at the scene holds the answer to the robbers' whereabouts.


The Ballad of Narayama
1983 · 2h 10m
country: Japan
In a small village in a valley everyone who reaches the age of 70 must leave the village and go to a certain mountain top to die. If anyone should refuse they would disgrace their family. Old Orin is 69. This winter it is her turn to go to the mountain. But first she must make sure that her eldest son Tatsuhei finds a wife.


"BLOW THE NIGHT!" Let's Spend the Night Together
1983 · 1h 49m
country: Japan
"BLOW THE NIGHT!" Let's Spend the Night Together is a 1983 Japanese docu-drama shot on 16mm film starring actual Yanki gang members as many of the main characters.


A Zoo Without an Elephant
1982 · 1h 19m
country: Japan
In 1949, after the war, Hidé and his sister Myoko are poor and live in a makeshift hut under the bridge and do their best to survive. When Myoko recovers from an illness, he offers to take her to the Zoo to show her the impressive elephant that marked him during a visit when he was younger. He will be angry to find that there is no more elephant, replaced by a cardboard reproduction. Sankichi, a Zoo employee will tell him the sad truth about what happened.


A Pool Without Water
1982 · 1h 43m
country: Japan
After saving a girl from rape, a bored rail worker finds out about a chemical that makes people sleep and gets carried away into a new, violent world of ideas.


Lowly Ronin
1981 · 1h 30m
country: Japan
Reprising his role from the popular TV series "Koya no Suronin" (The Lowly Ronin), Mifune Toshiro stars in this full-length, stand-alone made for TV movie. The wandering ronin is reminiscent of his most famous role as the samurai without a name in Kurosawa's "Yojimbo" and "Sanjuro". He travels about Japan, and while he may seek happiness, violence and tragedy always cross his path. This time, he reluctantly agrees when a girl hires him to kill a local offical who has unfairly taxed her villagers. But he soon discoves that not all is at it appears when he finds a direct link to his past.


Lonely Heart
1981 · 1h 45m
country: Japan
A police procedural surrounding murder at a bookstore and the private lives of the cops trying to solve the case.


The Wild Daisy
1981 · 1h 31m
country: Japan
Born in affluent families among the Japanese mountains, two close cousins fall in love and have to suffer through the social constraints of their time.


Tetsugen
1981 · 1h 55m
country: Japan
Japanese film based on the life of Zen Master Tetsugen Doko.


Koto: The Ancient City
1980 · 2h 5m
country: Japan
Chieko (Momoe Yamaguchi) has been raised as the only child of parents who run a dry goods store. When Chieko was a middle-school student, she learned that her parents are not her biological parents. Cheiko's mother told her that she was stolen while sleeping under a cherry tree in Gion, Kyoto, Japan, but Chieko doesn't believe that. Her relationship with her parents is very close. Chieko only tells her childhood friend Shinichi, but...


An Ocean to Cross
1980 · 2h
country: Japan
Set in Japan's Tenpyou era (729-749 CE), four young monks are sent to China to study Buddhism and bring a high priest back to Japan with them. The film tells the tale of the four monks' youth and the life and times of the high priest Ganjin.


Demon Pond
1979 · 2h 4m
country: Japan
When a lone traveller stumbles upon a remote, drought-stricken village, he finds himself engulfed in a whirlpool of myth, mystery, and magic: in a nearby pond reside spirits who hold the fate of the town’s inhabitants, including lovers Akira and Yuri, in their hands.


The House of Hanging
1979 · 2h 19m
country: Japan
This time, Kousuke investigates a murder in a hospital. The murderer leaves misleading evidence to divert Kousuke's attention on the case. Suspicion and doubt clouds Kousuke's mind.


Maegami Tarou
1979 · 1h 15m
country: Japan
This is a folk-tale-like adventure story of an active boy on a quest for the Water of Life. The boy sets out on this quest after learning that the Water of Life is needed to make his village happy. On the way, he meets gods, demons... Soon, he discovers that the evil snake has stolen the Water, and he heads for the snake's palace. Defeating the snake is not easy since it has the Water of Life to revive itself. This boy - Maegami Tarou - continues his courageous quest in cooperation with various creatures and the gods.


The Fighting Rascal
1979 · 1h 27m
country: Japan


Queen Bee
1978 · 2h 20m
country: Japan
To solve the mystery of a murder of an old governess which takes place at a wealthy Daidoji family's country estate, family secrets and lies dating back several generations must be sorted out once and for all.


Sugata Sanshiro
1977 · 2h 23m
country: Japan
The story of Sanshiro Sugata, a young man who wants to learn the new art of judo. A wise teacher reveals to Sanshiro that judo is not merely a means of combat nor a demonstration of physical skill, but an art which reveals the artist to himself.


The Story of a Geisha
1977 · 1h 14m
country: Japan
In the year 1873, a Japanese woman is sold as a mistress to an American diplomat stationed in Japan.


Seasonal Wind
1977 · 1h 29m
country: Japan
Shinji, a young man who accidentally met a successful model, moves to Tokyo because of his admiration for her. However, a harsh reality awaits him in Tokyo. As a result, Shinji returns to his hometown to start life anew. A romantic drama inspired by the hit song of the same name by Goro Noguchi.


The Wild Daisy
1977 · 1h 15m
country: Japan
Teenage cousins Masao and Tamiko fall in love when she comes to his riverside brewery house to take care of his sickly mother. Family objections ensue as Tamiko is older than Masao, and the two cannot marry in peace.


Lullaby to Kill
1977 · 2h 24m
country: Japan
Kôsuke Kindaichi, a somewhat peculiar private detective, visits a remote town. He meets a police detective and they start to investigate an old unsolved murder. Then some murders happen. Kindaichi must find out about the past in order to reveal who the murderer is.


Human Revolution II
1976 · 2h 39m
country: Japan
Dramatic story of one man trying to make a difference.


The Sea of Genkai
1976 · 2h 3m
country: Japan
Two yakuza, one of whom frequently reflects on an uncomfortable past taking advantage of Korean women, meet a stowaway on Japanese soil from across the Genkai Sea.


Death at an Old Mansion
1975 · 1h 46m
country: Japan
A woman and her bridegroom are found murdered in their bed the day after their wedding. It had snowed overnight and the killer left no tracks. It is up to an amateur detective to figure out what happened. Carefully and systematically, he pieces together the clues in this locked room mystery.


Lupin the Third: Strange Psychokinetic Strategy
1974 · 1h 22m
country: Japan
The Maccherone organization is out to get a priceless national treasure. But when they see third-generation cat-burglar Lupin as an obstacle, countless assassins are sent to kill him on sight and kidnap his girl Fujiko! Can Lupin get the loot before the Maccherone gang, rescue Fujiko, and stay alive at the same time?


The Wanderers
1973 · 1h 40m
country: Japan
Follows the fluctuating fortunes of three ronin in feudal Japan who wander from castle to castle, selling their services to whichever lord will fill their rice bowls. Though they use the servants' entrance, they still feel themselves bound by the samurai code of Bushido; and this tension leads to tragedy.


The Three Musketeers of Japan: Adieu, Tokyo!
1972 · 1h 28m
country: Japan
Three men with completely different backgrounds and beliefs—one in his forties who lived through the war, one in his thirties who grew up in the postwar era, and one in his twenties who has never experienced the war—hit it off and cause a great commotion.


Kumo no Yuna
1971 · 1h 15m
country: Japan


New Shameless School
1971 · 1h 22m
country: Japan
Former students of the notorious Harenchi Gakuen college open a new school for dissident youths after their former school is ruined by disputes.


The Revelation of a Geisha
1970 · 1h 27m
country: Japan
After the bankruptcy of her foster-father's condom factory, Tamae sets out to make a living on her own and ends up working as a geisha at a hot spring resort. After rising in popularity, a climactic sex battle is held to decide who gets to lay claim to her.


Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo
1970 · 1h 55m
country: Japan
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 legend.


Red Lion
1969 · 1h 57m
country: Japan
Japan, February 1868. As the Tokugawa shogunate declines and the power of Emperor Meiji grows, Gonzo, a soldier of the Restoration Army, returns to Sawando, his hometown, to announce the end of tyranny.


Secret Information
1968 · 1h 30m
country: Japan
A gangster named Sagara killed a broker at the request of a friend named Oba, was arrested and spent eight years in prison. Now released, he wants to find out who squealed on him.


Red Beard
1965 · 3h 5m
country: Japan
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 Beard proves a wise and patient teacher. He gradually introduces his student to the unglamorous side of the profession, ultimately assigning him to care for a prostitute rescued from a local brothel.


Samurai Assassin
1965 · 2h 2m
country: Japan
Japan, 1860. The men of the Mito clan, victims of the Ansei purge, anxiously prowl around the Sakurada Gate of Edo Castle with the intention of assassinating Naosuke Ii of Hikone, tairō of the Tokugawa shogunate and responsible for their misfortune.


Revenge
1964 · 1h 44m
country: Japan
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 clan. Declared mentally unstable by the corrupt authority, Shinpachi begins his descent into true insanity…


Sasuke and His Comedians
1963 · 1h 40m
country: Japan
Osaka in the early 1600s, aftermath of the historical Battle of Sekigahara; a group of orphan children are wandering through the battlefield scavenging for armour when they encounter a young boy named Sasuke with magical powers he says came from a meteor that crashed onto the Earth…


Kyu-chan, Draw Your Sword
1963 · 1h 27m
country: Japan
A laid-back man tries to become a member of the yakuza.


Miyamoto Musashi III: Birth of Two Sword Style
1963 · 1h 43m
country: Japan
In the third installment of Yoshikawa's novel Musashi, things continue from the 2nd film at the end of battle, where Miyamoto continues on a mission of learning; with the introduction of his arch-rival Sasaki Kojiro; and lastly the large cast of characters rendezvouses for a fateful finale.


Mama, I Need You!
1962 · 1h 30m
country: Japan
After finishing the course of junior high school, Kazuo comes up to Tokyo, leaving his mother alone in the unproductive northern district. He finds a job in a small laundry in downtown Tokyo and works hard till late at night. At a nearby restaurant a brother and sister are working, and Kazuo becomes friendly with the girl, Yoneko. Love blossoms between the two. However, Yoneko's brother objects to his sister marrying Kazuo.


Seikurabe
1962 · 1h 7m
country: Japan
Japanese drama film.