Known for Sound
Masaru Satō (佐藤 勝) was a Japanese composer of film scores. The youngest of six brothers, all of them music lovers, Masaru Sato decided early in life that he wanted to be a composer. His models were two other composers born, as he was, on the northernmost Japanese island of Hokkaido: Akira Ifukube and Fumio Hayasaka. After hearing Hayasaka's score for Rashomon (1950), Sato decided Hayasaka was the only one he wanted for his teacher. He absorbed much of Hayasaka's modernist leanings, and grew to know Hayasaka's best friend Akira Kurosawa during this period. The year 1955 was a vast turning point for Sato: after scoring numerous insignificant pictures for various studios in Tokyo, Sato won the assignment for Gojira no Gyakushu (1955). Then his teacher Fumio Hayasaka died tragically young, while finishing the score for Kurosawa's Ikimono no Kiroku (1955). Sato stepped in to complete the score, uncredited. Kurosawa was sufficiently pleased with Sato to use him for all his pictures for the following ten years. Though the two had a falling-out after Akahige (1965), Sato remained one of Japan's most in-demand film composers, returning to the Gojira series several times and remaining a favorite of many other directors such as Kihachi Okamoto and June Fukuda. After scoring Dun-Huang in 1987, Sato had to call a brief halt to his career in order to tend to family interests in real estate in his native Hokkaido; but within a few years, the problems were wrapped up, and Sato was able to go back to film composing full time, at last reaching and surpassing his 300th movie score. Sato is almost unique among Japan's prolific film composers in that he has written extensively for his chosen field, but has never written for the concert stage.
Born
May 29, 1928
Died
December 5, 1999 (age 71)
Birthplace
Rumoi, Hokkaido, Japan
Filmography
292 films, 3 shows


After the Rain
2000 · 1h 31m
country: France
A group of travelers is stranded in a small country inn when the river floods during heavy rains. As the bad weather continues, tensions rise amongst the trapped travelers.


A Story of Modern Chivalry
1997 · 1h 54m
country: Japan
A hard-boiled man who lived in the world of the Yakuza, leaves everything behind in search of revenge for his great friend.


Mitabi no kaikyô
1995 · 2h 3m
country: Japan


East Meets West
1995 · 2h 4m
country: Japan
A disgraced warrior planning the murder of a Japanese diplomat, and a ninja in the employ of a navy official are about to land in San Francisco when a band of thieves steal the money the diplomats are carrying. The two set off on a chase across the American west to catch the robbers.


Himeyuri no To
1995 · 2h 1m
country: Japan
The Girls' Division of Okinawa Normal School and the First Okinawa Prefectural High School for Girls were also known as "Himeyuri no Gakuen". In July 1944, the students, who were supposed to spend their summer vacations at home, were called back to school to prepare for the coming war and to fulfill their duties as subjects of the Imperial State. The fate of the girls and teachers awaited them as the American army attacked.


In Blazing Love
1994 · 2h 5m
country: Japan
An illustration of the tragic lives of geishas at a popular geisha house, Shinonomero. Shortly after being sold to a geisha house at age 5, Shizu is befriended by a fellow older geisha, Tsuru. After years of living and working together, Tsuru and Shizu manage to run the operations of Shinonomero as the proprietress and assistant. Despite vows to never to let their lovers come between them or Shinonomero, moments of weakness leave Tsuru and Shizu caught up in a web of betrayal and plunged into debt. With the guilt of losing Shinonomero to Udo, a yakuza who loaned them money, it is now up to young Shizu to redeem Tsuru’s honor and restore Shinonomero as their own.


Free and Easy Special
1994 · 1h 46m
country: Japan
Approached by a friend about a matchmaking arrangement, Su-san goes to Hama-chan's home seeking help. Hama-chan is away on a business trip, but Michiko entertains Su-san late into the night. When he gets drunk and ends up spending the night, Hama-chan, begins to question his boss's relationship with Michiko.


Bloom in the Moonlight “The Story of Rentaro Taki”
1993 · 2h 5m
country: Japan
A dying pianist composes one final song for his childhood friend.


The Oil-Hell Murder
1992 · 1h 55m
country: Japan
The indolent son of an oil vendor becomes a regular customer of a prostitute, racks up a mountain of debt, and is disowned by his parents.


Oda Nobunaga
1992 · 4h
country: Japan
Among the great ‘Warlords’ in Japanese history, Oda Nobunaga holds a unique place. In effect, his military success led to the ultimate unification of the country. This historically accurate portrayal of Nobunaga’s life and times is highlighted by many of Japan’s biggest stars, most notably Watanabe Ken in the lead role. Bloody realistic fighting, massive battles, and castle intrigues all drawn from historical sources bring this 2 part drama to new heights in storytelling.


Free and Easy 4
1991 · 1h 46m
country: Japan
Hama-chan and his wife are ecstatic about their long-awaited pregnancy. Meanwhile, Su-san's nephew joins Hama-chan's department at the company.


War and Youth
1991 · 1h 52m
country: Japan
An auto repairman's daughter questions him about what happened to her aunt during the war, but the father remains reticent. Finally the man opens up, and the girl is able to piece together her aunt's tragic story.


Heat Wave
1991 · 1h 46m
country: Japan
Rin Jyoshima lost her father to death-by-gambling; years later, she's grown up in the Kosugi household and has fallen victim to gambling herself.


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.


Takeda Shingen
1991 · 4h 3m
country: Japan
During the 16th century, Japan was involved in the Sengoku Period, an era of civil wars and the powerful warlords who fought them. One of the earliest and strongest of these men was the Lord Takeda Shingen, a tremendous military genius.


13 Assassins
1990 · 1h 35m
country: Japan
Gathering a band of 13, Inspector General Shmada Shinzaemon sets out on a death-defying journey to cut down the shogun’s half-brother, Matsudaira Naritsugu.


She-Shogun
1990 · 1h 54m
country: Japan
The rise to power of the famed Lady Kasuga no Tsubone, who established the 'Ooku' (the women's quarters at Edo castle) and acted as nursemaid to Tokugawa Iemitsu, the future 3rd Shogun is chronicled in this historical drama. Intrigue and suspicion abound as the two brothers Iemitsu and Tadanaga vie for the post of Shogun, while behind the scenes the remnants of the defeated Toyotomi faction, lead by Lord Ishida Mitsunari attempt to discredit the Tokugawa Shogunate and regain their former position as rulers of the nation. The hidden battles between Shogun Hidetada's wife and mistresses of the 'Ooku' come to light as they force the two brothers into a life or death struggle.


Dream Street
1989 · 1h 35m
country: Japan
A comedy about the lives of people living in the shopping district of Osaka.


The Demon Comes in Spring
1989 · 2h 17m
country: Japan
Island villagers find a young woman and young man swept ashore near their remote village in northeastern Japan. The two have tried to escape the girl's enforced marriage to another man, in order that they may marry themselves. The ancient custom of the village decrees that the angry sea gods must be calmed by throwing the pair back into the sea. The lovers face being sacrificed to the sea gods or perhaps something even more difficult to bear.


Shogun's Shadow
1989 · 1h 54m
country: Japan
A shogun's eldest son must do whatever it takes to survive a series of attempts on his life. He receives much-needed aid from seven warriors who are led by a strong leader.


The Silk Road
1988 · 2h 23m
country: Japan
In 1026, students in western China are shanghaied into the forces of crown prince Li Yuanhao of Xi Xia, who wants to control the length of the Silk Road. One student is Zhao Xingde, who becomes the favorite of his commander, Zhu Wangli. While sacking a fortress, Xingde discovers Tsurpia, princess of the Uighur. He hides her; they fall in love. When he's sent away to study Xixian, he leaves Tsurpia in Zhu's care, but returns to find her engaged to Li. Tragedy follows, and he and Zhu enter a pact to take revenge when Li arrives at Dun-Huang, the region's seat of learning and culture. Against overwhelming odds, they find a surprising way to leave a monument to their life and love.


The Great Department Store Robbery
1987 · 1h 34m
country: Japan


The Forest of the Little Bear
1987 · 1h 57m
country: Japan
Hunting master Ginzo kills a man-eating bear. When he finds out the bear had a cub, Ginzo decides to raise the cub, but the bear later becomes a troublemaker.


Guys Who Never Learn
1987 · 1h 31m
country: Japan
Comedy based on a book by Joji Abe, about a man in prison for the 12th time.


Tokyo Bordello
1987 · 2h 7m
country: Japan
A ruined businessman was forced to sell his daughter, Hisano, to a brothel in Yoshiwara, the largest red-light district in Tokyo. The owner of the brothel has hopes to make her a great new addition which will attract the richest of customers. But after several months of training, she tries to flee Yoshiwara when the time has come for her to take her first customer...


Taikoki
1987 · 4h
country: Japan
Rising from the lowliest of country samurai to the heights of power as Taiko, Toyotomi Hideyoshi is one of the pivotal figures of the Sengoku period.


Yakuza Ladies
1986 · 2h
country: Japan
When her crime boss husband is sent to prison, a woman assumes control of one of the most powerful gangs in Japan.


Kāsan no ki
1986 · 1h 56m
country: Japan
A mother fights to reverse her dismissal from her job as a telephone operator


Death Shadows
1986 · 1h 55m
country: Japan
Three men sentenced to death are spared and changed into “shadows executioners”, a group of ruthless ninja working for mysterious high ranking officials. During their investigation on some illegal business, one of them, called “Yazuke the Viper”, finds his abandoned daughter, Ocho, who has now become a mistress of Denzo, a smuggler. After Yazuke’s death, Ocho is also recruited as a “shadows executioner”, with the task of completing her father’s mission.


Tracked
1985 · 2h 4m
country: Japan
When a fugitive begins a romance with the woman hiding him from the law, it becomes uncertain whether he will ever escape the shadow of his heinous crimes--or the detectives hot on his trail.


Oar
1985 · 2h 14m
country: Japan
Drama about the difficult relationship between a former wrestler, his wife and their adopted children.


Fireflies in the North
1984 · 2h 5m
country: Japan
Set in the icy wilderness of Hokkaido during the early days of the Meiji era, where the brutal warden of Kabato Prison terrorizes convicts sentenced to forced labor to build the roads needed to open up the territory.
君のふるさとに太陽がのぼった
君のふるさとに太陽がのぼった
1984 · 1h 54m
country: Japan
Japanese drama film.


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.


Secret of the Forbidden Valley
1983 · 1h 31m
country: Japan
A thrilling historical drama in which a ronin played plays an active role in redeeming the name of a man who was put to death for a crime, despite being innocent.


The Geisha
1983 · 2h 24m
country: Japan
Yokiro was the most successful Geisha house in Western Japan during the first half of the 20th century and remains open to this day. At its peak, it was home to over 200 geisha, however behind the fabulous facade, there were many battles - between family members, men and women, and with the Yakuza. Momokawa was sold to Yokiro at age 12, and despite being the top geisha, her many complicated relationships provide unending challenges throughout her glamorous but turbulent life.


Our Teacher
1983 · 1h 43m
country: Japan
Japanese film.


Lowly Ronin 6: Betrayal at Yatate Pass
1983 · 1h 31m
country: Japan
Accused of being a spy for a rival clan by Nanbu Clan samurai who then attack him, the 'Lowly Ronin' barely escapes with his life after being shot. Nursed back to health by Yamaoka Daijiro, the one Nanbu Clan retainer that believes him, he must find a way to prove his inno-cence to the others. The two team up together to uncover the mystery and find out who the real spy is that threatens the security of the clan. Against all odds, the two master swordsmen must rely on all their skills to defeat a vast conspiracy and save the clan from being abolished.


Lowly Ronin 5: The Teenage Orphan Girl
1983 · 1h 31m
country: Japan
When the 'Lowly Ronin' helps an orphaned teenage girl avoid being turned into a prostitute, she then claims he is her father and they start a farm as father and daughter until fate steps in and he must draw his sword.


Lowly Ronin 4: Living Hell
1983 · 1h 31m
country: Japan
The "lowly ronin" meets a child who is being chased by men that killed his father before his eyes. Feeling indebted to the child for buying him dinner, the Ronin takes the child back to his village. There, the Ronin reluctantly gets involved in a pathetic revolt by the cowardly villagers against their tyrannical governor. Mifune at his best!


Irezumi
1982 · 1h 42m
country: Japan
To satisfy her lover's fetish for tattooed women, Akane agrees to have her body covered in eloborate tattoos by Kyogoro, an old craftsman. Kyogoro has developed a special technique, by which his assistant, Harutsune, keeps Katsuko's mind off the pain while Kyogoro does his work. After the work is done, Harutsune makes the shocking discovery of how Kyogoro mastered his technique.


南十字星
1982 · 2h 20m
country: Japan


The Highest Honour
1982 · 2h 23m
country: Australia
After a highly successful raid on Singapore Harbour, soldiers of Z Special Unit lead a new expedition in Singapore, with disastrous results.


The Lowly Ronin 3: Duel at Dawn
1982 · 1h 31m
country: Japan
After saving a young Lord from an assassination attempt the Lowly Ronin finds that he is now a wanted man! Accused of being a thief by those that tried to kill the young Lord he must now clear himself of the accusations. Befriended by an old woman, she then attempts to use him for her own designs.


Ah! Nomugi Pass — Fresh Green Edition
1982 · 2h 16m
country: Japan
In a factory that prioritizes profits amid economic downturns, a female worker criticized for her poor performance commits suicide, prompting her colleagues to strike and demand improved working conditions.


Xiongmao Monogatari TaoTao
1981 · 1h 27m
country: Japan
The Story of Panda – Taotao, directed by Shuichi Nakahara and Tatsuo Shimamura, was the first animation produced as a Chinese-Japanese joint venture. Released in December, 1981, the film is about Taotao, a small panda from Sichuan, who was captured and sold to a European zoo, where he got into adventures with his animal friends. The series includes a film in 1981 and a 52-episode series in 1983.


At This Late Date, the Charleston
1981 · 1h 56m
country: Japan
A young man gets thrown into detention after an episode of attempted rape. He soon meets several individuals claiming to be ministers of their own micronation…


Willful Murder
1981 · 2h 12m
country: Japan
The president of the Japanese National Railways is found dead during a period in which train service is plagued by numerous layoffs, strikes and shutdowns. The government says that the president was murdered; the police claim it was a suicide. A quizzical reporter follows the case for years, but the basic question remains unanswered: was the victim killed by members of the burgeoning Communist movement in Japan, or was the death stage-managed by the authorities in hopes of discrediting the Communists?


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.


Toward the Terra
1980 · 1h 53m
country: Japan
A young boy learns he is part of a powerful race of psionic humans who must fight the normal humans determined to keep them from Earth.


A Distant Cry from Spring
1980 · 2h 3m
country: Japan
The quiet life of a mother and her young son living on a farm in Hokkaido is changed by the arrival of a man who ignites flames of romance in the heart of the mother and shows her boy the importance of grit and kindness, but then he leaves with the autumn wind.


The Shogun Assassins
1979 · 2h 28m
country: Japan
This is a film about a real person. Sanada Yukimura fought a war against Tokugawa Ieyasu.


Nomugi Pass
1979 · 2h 34m
country: Japan
The story of the silk industry and the young girls who worked as silk spinners in the early 1900s in Japan. The silk mills were located in Okaya which lies just beyond the Nomugi Pass. The women and girls worked in a hot, humid atmosphere without rest, and endured those conditions and sexual harassment to earn money for their poor families. Across the ocean, it was the great depression in America.


Hunter in the Dark
1979 · 2h 17m
country: Japan
Yataro Tanigawa, a one-eyed hired assassin, impresses yakuza boss Gomyo Kiyoemon with his skill. Gomyo hires Tanigawa as his bodyguard, or yojimbo, to protect him during an inter-clan conflict. Tanigawa quickly rises in stature in the clan, but finds his boss's enemies almost overwhelming.


Blood Type: Blue
1978 · 2h 13m
country: Japan
UFOs appear on Earth, and people who actually see them suddenly find that their blood has turned blue. Soon panic and hysteria result in the new "blue-bloods" being persecuted by the rest of mankind, and eventually certain all-too-familiar measures begin to be taken against them.


Dynamite Don-Don
1978 · 2h 22m
country: Japan
Yakuza Gang War is at the height in North Kyūshū Area in the summer of 1950, particularly between the Okagen Group and the rising Hashiden Gang. Now with the mediation/interference of the Americans, they decide to settle it in a peaceful, *democratic* way, that is, to settle it with a baseball game. Now, with its money and power, The Hashiden group soon recruits a group of gamblers known to be good at baseball from the whole country. So, what is the Okagen Gumi gonna do?


August Without Emperor
1978 · 2h 20m
country: Japan
Taking the Chilean coup as an example, a group of young officers plan to overthrow the Japanese government on V-J Day. They aim to abolish the post-war constitution, restore the national army and revive the traditional spirit of Japan. As the conspiracy is exposed, the coup squadrons are wiped out one by one. The remaining squadron takes over a night train bound for Tokyo.


The Glacier Fox
1978 · 1h 56m
country: Japan
Director Koreyoshi Kurahara chronicles a year in the lives of Flep and Leila, two foxes living in Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost island, where the freezing winters are long and the mild summers short. After Flep defeats another male fox to become Leila's lifelong partner, they mate and raise a litter of five kits. With their family complete, the group must contend with human interference in their habitat, such as chicken farms and snowmobiles, and struggle against the debilitating cold of winter. The animals experience both triumph and tragedy, as the law of this harsh land proves – only the strong survive.


Sweet Revenge
1977 · 1h 35m
country: Japan
Masao is falsely accused and jailed for the murder of a loanshark to whom he owed a lot of money. His sister Kiriko makes the long trip to Tokyo, specifically to accost Otsuka, Japan's top criminal defence lawyer, and plead with him to take her brother's case. They live in Kitakyushu which, though a city, she contends that the local lawyers are not up to the job. Otsuka contemptuously brushes her off. A year passes. Masao has suicided in jail, his appeal having failed due to the lack of interest and competence of the local defence lawyer. Kiriko returns to Tokyo, planning revenge on Otsuka for refusing the case and causing her brother's death.


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 Yellow Handkerchief
1977 · 1h 49m
country: Japan
A convict, newly released from prison for murder, joins two strangers on a road trip through Hokkaido to visit his ex-wife, whom he hasn't seen in four years, knowing that if she puts a yellow handkerchief on the window, it would mean that she wants him back at home.


The Love and Adventures of Kuroki Taro
1977 · 1h 50m
country: Japan
Taro Kuroki, 42, is a stuntman with a samurai's heart. He loves adventures, plays pranks with the police, tries to cure a cat lady by reversing her trauma, and finally, rescues his niece who is about to be lured into prostitution.


Kyojin-gun monogatari: Susume eikô e
1977 · 54m
country: Japan


The Alaska Story
1977 · 2h 21m
country: Japan
A Japanese sailor finds a colony of Eskimos in the Arctic and decides to stay with them. He comes off at a certain moment to look for his luck in the gold rush in Alaska. But he does not forget them.


A Portrait of Shunkin
1976 · 1h 37m
country: Japan
Okoto is blind since childhood. Her young servant Sasuke is in love of her. One day Koto is badly scarred on her face. In order to preserve the memory of her once beautiful face, Sasuke takes away his own sight.


The Corporation
1976 · 3h
country: Japan
Tadashi Iki returns to Japan from a Soviet gulag 11 years after being captured during the invasion of Manchuria. He is offered a position in the expansive Kinki Corporation, but rival corporations are competing for a government contract to produce fighter planes.


Between Women and Wives
1976 · 1h 51m
country: Japan
Depicts various relationships between four beautiful sisters, their husbands, and their second daughter's husband's mistress.


Friendship
1975 · 1h 32m
country: Unknown
This is a story about the emotional connection between a young man with no clear purpose and a middle-aged man who abandoned his wife, children, and hometown but is hiding his pain inside.


Solar Eclipse
1975 · 2h 34m
country: Japan
When bribe money from a rigged election funnels into a dam construction project, collusion, lust, greed and even murder are on the ballot.


Kyukei no Koya
1975 · 1h 38m
country: Japan
A film adaptation of Seicho Matsumoto's novel of the same title, starring Muga Takewaki and Yoko Shimada. Set in Japan at the end of the war, the film depicts the fate of a diplomat who abandoned his country, his wife and children, and risked everything to save his country from ruin, and the bond between father and daughter.


Tidal Wave
1975 · 1h 22m
country: United States
Two hundred million years ago, Earth had a single continent. As the millennia progressed, the single continent slowly split off into smaller continents and islands. Thirty million years ago, the country of Japan was part of the continent of Asia, and has since split off into its own archipelago. Another landmass shift is about to occur...


Without Complaint
1975 · 1h 30m
country: Japan
Based on the novel of the same name by Seichô Matsumoto.


Scalpel
1974 · 1h 31m
country: Japan
Surgeon Shūzō Shikine discovers his father Kikukawa’s rise in medicine was built on corruption and human experiments. After Kikukawa’s sudden death, hidden crimes surface, and Shikine takes action to expose those responsible.


Aoba shigereru
1974 · 1h 27m
country: Japan
Based on the novel of the same name by Hisashi Inoue.


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?


Machi no Hi
1974 · 1h 31m
country: Japan
Chiyomatsu under the hill, also known as Choromatsu. He is a young man whose occupation is an approach shop, that is, a phony business of sex brokerage. Choromatsu is partnered with Umekichi, whom he calls "big brother," in this business. They live on the second floor of the aka-chochin (red lantern) owned by Takeko, where boys and girls who were abandoned at the abandoned children's temple on Mukojima also live together, making up a family of people who are not related to each other.


Violent Streets
1974 · 1h 36m
country: Japan
With a Kansai syndicate setting their sights on Tokyo, a former yakuza boss gets dragged back into a world of violence.


Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla
1974 · 1h 24m
country: Japan
An Okinawan prophecy that foretells the destruction of the Earth is seeming fulfilled when Godzilla emerges to return to his destructive roots. But not all is what it seems after Godzilla breaks his ally Anguirus's jaw. Matters are further complicated when a second Godzilla emerges, revealing the doppelgänger as a mechanical weapon.


Demon Spies
1974 · 1h 26m
country: Japan
Deep in the mountains of feudal Japan, a group of children endure cruel and unorthodox training in order to become the Shogunate's most secret and deadly weapons - the Demon Spies! Their true identities are hidden - even from each other. Behind their demon masks, they are educated in the deadly arts of infiltration, espionage, assassination - and seduction! If they survive to become strong enough to kill their teachers, they will become - the Demon Spies! Sent on a suicide mission to uncover a deadly conspiracy, five inexperienced Demon Spies must infiltrate a powerful fief, discover the location of its secret arsenal, and destroy it. But Lord Shogen, the Demon Hunter, plans to brutally interrogate, ingeniously torture, and cruelly execute - the Demon Spies!


The Family
1974 · 3h 31m
country: Japan
Set in the post-World War II climate of the 1960s in Kobe, the movie explores the struggle for power within the powerful Manpyo family.


Submersion of Japan
1973 · 2h 23m
country: Japan
A team of geophysicists investigating seismic activity on the seafloor discover that the islands of Japan, after suffering from massive volcanic eruptions and earthquakes, will be pulled into the ocean, killing millions.


Stray Dog
1973 · 1h 44m
country: Japan
When his pistol is stolen, police detective Murakami is humiliated, especially when the gun is later implicated in a crime. Working with his superior, Chief Detective Sato, Murakami works feverishly to trace the location of his pistol, ultimately clashing with a gang of youthful Okinawans.


Men and War III: The Final Chapter
1973 · 3h 7m
country: Japan
As Japan's war of aggression against China intensifies, beginning with the Nanjing Massacre in December 1937, Kohei, who had secretly married Junko, the second daughter of the Godai family, deploys to the front lines, witnessing the atrocities of the Japanese army firsthand. Meanwhile, Shunsuke also takes to the front lines of the battlefield, engaging in a fierce battle against the Soviet army at Nomonhan.


Long Journey into Love
1973 · 2h 48m
country: Japan
A beautifully told story of a woman hardened by marriage to a man she doesn't love, after giving herself to another. She dedicates herself to her work, designing and creating plaited cords for kimono.


The King
1973 · 1h 41m
country: Japan
Sakata Sankichi, an amateur shogi player living in the slums of Osaka, is so obsessed with the board game that he spends all of his family's money to keep playing in the hope of defeating star player Sekine.


Deeper Than Blue
1973 · 1h 34m
country: Japan
About a girl who marries in the middle of the Pacific War, is widowed at 18, and her unflagging struggle to survive during and after the war with her son.


The Twilight Years
1973 · 1h 42m
country: Japan
A woman looks after her father in law.


Home from the Sea
1972 · 1h 36m
country: Japan
On a beautiful island in Seto Inner Sea, Seichi and Minko make their living by transporting rocks to construction sites by boat. They cherish the deepest affection for this piece of land they call home, and the simple life they lead. But rapid industrial growth makes it all but impossible to continue their chosen living style, and they are forced to leave their beloved hometown in search of a brighter future. But their hometown lingers on their hearts, and they dream of a time when they may once again return.


Special Boy Soldiers of the Navy
1972 · 2h 7m
country: Japan
Japanese youngsters enduring hard training in Recruit Camp and then going to Iwo Jima in the last days of World War II.


Sapporo Winter Olympics
1972 · 2h 48m
country: Japan
An artistic and unconventional approach to winter sports, using striking visuals, sound design, and a focus on both the spectacle and the human element—including behind-the-scenes figures like ice maintenance workers—to create an intimate and aesthetically unique portrayal of the Olympics.


Onna no hanamichi
1971 · 1h 43m
country: Japan
A film commemorating the 25th anniversary of Hibari Misora's performing career. Written by Matsutaro Kawaguchi for Hibari Misora to celebrate her 25th anniversary. The film tells the story of a fisherman's daughter from Izumo who rises from poverty to Kyoto, throws herself into the harsh world of dance, abandons her promised future and love, and finds the path to womanhood by living a life devoted to her art, which is rooted in the masses. Hibari Misora plays the role of a 16-year-old girl to a mature 26-year-old woman in this film, which also contains many autobiographical elements of the singer, who made her debut at the age of 8 and has continued to sing about the joys and sorrows of the common people, thereby touching the hearts of the Japanese people.


The Wolves
1971 · 2h 11m
country: Japan
After going to prison for killing the boss of the Kanno gang, Seji Iwahashi gets released early -- only to find that his former gang has merged with the Kannos. But with bitter resentments lingering on both sides, how long will it be before the bloodshed begins anew?


The Battle of Okinawa
1971 · 2h 29m
country: Japan
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 diverted to other islands. After a civilian evacuation ends in tragedy most of non-combatants are forced to remain on the island. Many convert to soldier status. Tokyo sends mixed messages that squander time and resources, as when they order the defenders to build an airstrip for aircraft that never come. The truth soon becomes obvious: the high command decides that the island cannot be held and effectively abandons the Okinawan defenders. When the Americans land many troops are deployed in the wrong places. As the slaughter mounts, a suicidal attitude takes hold. Okinawa becomes a death trap, for civilian volunteers and non-combatants as well.


Men and War II: Land of Love and Sorrow
1971 · 3h
country: Japan
As the Japanese military has established the puppet state of Manchukuo and is advancing its invasion of Asia, fighting intensifying battles against anti-Japanese partisans, the Godai zaibatsu becomes involved in large-scale opium smuggling. Shunsuke, second son of the Godai family, falls in love with a married woman. Meanwhile, Kohei, the love of the second daughter, Junko, throws himself into the anti-war movement.


Maboroshi no Satsui
1971 · 1h 41m
country: Japan
Adaptation of the Shôji Yuki novel.


Banner of the Young
1970 · 1h 42m
country: Japan
The final part of the trilogy. It is about a younger brother, Suekichi. He learned well the lessons that life taught his older brothers. Therefore, he does not think to study, but strives for material well-being alone. To make a career, he ruthlessly pushes his colleagues with his elbows. For him, the high ideals of trade union activists Jiro and Saburo are an example of old-fashioned thinking, naive behavior.


Where Spring Comes Late
1970 · 1h 46m
country: Japan
The story is set in 1970 during the time of the first EXPO in Japan. The film’s main figure is a miner who suddenly becomes unemployed because the mine he worked in was shut down. He decides to resettle with his whole family to Hokkaido in northern Japan and start a new life as a farmer.


Song of the Horse
1970 · 1h 13m
country: Japan
Akira Kurosawa’s only television work—a lyrical documentary that follows a thoroughbred from birth and training to the Japan Derby—framed by a grandfather’s narration to his grandson about the fading bond between people and horses.


Men and War I: Prelude to Destiny
1970 · 3h 17m
country: Japan
The upstart Godai family conglomerate plans to strengthen ties with the hardliners in the Kwantung Army as they plan military expansion into Manchuria.


City of Beasts
1970 · 1h 28m
country: Japan
University student Arima Yasuhiro becomes acquainted with Ishihama, the president of a pharmaceutical company with a dark past, slowly but surely getting more embroiled in his dirty dealings.


Incident at Blood Pass
1970 · 1h 58m
country: Japan
In the Edo period, a nameless ronin accepts an assignment to go to a mountain pass and wait. Near the pass he stops at an inn where a collection of characters gather, including a gang set on stealing shogunate gold that's soon to come over the pass. When the Ronin's assignment becomes clear, to help the gang, he's ordered to kill the inn's residents, including a woman he's rescued from an abusive husband. He's reluctant to murder innocent people; then he learns that the gold shipment is a trap and he's part of a double cross. How he sorts through these divided loyalties tests of his samurai honor, and perhaps of his love for a woman.


The Scandalous Adventures of Buraikan
1970 · 1h 44m
country: Japan
An outlaw pushes the residents of Edo's red light district to rebel against a growing number of stifling, moralistic laws.


Shinsengumi: Assassins of Honor
1969 · 2h 2m
country: Japan
Near the end of the nineteenth century, as the balance of power shifts from Shogunate towards the Emperor, Japan restlessly awaits the dawning of a new age. But not all are content...The Shinsengumi, a small army of samurai, farmers and peasants, band together to do battle against the tide of history. Their leader, Isami Kondo is a man who rises from farmer to fighter to head the fierce Shinsengumi brigade. Using a stern hand and a heart of gold, he rallies his men in defense of the tottering Shogunate. But bloodshed and treachery lurk around every corner.


The Great Japanese Pick-Pocket Club
1969 · 1h 35m
country: Japan
A crime story (with strong elements of comedy) that pits a determined detective against a gang of pickpockets in Osaka. The detective (played by Keiju Kobayashi) and the leader of the gang (played by Norihei Miki) have an interesting wartime backstory together that fuels much of the story.


Travels of Lord Mito
1969 · 1h 36m
country: Japan
In the 9th year of Genroku, Mitsukuni Mito Komon of Hitachi Province set out on a pilgrimage to various countries with his reluctant vassals, Sukesaburo and Kakunosuke, under the name of Koemon, a retired peasant.


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.


The Magoichi Saga
1969 · 1h 44m
country: Japan
Lord Oda Nobunaga gains control of nearly all of Japan and tries to enlist the aid of Magoichi and his 3.000 gunners.


Tenchu!
1969 · 2h 20m
country: Japan
A ronin desperately seeks a way out of financial straits; he allies with the Tosa clan under the ruthless leader Takechi, who quickly takes advantage.


Battle of the Japan Sea
1969 · 2h 8m
country: Japan
Japan and Russia clash in what comes to be known as the Russo-Japanese War. An attempt by the Japanese fleet and army to take Port Arthur fails, and a Russian fleet bears down on the Sea of Japan. Admiral Heihachiro Togo sends his fleet to confront the Russians, with results which stun both nations. Meanwhile, Major Genjiro Akashi makes secret negotiations with the Bolshevik revolutionaries in Russia, negotiations that have repercussions far beyond the conflict at hand.


Admiral Borneo: Betting at the Equator
1969 · 1h 41m
country: Japan
Takeo (Kiniya Kitaoji), son of a wealthy car industry executive, is unhappy with his job and goes to Singapore to become a fisherman. At first ridiculed by the local fishermen, he eventually gets their respect but his rebel temper pushes him to find new adventures in Alaska.


Forward, Young People!
1969 · 1h 37m
country: Japan
The second film tells about the life of matured brothers and sister Sato. Taro became a foreman. He saves every yen to fulfill his dream of building his own house with stone gates. Jiro continues to work in the transportation office, he dreams of getting married. Saburo faces a moral problem: in order to get a good position, he must answer the questions of the entrance test differently than his conscience tells him. At the exam, Saburo does not hide his views on life and is deprived of the promised position. Orie and Suekiti believe that he did wrong and betrayed his older brothers. But the anxiety in the Sato family is not limited to these events. Orie was being asked to marry a handsome, well-established young man, but she suddenly announced her decision to marry Tozaka, who was suffering from radiation sickness. Sato's peaceful home is falling apart...


Goyokin
1969 · 2h 4m
country: Japan
A guilt-haunted samurai warrior attempts to stop a massacre taking place.


Futari no Koibito
1969 · 1h 32m
country: Japan


Vagabond Schemer
1969 · 1h 33m
country: Japan
The return of a man to Japan from Borneo creates chaos in a village.


Samurai Banners
1969 · 2h 50m
country: Japan
Kansuke Yamamoto is a samurai who dreams of a country united, peaceful from sea to sea. He enters the service of Takeda, the lord of Kai domain. He convinces Takeda to kill the lord of neighboring Suwa and take his wife as a concubine. He then convinces the widow, Princess Yu, to accept this arrangement and to bear Takeda a son. He pledges them his life. He then spends years using treachery, poetic sensibility, military and political strategy to expand Takeda's realm, advance the claim of Yu's son as the heir, and prepare for an ultimate battle with the forces of Echigo. Has Kansuke overreached? Are his dreams, blinded by love, too big?


Motta, the Flying Dracula Monster
1969 · 1h 24m
country: Netherlands
While searching for his missing brother, Ryota finds the criminal Yoshimura hiding on a yacht. With a few friends, they decide to set course for Leichi Island which happens to be in the hands of gangsters who are holding the natives of Infant Island captive. Ryota and his friends discover that not only near the island lies the monster Ebirah, the monster Godzilla is also on the island. A battle ensues between the two monsters.


Young People
1968 · 1h 37m
country: Japan
"Young People" is a story about the lives of four brothers and a sister, Sato. After the death of his parents, the older brother, Taro, who works in construction, decides to replace them. The second brother, Jiro, is a truck driver. The third, Saburo, is a student, dreams of a better future for the whole family are connected with him, with his career. Brothers and sisters are fighting to give him a higher education. And, finally, the youngest of the brothers, Suekichi, is also going to enter the university after graduation. The life of the Sato family is complicated. Taro is kind, but limited, not always able to find a common language with his brothers and sister Orie. The girl cannot stand the despotism of her brother, leaves her home and goes to work at the factory. With her departure, everything in the house goes upside down. Suekichi fails her university entrance exams, Orie is forced to return to her family.


Scrap Collectors
1968 · 1h 47m
country: Japan
Based on a story by Akiyuki Nosaka.
The Day the Sun Rose
The Day the Sun Rose
1968 · 2h 48m
country: Japan
Shinkichi, a peasant employed as a cloth-dyer, has a dream: in the midst of the civil war which ravages Japan, he hopes to revive the long-banned custom of the Kyoto Gion Festival, and by doing so, bring together the warring clans and rampaging brigands in peaceful celebration.


Hishakaku and Kiratsune: A Tale of Two Yakuza
1968 · 1h 49m
country: Japan
With his penultimate film, Uchida revisited one of his popular prewar titles, 1936’s Theatre of Life, an adaptation of Shiro Ozaki’s eponymous novel. Three-time Seijun Suzuki collaborator Goro Tanada wrote a gangsterized adaptation of Ozaki’s story for Uchida at a time when the yakuza had eclipsed the samurai genre as Toei's main cash crop. Protagonist Hishakaku murders a man in a quarrel over a barmaid and goes to jail. In his temporary absence, his girlfriend Otoyo, a former geisha, falls for Hishakaku’s brother, inciting a dangerous love triangle that, in typical yakuza fashion, ends tragically.


The Human Bullet
1968 · 1h 56m
country: Japan
A soldier has been in the Japanese military for the entirety of WWII, and in that time, his dedication to the army has never faltered. However, as the war draws to a close, his commanding officers become increasingly desperate and push their men to ever more absurd extremes. The ridiculousness of the orders from above peak when the hero of the story is assigned to drive a one-man submarine straight into the hull of an enemy battleship.


Cry of the Mountain
1968 · 1h 33m
country: Japan


My Brother, My Love
1968 · 1h 24m
country: Japan


Admiral Yamamoto
1968 · 2h 10m
country: Japan
As Japan joins in a political pact with Nazi Germany and fascist Italy, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto is appointed supreme commander of the Japanese fleet. With Japan headed inexorably toward war, Yamamoto, despite his misgivings, believes the only possible victory lies in destroying the American fleet by surprise at Pearl Harbor. The attack succeeds, but fails to sink the American carrier fleet. Thus Yamamoto must lead the Japanese navy into war with ever-diminishing likelihood of success.


Kill!
1968 · 1h 54m
country: Japan
A pair of down-on-their-luck swordsmen arrive in a dusty, windblown town, where they become involved in a local clan dispute. One, previously a farmer, longs to become a noble samurai. The other, a former samurai haunted by his past, prefers living anonymously with gangsters. But when both men discover the wrongdoings of the nefarious clan leader, they side with a band of rebels who are under siege at a remote mountain cabin.


Judge and Jeopardy
1968 · 1h 39m
country: Japan
It is based on the story "The Lawyer" by attorney Hiroshi Masaki and his account of Japan's "Headless Murder Case" in which a police officer beat a suspect to death during the Pacific War.


Golden Eyes
1968 · 1h 19m
country: Japan
A killer-for-hire gets mixed up with a cast of wacky characters involved in a gold smuggling route from Beirut to Tokyo.


Son of Godzilla
1967 · 1h 26m
country: Japan
Reporter Goro Maki stumbles upon scientists conducting weather experiments on Sollgel Island in the South Seas. He discovers the island is inhabited by giant mantis and a woman named Saeko who's been cast away since the death of her father. The pair soon find a helpless infant monster that Godzilla must adopt and learn to raise as one of his own.


Sodachi zakari
1967 · 1h 28m
country: Japan
Japanese movie released on September 30 , 1967 . Produced and distributed by Toho . Color , Toho scope . Running time is 88 minutes.


Japan's Longest Day
1967 · 2h 37m
country: Japan
Following the detonation of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Japanese military and the government clash over the demand from the Allies for unconditional surrender. Minister of the Army Anami leads the military officers who propose to fight on, even to the death of every Japanese citizen. Emperor Hirohito, however, joins with his ministers in asking the unthinkable, the peaceful surrender of Japan. When the military plots a coup to overthrow the Emperor's civilian government, Anami must face the choice between his desires and loyalty to his Emperor.


Organized Violence II
1967 · 1h 30m
country: Japan


Portrait of Chieko
1967 · 2h 5m
country: Japan
Takamura, a poet and sculptor, marries a budding artist named Chieko who dreams of becoming an oil painter. When a series of hardships befall her family, she finds herself unable to confide in her husband, and the pain she carries within begins to weigh heavily on her sanity...


Who Is Gomez?
1967 · 1h 26m
country: Japan
On his way back to Japan after two years in the desert, oil company engineer Sakamoto visits his friend Katori in Hong Kong. Soon after, Sakamoto learns that Katori has disappeared.


Organized Violence
1967 · 1h 30m
country: Japan
A war breaks out on the streets between rivaling Yakuza clans.


The Age of Assassins
1967 · 1h 39m
country: Japan
A nerdy young college instructor named Shinji Kikyo returns home one day to find himself the target of a mad assassin. Surviving somewhat miraculously, he fends off other assassins and with the help of reporter Keiko Tsurumaki and car mechanic Bill Otomo, eventually discovering that a "population control" association is really an assassination squad led by Shogo Mizorogi, who has been training patients of a mental asylum to become killers.


Three Faces of Love
1967 · 1h 36m
country: Japan
When a gifted Japanese craftsmen dies, his three daughters are summoned to decide who will take over the family ribbon business in this family drama. Only one daughter cares to carry on her father's work, but she is met with resistance from her stepmother. One sister cares nothing for the artisan tradition, while the other is an icy opportunist whose only love is for money. It is the daughter who cares the most for her father's work who wanders away in a symbolic journey of self discovery.


Ebirah, Horror of the Deep
1966 · 1h 27m
country: Japan
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 crustacean monster. Finding a sleeping Godzilla, they decide to awaken him to defeat the terrorists and liberate the natives.


Big Wind from Tokyo
1966 · 1h 29m
country: Japan
A TV writer and a director stranded in a rural town witness the young villagers’ tangled romances. Despite parental feuds and arranged marriages, true couples find their way together. The writer grows fond of the town before returning to Tokyo.


Koto—The Lake of Tears
1966 · 2h 9m
country: Japan
A touching story following young shamisen string maker, Saku. Beautiful Saku moves to Lake Yogo, known for its production of quality shamisen strings, only to find her peaceful life turned upside down when a master musician takes personal interest in her.


The Mad Atlantic
1966 · 1h 43m
country: Japan
Captain Murakami takes over as skipper of the Azuma Maru, replacing the well-liked former captain. Murakami forces the crew to work harder than they ever have, creating enmity and exhaustion. Just when the ship has taken a huge catch of tuna in its nets, Murakami learns that his ship is the only one in position to rescue the crew of another ship, sinking in a storm. He must choose between saving the catch or saving lives. Either choice may mean his ruin.


Zero Fighter
1966 · 1h 32m
country: Japan


Moment of Terror
1966 · 1h 35m
country: Japan
When the only son of a working class woman is fatally struck by a car driven by the adulterous wife of a company president in a hit-and-run, the victim's mother changes her identity and infiltrates the couple's home to work as their maid, plotting to murder their similarly-aged son.


Thirst for Love
1966 · 1h 30m
country: Japan
Natsuko, a Tokyo bar proprietress, and Yuki, a Kyoto Ryokan owner, vie for the affections of an advertising professional.


The Sword of Doom
1966 · 2h 2m
country: Japan
Ryunosuke, a gifted swordsman plying his trade during the turbulent final days of Shogunate rule, has no moral code and kills without remorse. It’s a way of life that leads to madness.


Cash Calls Hell
1966 · 1h 32m
country: Japan
Before leaving prison, Oida uncomfortably enters into an agreement with his cell mate: in exchange for a half-share of 30,000,000 yen, he is to assassinate three strangers given to him on a list. However, upon meeting his first potential victim, Oida has second thoughts. Yet, even as he tries to back out, the body count starts climbing. Oida must now try to alert the people on his list of their impending danger, and find out why they are being targeted in the first place.


Ironfinger
1965 · 1h 41m
country: Japan
A silly yet skilled Interpol agent flies to Tokyo and gets mixed up in a war between two gangs intent on winning the favor of a notorious arms dealer.


Stairs of Evil
1965 · 1h 43m
country: Unknown
Iwao, , Kumagai, and Konishi broke into the safe containing the wages of the employees of Ato Industries and obtained a fortune large enough to live a life of leisure. They celebrated with Iwao’s woman, Rumiko. However, it was too early to celebrate. They decided not to use the money for six months to avoid suspicion and stored it in a safe. But one day, Konishi asked for his share of the money in advance, even if it meant receiving a smaller portion, igniting the dark flame of desire among Iwao and the others.


Rokujō yukiyama tsumugi
1965 · 1h 46m
country: Japan
Young widow Ine is suffering under the harsh treatment of her mother in law. As a former Geisha, Ine had struggled to be accepted into the well-established Rokujo family from the beginning. With the support of Jiro, a young man Ine's late husband had saved from homelessness as a young boy, Ine tries to keep the family's heritage of silk processing alive. Their close relationship soon causes gossip among the villagers and threaten Ine's position in the family even further ...


Retirement of a Train Engineer
1965 · 1h 34m
country: Japan


Fort Graveyard
1965 · 2h 12m
country: Japan
Charged with insubordination for punching a superior, Sergeant Kosugi is shipped to China in the last desperate days of the Second World War. His commander, Captain Sakuma, is vicious and dictatorial. Sakuma places Kosugi in charge of training for combat what once was the military band. Kosugi must somehow prepare his inept soldiers for the rigors of combat.


Sanshiro Sugata
1965 · 2h 39m
country: Japan
Remake of Akira Kurosawa's films "Sanshiro Sugata and "Sanshiro Sugata Part II". A young man, Sanshiro Sugata, troubled by personal problems, takes up judo. His teacher, Shogoro Yano, is a devout man who has aroused the enmity of the local practitioners of jujitsu, the older and more accepted of the two sports. Sugata uses his newly learned prowess to gain a measure of respect from others; however, Shogoro insists that the sport has a spiritual side, a lesson Sugata has yet to learn. Eventually, in hand-to-hand combat with the father of a young woman he loves, he comes to understand the true meaning of judo.


Three Yakuza
1965 · 2h
country: Japan
A tale of three Yakuza gamblers who traveled Japan during the samurai era living by their wits and sword skills. Told in 3 separate vignettes, each part tells the story of a different drifter’s life. Part 1: A man is on the run after killing two Hasshu Officials to avenge his Boss. He must make a life or death decision as he is asked to protect a gang from attack. Part 2: A pair of gamblers chased out of a crooked game must fight not only their pursuers, but the ghosts of their pasts as well. Part 3: A wanderer who wants to live according to the Yakuza Code, but is not sure that he can do so when asked to save a town from an evil official.


Cold Rice, Osan, Chan
1965 · 2h 58m
country: Japan
Three stories revolve around independence, a man searching for his wife, and a poor craftsman trying to make money.


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.


The Tattooed Lord
1965 · 1h 34m
country: Japan


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.


Juvenile Delinquents
1964 · 1h 25m
country: Japan
Follows a bunch of school renegades and their downfall into criminality in a docu-drama style, completely refreshing for its time.


Raised in a Palace
1964 · 1h 46m
country: Japan
Set in the pleasure district of Kyoto, Tamiko (Yoshiko Mita, in her first lead role) is a young girl attending high school by day and training as a geisha at night She sees her future as an entertainer, not a prostitute, & she expects a happy marriage with a medical student, Yasuke (Katsuo Nakamura), a sweet fellow she deeply loves. but things started to getting worse for Tamiko and she's forced to become the mistress of the disgusting Tsukada (Seiji Miyaguchi).


間諜
1964 · 1h 44m
country: Japan


The Sharks
1964 · 2h 46m
country: Japan
A film adaptation of Masatsugu Nobuhiko's novel of the same name, directed by Tasaka Tomotaka and starring Nakamura Kinnosuke. This literary epic tells the story of how the protagonist, who has become mired in evil due to his poverty and low position, eventually awakens to humanity through an encounter with a nun. Shark was born without a father in a fishing village where the main occupation is catching sharks. In his poor and humiliating life, his only source of comfort is the tender love of his mother. However, on the night of a festival, the village burns to the ground and his mother dies. Left alone, Shark sets off for Kyoto with an old caster.


Oh, Bomb!
1964 · 1h 35m
country: Japan
During the mayoral election, two ex-prisoners decide to replace the lucky pen of an annoying candidate with a mini-bomb.


The Desperate
1964 · 1h 34m
country: Japan
A noir drama depicting the downfall of a veteran detective who hates evil and falls into its depths. Ace detective Sugai pursues Chiyo, the mistress of a man who was arrested for extortion, and takes advantage of her weakness. However, as his colleague Tokumochi and others regard him with suspicion, he is tormented by remorse.


Life of Hishakaku 3
1964 · 1h 44m
country: Japan
Third part in Tadashi Sawashima's Theater of Life trilogy.


Jakoman and Tetsu
1964 · 1h 40m
country: Japan
In a village subsisting on its herring fishery, a one-eyed criminal named Jakoman terrorizes the inhabitants. One of them, the son of the head of one of the fish companies by the name of Tetsu, decides to overthrow Jakoman and his cohorts.


Samurai from Nowhere
1964 · 1h 33m
country: Japan
Misawa Ihei (Nagato) is traveling with his wife Tae (Iwashita Shima) who abhors the practice of sword fighting for prize money. Tae is the daughter of the clan's chief counselor who married the low-ranking Ihei to avoid becoming the clan lord's mistress. Into the mix comes Oba Gunjuro (Tetsurō Tamba), a mysterious ronin who will do anything for money. This leads to a fitting climax as the forces of hate and love converge while the couple attempt to break through the border!


Zoku ôsho
1963 · 1h 40m
country: Japan
Adaptation of novel.


The Elegant Life of Mr. Everyman
1963 · 1h 43m
country: Japan
A salaryman's drunken ravings in public attract the attention of journalists who coerce him into telling them his life's story.


Okashina yatsu
1963 · 1h 50m
country: Japan


A House in the Quarter
1963 · 2h 17m
country: Japan
With her family suffering from extreme poverty, Yuko, as the eldest daughter, is sold to a successful brothel in Kyoto. There she is assigned to serve Takamatsu, one of the brothel’s top customers. But while Takamatsu falls madly in love with Yuko, she finds herself attracted to a young priest named Kunugida. Torn by jealousy, Takamatsu hatches an evil plan to tear them apart.


Samurai Pirate
1963 · 1h 36m
country: Japan
An adventurous and daring sailor sets sail to the castle of an ailing king to stop an evil premier, hungry for power and wealth, from succeeding the throne and marrying the king's beautiful daughter. Along the way, with the help of some courageous rebels and a lustful wizard, he must overcome the powers of a bewitching witch, a band of ruthless pirates, and the castle's Imperial guards. He must also free those kidnapped into slavery and restore the king's reputation.


Tale of Army Brutality
1963 · 1h 38m
country: Japan
Director Jun'ya Satô's debut film focuses on the inhuman training of recruits, the brutal drill system that reigned in the Japanese army during World War II, where in the first two years of training, ordinary people were turned into inhuman killers. For his first film, the director was awarded the Blue Ribbon Awards in the Debutant of the Year nomination.


Life of Hishakaku 2
1963 · 1h 36m
country: Japan
Upon his release from the prison, Hishakaku joins the Kikkyo family who is struggling to regain their turf from their rival, Domoto family. To reciprocate the kindness of the Kikkyos, Hishakaku heads to meet the leader of Domoto, Osumi, and finds himself emotionally involved with her.


Legacy of the 500,000
1963 · 1h 37m
country: Japan
During World War II, Japan sends gold to the Phillipines. After the war, the gold is lost in the bay of Manille. Former soldier Takeichi Matsuo is now working as a business executive. He meets Mintsura Gunji, the boss of a large company, who offers him to go to the Philippines and bring back the gold.


Warring Clans
1963 · 1h 38m
country: Japan
A brave, highly principled warrior resigns his post as a body guard to the head of a powerful clan after he learns that his employers have been smuggling arms to the enemy. The remaining samurai try in vain to coerce him back, but their efforts are thwarted by crooked warriors who launch an attack...


Life of Hishakaku
1963 · 1h 35m
country: Japan
After eloping with a prostitute named Otoyo, Hishakaku takes refuge in the Kogane family’s turf. Indebted to Boss Kogane for his kindness, Hishakaku swears to dedicate himself to protect the Koganes in time of crisis. Hishakaku’s humble life comes to a sudden halt when the Kogane family becomes involved in a fatal feud with their rival, and Hishakaku’s services are called upon.


High and Low
1963 · 2h 22m
country: Japan
A Yokohama shoe executive faces a wrenching choice when kidnappers mistakenly seize his chauffeur’s son but demand the ransom anyway.


Modern Children
1963 · 1h 35m
country: Japan
After their father dies, his children try to get by on a house boat.


Anything For Success
1962 · 1h 33m
country: Japan
A "hustler's hustler" (Takarada), works his way up the corporate ladder at a camera company. His biggest scheme involves winning the business of a foreign visitor by setting him up with a beautiful "model" (Tsukasa), actually a bar hostess, but the plan backfires when the would-be executive falls for the woman himself.
The Great Kurobe
The Great Kurobe
1962 · 46m
country: Japan
1962 Japanese documentary


Operation Enemy Fort
1962 · 1h 35m
country: Japan
Soldiers on the front lines in China during World War II are besieged by guerrilla attacks and attempt to destroy an enemy fort.


Our Failures
1962 · 1h 34m
country: Japan
Tells the story of Shintaro, a lawyer who quits his job to work at a camera factory, and his love adventures.


零戦黒雲一家
1962 · 1h 49m
country: Japan


The Ambitious Youth
1962 · 1h 35m
country: Japan
As descendent of famed fishmonger Isshin Tasuke, young feisty Ishii Tasuke uses his talent to flourish his employer’s food business.


Operation Sewer Rats
1962 · 1h 42m
country: Japan
Towards the end of World War II, five men are tasked with freeing the son of a general from Chinese captivity.


Ano sora no hate ni hoshi wa matataku
1962 · 1h 34m
country: Japan
After her father gets incapacitated due to a stroke, a young girl named Sanae takes over his postal job to support her family.


Burūtaun aoi machi no ōkami
1962 · 1h 19m
country: Japan
1962 Japanese movie


Facing to the Clouds
1962 · 1h 42m
country: Japan
A rookie newspaper journalist, Takema Sakaki, has a strong sense of justice. In the Diet Building he gets acquainted with a library worker, Reiko Nakafuji. Reiko's father was a member of the Diet who was assassinated six years ago. Through Reiko, Takema joins Tsūkai-kai, a group of young people who respect her late father's political ideas. With the assistance of Tsukai-kai, Takema eventually uncovers the political scandal related to postwar compensation which led to the murder of Reiko's father.


The Crimson Sky
1962 · 1h 31m
country: Japan
1962 Japanese movie


Otoko no Uta
1962 · 1h 24m
country: Japan
1962 Japanese movie


Sanjuro
1962 · 1h 36m
country: Japan
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.


Run, Genta, Run!
1961 · 2h 26m
country: Japan
A touching story about a young boy, Genta, who bravely takes on life's challenges in hopes of finding a better life for himself and his sickly mother.


Procurer of Hell
1961 · 1h 35m
country: Japan
Tobe is a small-time crook who runs a prostitution business of blonde girls, as well as sells pornographic pictures. He frequents a cafe run by two women, one of them a young widow with a son. They like him and think that he is an ordinary office worker. One day, Tobe accidentally discovers pictures of an acquaintance, Kanzaburo, with a woman and sets out to blackmail him. He soon finds out that Kanzaburo died in a train accident but things may not be what they seem


Blood on the Sea
1961 · 1h 29m
country: Japan
Four fishermen friends are caught up in a piracy plot.


Lord Mito: Struggle of Suke and Kaku
1961 · 1h 31m
country: Japan
The story of two young men whose ambition is to become the personal bodyguards to the Shogun's uncle, Lord Mito Komon. Portrayed by a pair of up and coming stars, Sasaki Sukesaburo (Matsukata), the son of a widower and Atsumi Kakunoshin (Kitaoji), whose mother is a widow find themselves constantly in trouble and are forced to become two of the most powerful fighters in all Japan. The stories about Mito Komon and his travels througout Japan are many, but this is one that had yet to be told. The struggles of Suke-san and Kaku-san faced in order to join the Elder in his quest to fight against injustice and corruption during the samurai era.


Gambler in the Sea
1961 · 1h 32m
country: Japan
Joe, a master diver, explodes his fighting spirit and friendship across raging seas and scorching deserts in this gorgeous and entertaining epic.


Challenge to Live
1961 · 1h 38m
country: Japan
An employee at an oil cartel (Mihashi) is haunted by an act years before when he euthanized a fellow soldier when the two were adrift at sea during the Pacific War. Matters are complicated further when he falls in love with the soldier's younger sister (Tsukasa).


Yojimbo
1961 · 1h 50m
country: Japan
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 sake merchant Tokuemon to hire him as a personal bodyguard, then artfully sets in motion a full-scale gang war between the two ambitious and unscrupulous men.


Shokei zen'ya
1961 · 1h 41m
country: Japan
1961 Japanese movie


Yabure Kabure
1961 · 1h 8m
country: Japan
Ambitious action drama about a young man living a carefree life of women and money, struggling to crawl out of the mire, and his lover who tries to save him at his own peril.


Pacific Porters
1961 · 1h 27m
country: Japan
Tetsuji Tachibana was fired as a pilot after Jim gave false testimony in an accident caused by Captain Jim's intoxication. Only Junpei Nambu, the editor-in-chief of “Kokuikai” (Aviation World), was on Tetsuji's side. Tetsuji questions Jim, but Jim refuses to tell him anything, and the atmosphere turns sour. At that moment, Yosuke Sugie, a former classmate of Tetsuji's at the Civil Aviation College, enters the office.


Blueprint of Murder
1961 · 1h 13m
country: Japan
Yuzo Kayama plays the protagonist, a whale-hunting cannon manufactuing supervisor, whose brother is an automobile tester for Komatsu Motors which has a fatal accident. As his brother investigates the "Accident" with his old college friend (makoto Sato), now a reporter... They stumble across murder, espionage and cover-ups. High-class night club, femme fatale, and a "Blueprint of Murder" all adds up to a bigger plot then first expected.


Man at the Bullfight
1960 · 1h 18m
country: Japan
An unprecedented, extravagant, passionate film set in Spain and Southern Europe. It depicts the passionate Yujiro who risks his life to invite bullfighting.


Chikuhō no kodomotachi
1960 · 1h 47m
country: Japan
A drama film based on Ken Domon's photography of the children around the Chikuho coal mines.


Westward Desperado
1960 · 1h 47m
country: Japan
In this patriotic WW II drama, the Japanese army demonstrates its courage and willingness to do anything to win as they endeavor to sneak into Communist China to bring back the flag of a defeated enemy regiment.


Sixteen years old
1960 · 1h 36m
country: Japan
Senko Tamagawa is a third-year junior high school student, and she is the captain of the badminton club. Her father, Kinzo, remodeled her barn and lent it to her only Mikayo. Senko was somehow envious of her flashy life... In a tragedy with a girl living in the base as the main character, Katsumi Miki of "Life like a weed" adapted the original story of Muraji Uchiki and directed by Eisuke Takizawa of "Ajisai no Uta".


The Bad Sleep Well
1960 · 2h 30m
country: Japan
In this loose adaptation of "Hamlet," illegitimate son Kôichi Nishi climbs to a high position within a Japanese corporation and marries the crippled daughter of company vice president Iwabuchi. At the reception, the wedding cake is a replica of their corporate headquarters, but an aspect of the design reminds the party of the hushed-up death of Nishi's father. It is then that Nishi unleashes his plan to avenge his father's death.


Man Against Man
1960 · 1h 30m
country: Japan
Kikumori runs a cabaret on the docks, while his friend Kaji operates transport boats. When a gang of drug dealers tries to force the pair to cooperate in a smuggling scheme, conflict arises between the two friends. Falsely blamed for murder, Kikumori is blackmailed into an attempt to sabotage Kaji's boats and kill him. But the friendship between the two men proves an obstacle to the gangleader's plans.


University Bandits
1960 · 1h 34m
country: Japan
A youth drama set in the Japanese alps. Two robbers, chased by the police, escape from the youths of a university mountain club who are trapped in a lodge during a blizzard. This ski action romp has the tempo of a musical, and Okamoto Kihachi's style is on full display. Tsuruta Koji makes a special appearance as a senior member of the mountain club.


Ôana
1960 · 1h 38m
country: Japan
Film directed by Seiichirô Uchikawa.


The Gambling Samurai
1960 · 1h 41m
country: Japan
Chuji Kunisada returns to his home village to find that Jubei Matsui, the corrupt magistrate, has been responsible for virtually destroying Kunisada's family. A final tragedy leads Kunisada to join with a band of rogues living in the forest in robbing from the rich and giving to the poor, always with an eye toward avenging himself on Magistrate Matsui.


Intimidation
1960 · 1h 5m
country: Japan
Koreyoshi Kurahara's ingeniously plotted, pocket-size noir concerns the intertwined fates of a desperate bank manager, blackmailed for book-cooking, and his resentful but timid underling, passed over for a promotion. The marvelously moody Intimidation is an elegantly stripped-down and carefully paced crime drama.


The Last Gunfight
1960 · 1h 35m
country: Japan
Japanese police detective Saburo Fujioka is suspected of corruption, demoted, and sent to the city of Kojin. Kojin is the scene of fierce fighting between rival gangs. Fujioka is assigned to investigate the death of the wife of gangster Tetsuo Maruyama of the Kozuka gang, probably at the hands of one of the Oka gang. During a gang gunfight, Maruyama is rescued by Detective Fujioka and the two become friends. But Maruyama insists on avenging his wife's murder, even if it means conflict with his new friend.


The Age of Our Own
1959 · 1h 38m
country: Japan
Minami Yasuo, a college student, lives with Yuriko who has become the mistress of a foreigner named Wilson. Whenever Wilson comes, Yasuo spends his time in the tea-shop "La Gana." Yasuo is asked by his brother Shigeru to teach French to Akiko, a young girl who is studying French songs. Yasuo then learns that he is the winner of an essay contest and will be offered a scholarship to study in France. Akiko, is now pregnant and Yasuo promises to break with Yuriko.


Desperado Outpost
1959 · 1h 49m
country: Japan
When Sergeant Okubo's brother is murdered at a Japanese outpost in Northern China during the Second World War, Okubo poses as a war correspondent and seeks out his brother's killer.


Woman from the Sea
1959 · 1h 16m
country: Japan
While in vacation in a sea side house, a young man fall in love with a beautiful woman who pretends to live by herself in the sea. The fishermen of a nearby village think she is a monster, the female of a shark killed many years before, responsible for many disappearances.


Someday I'll Know
1959 · 1h 45m
country: Japan
A modern love story involving different affairs.


Otome no inori
1959 · 1h 28m
country: Japan
1959 Japanese movie


A Love that Wagers the World
1959 · 1h 45m
country: Japan
The first time that up-and-coming architect Yuji Muraoka (Yujiro Ishihara) met Natsuko (Ruriko Asaoka) was at a contemporary art exhibition at the Ueno Museum of Art. At the time, he didn't feel anything special about her, other than being impressed that she was the younger sister of the respected Nonomura-san. Later, at Nonomura's birthday party, some people who were jealous of Yuji's talent tried to embarrass him by forcing him to perform a hidden talent show, and Natsuko quickly came to his rescue. This incident caused the two of them to become much closer...


Gigantis, the Fire Monster
1959 · 1h 18m
country: United States
A prehistoric monster called Gigantis emerges alongside another creature named Angurus.


A Man Explodes
1959 · 1h 36m
country: Japan
Kensaku Muro and his father manage a farm in Sakudaira at the foot of the Yatsugatake Mountains. One day Kensuke saves a suicidal woman, Fukiko Uzu, who jumps into a waterfall. Having injured his eyes in the process, he is brought to Tokyo for medical treatment. In Tokyo, Kensaku visits his mother Kaneko who left her son years ago. She now owns an exclusive club and has a son, Isao, with the president of Kobe Concern. Isao plots to steal Kensuke's farm as part of a land development scheme with Fukiko's husband. Without knowing they are blood related, their conflict over the farm intensifies.


I Want to Be a Shellfish
1959 · 1h 53m
country: Japan
On a post-war peaceful day in Japan, Toyomatsu Shimizu, a barber as well as a good father and husband, is suddenly arrested by the Prefectural Police as a war criminal and sued for murder.


I Will Challenge
1959 · 1h 27m
country: Japan
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 becomes the target of villains...


We Live Today
1959 · 1h 34m
country: Japan
In a fictional mining city in northern Kanto, a Tokyo drifter named Shiro (Ishihara Yūjirō), caught in a conflict between two transportation companies, plays the role of both the good and bad guy.


Masked Woman
1959 · 1h 35m
country: Japan
A touching literary and artistic story about the sadness and pathos of a woman's love, crying in agony over her hidden past.


The Praying Man
1959 · 1h 37m
country: Japan
A woman's happiness is gained through marriage. Yet marriage does not necessarily bring happiness... Director Takizawa Eisuke adapts Tamiya Torahiko's serialised novel. A grand tale of pure love, depicting the path of a woman's happiness with a fluid touch.


The Stream of Youth
1959 · 2h 7m
country: Japan


The Hidden Fortress
1958 · 2h 19m
country: Japan
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.


Crimson Wings
1958 · 1h 34m
country: Japan
At about the same time as lwami, president of a Tokyo company is murdered by an unknown assailant, it happens that an urgent call has been received from an airline company's office on remote Hachijo Island for a special serum. A Cessna aircraft which has been chartered by a man named Ohashi takes off for the island with the serum piloted by Ishida. But when airborne, Ohashi, who is the murderer of lwami, holds up Ishida at gunpoint and orders him to land on a small island west of Hachijo where a ship is waiting to take him to Hong Kong...


The Man Who Wagers Tomorrow
1958 · 1h 38m
country: Japan
Former boxer Daishiro lost his wife, and his only son, Kaoru, went missing, it was a heavy blow for Daishiro. One day, Daishiro got a call from his relative Morihiko. He said he forgot the winning lottery ticket of 2 million yen at the hotel, so he wants Daishiro to go and pick it up. Morihiko used the hotel for secret meetings, so he said he couldn't go there himself because he was afraid it would become public. When Daishiro entered the hotel, the Yakuza, who learned about the lottery from the newspaper, threaten the hotel maid Noriko, and want to rob her. Daishiro helps Noriko and safely picks up the lottery, but a message arrives from his relative Seikichi from Osaka. His missing son Kaoru is said to be a boxer in Osaka. "My son... He has the blood of a boxer in him..." Daishiro is heading to Osaka in a hurry...


The Man Who Rode the Typhoon
1958 · 1h 37m
country: Japan
This typhoon spectacle is bursting with the charm of tough guy Yujiro, a student of architecture at Hokkaido University, who takes on a conspiracy involving a mysterious accidental death at a construction site.


Oban kanketsu hen
1958 · 1h 43m
country: Japan
Ushinosuke returns to Tokyo with new ambitions. Fourth and final part of the film adaptation of Bunroku Shishi’s novel, Oban.


The H-Man
1958 · 1h 27m
country: Japan
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.


A Slope in the Sun
1958 · 3h 29m
country: Japan
The young Takako Kuramoto has come to Tokyo to study and starts working for the rich Tashiro family as tutor of the daughter, Kumiko, while she receives attention from her two older brothers, Yukichi and Shinji. Meanwhile, the exact parentage of Shinji comes to light.


Rusty Knife
1958 · 1h 30m
country: Japan
Udaka is a new, post-war city where corruption has already taken hold. A persistent district attorney wants to arrest and convict Katsumata, a laughing, self-confident thug. The D.A. gets an anonymous letter about the suicide five years' before of a city council member. Evidence about the case leads the D.A. to Tachibana, struggling to go straight after involvement with the mob and a prison sentence for killing the man responsible for the rape and suicide of his fiancée. One of Tachibana's friends is Keiko, the daughter of the dead councilman and the ward of another powerful official. How do these stories connect?


Vice
1958 · 1h 42m
country: Japan
A movie adaptation of Funayama Kaoru's novel of the same name, which depicts the story of a modern youth who is attracted to the evil path. Saburi Shin, a well-known actor who also demonstrated his skill as a director in a bold social work, embodies a person with a complicated dilemma in a shadowy manner, and is a dramatic work that plays a part in the lead role.


Song for a Bride
1958 · 1h 27m
country: Japan
An Ishiro Honda film.


Zokuzoku Ôban: Dotô hen
1957 · 1h 48m
country: Japan
Ushinosuke returns to his hometown to become a farmer. Part three (of four) of the film adaptation of Bunroku Shishi’s novel, Oban.


I Am Waiting
1957 · 1h 31m
country: Japan
A former boxer gets involved with a club hostess trying to escape the clutches of her gangster employer.


The Lower Depths
1957 · 2h 5m
country: Japan
Residents of a rundown boardinghouse in 19th-century Japan, including a mysterious old man and an aging actor, get drawn into a love triangle that turns violent. When amoral thief Sutekichi breaks off his affair with landlady Osugi to romance her younger sister, Okayo, Osugi extracts her revenge by revealing her infidelity to her jealous husband.


The Living Koheiji
1957 · 1h 1m
country: Japan
The actor Koheiji is terribly in love with the wife of his best friend, the playwright Takuro; to get her, he would even kill Takuro.


Zoku Ôban: Fûun hen
1957 · 2h 1m
country: Japan
Ushinosuke returns broke to his hometown, where everyone believes he's rich and successful. Part two (of four) of the film adaptation of Bunroku Shishi's novel, Oban.


Last Days of the Samurai
1957 · 53m
country: Japan
Seppuku Day 17 Ako ronins, including Kuranosuke Oishi, who were entrusted to the Hosokawa family, and the events of the two days before are depicted as a tragic romance between one of the ronins, Jurozaemon Isogai, and Omino. An adaptation of Seika Mayama play "Genroku Chusingura, the Last Day of Oishi", which tells about the torments of life and death of samurai living in feudal times.


Half Human: The Story of the Abominable Snowman
1957 · 1h 3m
country: United States
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 avalanche, killing all inside. This is an adaptation of the Japanese film "Jūjin Yuki Otoko" (1955) with added American-made footage, narration, and music.


Muhō Ichidai
1957 · 1h 42m
country: Japan
The movie is about a man who started a brothel to make money out of his poor circumstances in the late Meiji period.


Ôban
1957 · 1h 58m
country: Japan
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.


Streetlights
1957 · 1h 31m
country: Japan
A sophisticated comedy about love games between men and women that arise from an intentionally dropped train ticket.


Throne of Blood
1957 · 1h 48m
country: Japan
Returning to their lord's castle, samurai warriors Washizu and Miki are waylaid by a spirit who predicts their futures. When the first part of the spirit's prophecy comes true, Washizu's scheming wife, Asaji, presses him to speed up the rest of the spirit's prophecy by murdering his lord and usurping his place. Director Akira Kurosawa's resetting of William Shakespeare's "Macbeth" in feudal Japan is one of his most acclaimed films.


Eacape of Fear
1956 · 1h 37m
country: Japan
The story follows a man haunted by debt and crime, who flees with his mistress on a tense journey marked by betrayals and desperate choices. The film explores greed, betrayal, and the tragic downfall of a man consumed by money and despair.


Crazed Fruit
1956 · 1h 26m
country: Japan
Two brothers compete for the amorous favors of a young woman during a seaside summer of gambling, boating, and drinking.


Season of the Sun
1956 · 1h 29m
country: Japan
The film tells the story of a group of high school boxing team members who spend their days drinking, sailing and chasing girls, and who more often than not spend their nights getting into brawls. In particular, it focuses upon Tatsuya, a sullen young man, who falls in love with Eiko, a proud upper-class girl.


The Vampire Moth
1956 · 1h 29m
country: Japan
The story of a professional nude model stalked by a bizarre, unknown man wearing a hideous mask.


Crossroad
1956 · 1h 41m
country: Japan
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.


Runaway Bride
1956 · 1h 24m
country: Japan


Cell No. 8
1956 · 1h 29m
country: Japan
A man and a woman meet through a strange fate. This unique melodrama depicts the course of their budding love in a corner of the big city.


I Live in Fear
1955 · 1h 43m
country: Japan
An aging foundry patriarch, gripped by terror of nuclear annihilation, tries to uproot his family to Brazil. When they petition to have him declared incompetent, a family-court counselor witnesses his obsession slide into ruin—and asks whether ignoring the atomic threat is any saner.


Tactics of Love
1955 · 1h 31m
country: Japan
1955 Japanese movie


The Samurai of Edo
1955 · 2h 3m
country: Japan
This historical film depicts the life of a man who was at the mercy of the waves during transition from the end of the Edo period to the Meiji Restoration, and therefore, shows audience the dynamic change from Edo to Meiji. Before the war, the director, Eisuke Takizawa, together with the writers, formed a scenario writer group "Narutaki-gumi and they shot many historical masterpieces.


Taira Clan Saga
1955 · 1h 48m
country: Japan
Japan, 1137. The Taira family, a samurai clan, becomes involved in the disputes between Emperor Toba and the monks of Mount Hiei.


Beast Man Snow Man
1955 · 1h 34m
country: Japan
Three competing parties all race against time to track down an elusive creature known only as the Snowman.


New Tengu Kurama: Samurai in the Pouring Rain
1955 · 1h 36m
country: Japan
Kurama Tengu uncovers a suspicious gold robbery tied to a political scheme within the shogunate. As he follows the clues, hidden alliances, betrayals, and a mysterious woman entangle him in a dangerous conspiracy whose true aim remains just out of reach.


Six Assassins
1955 · 1h 47m
country: Japan


Godzilla Raids Again
1955 · 1h 22m
country: Japan
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 arrives and the two monsters make their way towards Osaka as Japan braces for tragedy.


Ootone no Taiketsu
1955 · 1h 20m
country: Japan
In the town of Yumoto, Asakichi, a left-arm-less gambler who had been winning at the gambling hall, was attracted by the sound of a faintly heard storyteller, Saman, and left his seat. Asakichi was fascinated by the voice of Oyasu, who sounded exactly like his wife Ochiyo, who had died three years earlier. Asakichi told Oyasu that Ochiyo had fled with him to his home town of Omigawa just before he was deposed by the samurai Shingo Inaba, but that he had put her through a lot of hardship to make her die. Oyasu's husband Tokujiro was a palace carpenter in Edo, but his skills were damaged and he came to take a cure. Asakichi heard about Oyasu's story and offered him money, and Tokujiro's arm was almost completely healed by Oyasu's nursing care.