Hirō Matsuda
Known for Writing
Born
September 3, 1933
Died
March 24, 2022 (age 88)
Birthplace
Kyoto, Japan
Filmography
41 films
Known for Writing
Born
September 3, 1933
Died
March 24, 2022 (age 88)
Birthplace
Kyoto, Japan
Filmography
41 films

Pride
1998 · 2h 41m
country: Japan
Based on the International Military Tribunal for the Far East of 1946–48, depicts Japanese prime minister Hideki Tojo as a family man who fought to defend Japan and Asia from western colonialism but was ultimately hanged by a vengeful United States.

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.

Succession
1992 · 1h 58m
country: Japan
A bumbling stockbroker-turned-yakuza is tasked with ensuring that an alcoholic boss is up to the task of arbitrating his syndicate's succession ceremony.

Estate Inheritance
1990 · 1h 49m
country: Japan
The unexpected death of Fujishima Motoharu, president of a medium-sized firm, triggers a fierce battle over his estate inheritance among family members.

Company Executives
1989 · 2h 10m
country: Japan
A fierce succession battle ignites at a newspaper company when the president passes away.

Night Train
1987 · 2h 17m
country: Japan
A woman faces betrayal, which tests her love.

Gray Sunset
1985 · 2h 5m
country: Japan
Grandfather Fuyukichi Takano, a former university professor, gets fired from his museum job when he is affected by Alzheimer's disease, but his affliction serves to deepen family ties. Japan's submission to the 58th Academy Awards for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film

Appassionata
1984 · 2h 25m
country: Japan
This story is based on the novel "Jo no mai" by Tomiko Miyao which is based on the life of painter Shōen Uemura (1875–1949), the first woman to be awarded the Order of Culture. The title refers to the masterpiece bijinga ("picture of a beautiful woman") that Uemura painted at the age of 61. The main character, Tsuya Shimamura, is born in Kyoto as the second daughter of a tea trader who dies before her birth. Tsuya, who loves painting more than anything and is hopeless at housework, attends art school and at age 15 receives the name Shōsui (from the characters for "pine" and "green") from her teacher. The crown prince of England purchases one of her works, propelling her to fame overnight. The novel portrays the remainder of her stormy life, during which she is impregnated by her teacher and raises a fatherless child; through it all she devotes herself to her painting, undaunted.

To Trap a Kidnapper
1982 · 2h 14m
country: Japan
Hideyuki Mitamura, a student at a private school near Osaka, is kidnapped on his way home from school.

Tokugawa Ichizoku no Houkai
1980 · 2h 19m
country: Japan

The Way to The Gold Medals
1980 · 2h 16m
country: Soviet Union
About Soviet and Japanese volley-ball players who are both rivals and friends. The events cover the period from the 1976 Montreal Olympics to the eve of XXII Olympics in Moscow.

Aftermath of Battles Without Honor and Humanity
1979 · 2h 8m
country: Japan
Two Kyushu based yakuza groups are desperate for domaination of the area. When more powerful yakuza groups get involved in their power struggle, a group of childhood friends, belonging to different yakuza families, are caught in the middle. Lies, deceit, and backstabbing are in play resulting in a bloodbath and a quest for revenge...

Shogun's Samurai
1978 · 2h 10m
country: Japan
Following the death of the second Tokugawa shogun, it is revealed that he was poisoned by retainers of his son Iemitsu in hopes of gaining him the shogunate despite the stammer and birthmark which undermine his respect. Iemitsu and his brother Tadanaga become bitter rivals for the shogunate, and the land is split into factions, eventually erupting into warfare. Iemitsu's mentor, his fencing instructor Yagyu, is fixated upon securing Iemitsu the shogunate and ends up betraying everyone, even his own family, in pursuit of the goal.

Gambling Code and Feuds
1977 · 1h 34m
country: Japan
It is the first Toei yakuza film directed by Akinori Matsuo, who was active in Nikkatsu action movies. It is a local yakuza movie made following Okinawa Yakuza War (1976) and Hokuriku Proxy War (1977). The film depicts the war between a storied yakuza killer (Hiroki Matsukata) and the largest organized crime group in the Kansai region, which plans to advance into the Kanto region.

Japanese Humanity and Justice
1977 · 1h 46m
country: Japan
When a mob boss retires under political pressure, his successor and yakuza family are tested to their limits as new alliances and enemies are formed.

Shinjuku's Number One Drunk-Killer Tetsu
1977 · 1h 27m
country: Japan
After serving 10 years in prison for murdering a rival boss, Tetsu is appalled to see his yakuza family overgrown and dysfunctional upon his release.

The Machine Gun Dragon
1976 · 1h 33m
country: Japan
Ryu, a low life thug, along with his mother, steals a shipment of drugs. Now with his machine gun and a gang of hoodlums, he must face the yakuza and the mafia.

Dragon Princess
1976 · 1h 21m
country: Japan
A karate master played by Sonny Chiba is attacked and left crippled and blinded in one eye. He trains his daughter with the intention of her avenging not only himself but a murdered friend.

Violent Fraternity
1974 · 1h 34m
country: Japan
Set in Shibuya in 1949, this is another film based on real life former yakuza boss Noboru Ando's memoirs.

Zero Woman: Red Handcuffs
1974 · 1h 28m
country: Japan
Agent Zero is a cop that uses her own methods for dealing with criminals. After she unlawfully kills a rapist in a violent fashion, she is sent to prison and stripped of her badge. But very soon after, a rich politician's daughter is kidnapped by a ruthless gang. Agent Zero is let out of prison with the mission of going undercover to find the politician's daughter and return her safely. Using her deadly red handcuffs, she disposes of the criminals one by one.

Female Prisoner Scorpion: #701's Grudge Song
1973 · 1h 29m
country: Japan
Nami is once again on the run from the law but is saved by an old classmate who works at a strip club. Through a subsequent conversation they discover they both have a score to settle with a particular crooked cop. However, Nami has doubts about ever trusting a man.

Criminal Woman: Killing Melody
1973 · 1h 23m
country: Japan
Reiko Ike stars as the daughter of a man who has been pushed into drug dealing by the local Yakuza mob. Having outlived his usefulness to the gang he is murdered and Reiko is gang raped, leading her to attempt a knife attack on the Yakuza boss (Ryoji Hayama) at a swank nightclub. Failing to kill him she ends up in prison, where she befriends a crew of other malcontents (including Yumiko Katayama and Chiyoko Kazama) and meets the Yakuza boss's girlfriend (Miki Sugimoto). Upon release Reiko reassembles her mob and launches a Machiavellian scheme to engineer a gang war between Hayama's Oba Industries and the formerly dominant Hamayasu Clan. The rival gangs begin killing each other off and Reiko works her way closer to her ultimate vengeance.

Female Prisoner Scorpion: Beast Stable
1973 · 1h 27m
country: Japan
Following her successful prison break, Scorpion begins this third episode in the series hiding out in a brothel. Her prostitute friend tries to keep her identity secret, but the brothel's madam discovers that Scorpion is the ex-girlfriend of the vice officer who killed her lover.

A True Story of the Private Ginza Police
1973 · 1h 35m
country: Japan
Japan, 1946, just after the end of World War II. As the US occupation army patrols the dilapidated streets of Tokyo, a desperate and ambitious group of war veterans and gamblers struggle to take control of the Ginza district's underworld with the help of a deranged soldier.

Female Prisoner Scorpion: Jailhouse 41
1972 · 1h 30m
country: Japan
After being used and betrayed by the detective she had fallen in love with, young Matsu is sent to a female prison full of sadistic guards and disobedient prisoners.

Outlaw Killers: Three Mad Dog Brothers
1972 · 1h 26m
country: Japan
The great Bunta stars as a gangster who is sent to jail for the sake of his gang, but when he’s released he finds everything completely changed and his gang has swept him aside for being too violent. He tries to start a new life with his two ”brothers” but can’t seem to escape old affiliations

Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion
1972 · 1h 27m
country: Japan
After being cruelly set up and deceived by Sugimi, a detective in cahoots with the mob with whom she was whole-heartedly in love, Matsushima’s desire for revenge knows no bounds.

Sympathy for the Underdog
1971 · 1h 33m
country: Japan
A yakuza gang gets driven out of Yokohama by a big gang from Tokyo. They relocate to Okinawa to violently start over.

Trapped, the Crimson Bat
1969 · 1h 27m
country: Japan
Oichi may have met her match as she vies against the evil beauty that has set her sights on destroying her. She must face numerous other challenges before confronting her greatest rival. While longing to live and love like other women, she realizes that she can never have a normal life, her sword which she holds on to like a security blanket will always come between her and such a life...

Blackmail Is My Life
1968 · 1h 30m
country: Japan
Though he has come from a rough background on the streets, Muraki quickly rises through the ranks by means of his well-honed blackmailing instincts. Desperate to keep rolling with his freewheeling lifestyle, Muraki sees his luck begin to crumble when he sets his sights on the business partners of a powerful gang boss.

Abashiri Prison: Duel in the Snow Country
1966 · 1h 30m
country: Japan
Based on Ito Hajime's original story, this is the seventh installment in the "Bangaichi" series, adapted jointly by Kamba Fumio and Matsuda Hiroo, and directed by Ishii Teruo of "Kamba 101: Killing Bouncer" fame. The film was shot by Kiichi Inada, who also directed "Abashiri Bangaichi: Confrontation in the South" in the same series.