Known for Acting
Kirin Kiki (樹木 希林 Kiki Kirin) (15 January 1943 – 15 September 2018) was a Japanese actress known for her work in Japanese cinema and television.
Born
January 15, 1943
Died
September 15, 2018 (age 75)
Birthplace
Tokyo, Japan
Filmography
124 films, 17 shows
Tales of the Bizarre: 35th Anniversary Special
2025
country: Japan
To commemorate the 35th anniversary of the popular omnibus drama "Tales of the Unusual," in which Tamori serves as the storyteller, "Tales of the Tales of the Unusual 35th Anniversary Special: Legendary Masterpieces One Night Only Revival Edition" will be broadcast on Fuji TV's "Saturday Premium" slot (Saturday 9pm) on May 31st. The program will feature five of Tamori's most famous works from the series' past. The programs that will be broadcast on the 31st are as follows: "BLACK ROOM" (broadcast in 2001, starring Takuya Kimura) "The Night Train Man" (broadcast in 2002, starring Ren Osugi) "Locker" (broadcast in 1990, starring Yuji Oda) "Bijokan" (broadcast in 2005, starring Satoshi Tsumabuki) "Memories of Love, Don't Stop" (broadcast in 2019, starring Yuki Saito)
Kiki Kirin's Life
2019 · 1h 48m
country: Unknown
This documentary follows the last days of actress KIKI Kirin, who passed away on September 15, 2018. The documentary is the first long-term, in-depth coverage of Ki-kin, and is a re-edited version of the NHK documentary of the same title that was broadcast on September 26, 2006, adding previously unseen footage. She was loved all over Japan for her blunt remarks, her attentive concern for those around her, and her overflowing sense of humor. Despite her busy schedule, she valued her daily life and had her own unique style, even though she talked about life as it came. This film captures the last days of her life and gives us hints for living from her "life as it comes" and her many inspiring words.
Erica 38
2019 · 1h 44m
country: Japan
Satoko Watabe, who calls herself Erica was organizing business support meetings, and collecting a fortune with a fictional investment story, under the order of her lover Ikuo Hirasawa. But she finds out that Hirasawa was actually dating multiple women and was betraying her. Once she cuts contact with Hirasawa, she seduces a rich old man, and obtains a luxurious house. She invites her mother who is in a care home to come live with her, and starts her own fictional “business support” sessions to defraud people. During her visit to Thailand, she meets a young man Porche. Erica falls in love, and enjoys her honeymoon. But the police were looming right around the corner...
Cherry Blossoms & Demons
2019 · 1h 55m
country: Germany
When everything in his life seems to be going wrong, downtrodden and alcohol-dependent Karl has a fateful encounter in Munich with Yu, a mysterious Japanese dancer from his father’s past. Unexpectedly, Yu begins to help Karl confront his demons (both literal and figurative) and begin to heal.
Every Day a Good Day
2018 · 1h 40m
country: Japan
A university student attends a Japanese tea ceremony near her house with her cousin. There she has the Japanese tea ceremony in her life and it's there for her during moments when she is sad or happy.
Shoplifters
2018 · 2h
country: Japan
In the outskirts of Tokyo, a poor but close-knit group living on the fringes of society survives through shoplifting and odd jobs. When Osamu and his son take in a neglected young girl, their already fragile existence begins to unravel. As the family grows attached to her, buried secrets surface, forcing them to confront the true meaning of love, belonging, and what makes a family.
Mori, The Artist's Habitat
2018 · 1h 39m
country: Japan
Vegetation thrives in painter Morikazu's garden, which is home to creatures that serve as models for his paintings, including numerous bugs and cats. A sweet and heartwarming day begins for Morikazu, who gazed at these garden creatures on a daily basis for over three decades, and those who love him.
Kiki Kirin's Izakaya Grandma
2017
country: Unknown
The Gods of Food: The Last Promise
2017
country: Japan
Life is Fruity
2017 · 1h 31m
country: Japan
90-year-old architect Shuichi Tsubata and his 87-year-old wife Hideko live in Aichi Prefecture. Their garden is bursting with 70 types of vegetables and 50 types of fruits, and they live in harmony with nature.
After the Storm
2016 · 1h 57m
country: Japan
Ryota is an unpopular writer although he won a literary award 15 years ago. Now, Ryota works as a private detective. He is divorced from his ex-wife Kyoko and he has an 11-year-old son Shingo. His mother Yoshiko lives alone at her apartment. One day, Ryota, his ex-wife Kyoko, and son Shingo gather at Yoshiko's apartment. A typhoon passes and the family must stay there all night long.
Mystery Trilogy Special
2015 · 1h 35m
country: Japan
This mystery special consists of three thrilling stories by three notable writers.
Our Little Sister
2015 · 2h 7m
country: Japan
After the death of their estranged father, 3 adult sisters invite their teenaged half-sister to live with them.
Sweet Bean
2015 · 1h 53m
country: Japan
The master of a dorayaki pastry store hires a 76-year-old woman whose talents attract customers from all over. But she's hiding a troubling secret. Life's joys are found in the little details, and no matter what may be weighing you down, everyone loves a good pastry.
Kakekomi
2015 · 2h 26m
country: Japan
Kakekomi tells the stories of Edo women in the 1800s that escape abusive husbands and lovers by taking refuge in Tokeiji, a monastery in Kamakura.
This Mystery is Excellent! ~ Challenge from Bestseller Writer
2014
country: Japan
Kashiopea no Endo Roru A murder takes place on a luxury overnight train which runs from Sapporo to Ueno, Tokyo. The victim is a film director. The suspects are 4 women. Nokosareta Senritsu After a pianist concludes her best performance to date, she dies mysteriously in the waiting room. The cause of her death is potassium cyanide that was laced in her coffee. Kuroi Pan Teru A man works as a supervisor for a construction company. 30 years ago, he was a popular actor who played a hero character on TV. Now, he has a wife and a 20-year-old daughter. One day, the man learns that his daughter is kidnapped. Daiyamondo Dasuto A cold wave hits Tokyo. Two men, working for the same company, are unable to avoid overtime work that night. The snow storm then causes electrical outages. The two men must face difficult life or death decisions.
Like Father, Like Son
2013 · 2h
country: Japan
Ryota Nonomiya is a successful businessman driven by money. He learns that his biological son was switched with another child after birth. He must make a life-changing decision and choose his true son or the boy he raised as his own.
Promise: The Nabari Poisoned Wine Case, The Life of a Death-row Inmate
2013 · 2h
country: Japan
Masaru Okunishi is a prisoner who has been on death-row for over 40 years. In 1961, 5 women died from drinking poisoned wine in a small village gathering in Nabari City in Mie Prefecture. After his arrest, he appealed his innocence on the grounds that the police coerced his confession. He was found not guilty in the first trial. However, it was overturned and he received a death sentence in the second trial, which was upheld by the Supreme Court in 1972. Since then, Okunishi has continuously appealed for retrial, fighting against the horror of capital punishment. This TV dramatization of the Nabari Poisoned Wine Case depicts Okunishi in an isolated cell, his mother’s unwavering belief in his innocence, and the effort of people who have rallied to Okunishi’s defense.
Until the Break of Dawn
2012 · 2h 9m
country: Japan
High school student Ayumi is trained by his grandmother to act as a "tsunagu," an intermediary for people who want to reach the dead.
Chronicle of My Mother
2012 · 1h 59m
country: Japan
Best-selling novelist Kosaku Igami has made a career out of using his family as fodder for his novels, much to their dismay. When his mother, the spirited family matriarch, is diagnosed with dementia, Igami must come to terms with the toll his own behavior has taken on his increasingly distant family and resolve his own long-simmering resentments. Evocative of classic Ozu, this gorgeously wrought epic family portrait explores the tenderness and trappings of familial bonds.
Hanezu
2012 · 1h 31m
country: Japan
Woodwork artist Takumi moves to the small village Asuka in Nara Prefecture. He remodels old homes and lives a peaceful existence with nature. Takumi then meets Kayoko, a woman who went to the same school as Takumi. Kayoko is fascinated with the color crimson. She dyes scarves with the color of hanezu. Kayoko lives with boyfriend Tetsuya, who works as an editor of a PR magazine. They live together. Soon, Kayoko falls in love with Takumi.
I Wish
2011 · 2h 7m
country: Japan
Twelve-year-old Koichi, who has been separated from his brother Ryunosuke due to his parents' divorce, hears a rumor that the new bullet trains will precipitate a wish-granting miracle when they pass each other at top speed.
A Honeymoon in Hell: Mr. & Mrs. Oki's Fabulous Trip
2011 · 2h 1m
country: Japan
Although Nobuyoshi and Saki just got married and moved into a new apartment, their relationship still lacks spark. Things start to change as they meet a weird fortune-teller who also happens to operate tours to hell. Without further ado the young couple books a honeymoon trip which takes them to the most bizarre, colorful and fun vision of hell you could ever dream of.
Hokaibito: Ina no Seigetsu
2011 · 1h 59m
country: Japan
Part documentary, part fiction this film revolves around the life of the haiku poet Seigetsu Inoue who wandered Ina Valley for about 30 years from the end of the Edo period to the Meiji era.
Ghost
2010 · 1h 56m
country: Japan
Nanami Hoshino, a wealthy entrepreneur, marries potter Kim Jun-ho, and they both live a seemingly happy life until Nanami is killed by a biker on her way home. Now a ghost whose presence cannot be seen, she realizes that her death was no coincidence and seeks help from the elderly psychic Unten in hopes of saving Jun-ho's life.
Villain
2010 · 2h 19m
country: Japan
Shimizu Yuichi is a shy and lonely day laborer looking for love. He aimlessly spends time corresponding with girls via telephone dating services and going on random encounters with girls looking for spending cash. His world is shattered one day when he is involved in the murder of one of his former encounters, the sweet-faced Ishibashi Yoshino who, after being jilted by playboy Masuo Keijo, berates and mocks the troubled loner.
The Secret World of Arrietty
2010 · 1h 34m
country: France
14-year-old Arrietty and the rest of the Clock family live in peaceful anonymity as they make their own home from items "borrowed" from the house's human inhabitants. However, life changes for the Clocks when a human boy discovers Arrietty.
Two Portraits of MIYAGINO
2010 · 1h 53m
country: Japan
In Edo-era Japan, a ukiyo-e artist languishes in his master’s shadow. Creatively stifled, he finds consolation in the company of a prostitute, and becomes entangled in a love triangle. A mystery emerges involving two portraits and the sudden disappearance of the artist Sharaku. Helmed by Cannes-selected director Tatsuji Yamazaki, the film employs kabuki-inspired sequences and stylised sets.
Making 'Still Walking'
2009 · 28m
country: Japan
A documentary filmed behind the scenes during the making of Hirokasu Kore-eda's 2008 film "Still Walking."
The Short Films Everyone started out as a child
2008
country: Japan
A dream collaboration between five directors who represent the modern Japanese film industry! An omnibus work composed of five short films has been created. "The Short Films: We all started as children." The theme that runs through the five short films is "children." The styles vary from period dramas to contemporary daily life scenes, but all of the works highlight the dreams of children, who are entrusted with Japan's future, as well as the issues facing the social system surrounding children. ©ABC Television
Still Walking
2008 · 1h 54m
country: Japan
A family gathers together for a commemorative ritual whose nature only gradually becomes clear.
Dog in a Sidecar
2007 · 1h 34m
country: Japan
The film begins in the present, with its heroine, Kaoru, a grown-up woman working as a real-estate agent, while helping out the folksy proprietor of a neighborhood fishing pond. There she meets a shy girl who needs her help baiting a hook and reminds her of herself in the fourth grade.
Tokyo Towers: Mom and Me, and Sometimes Dad
2007 · 2h 22m
country: Japan
Adapted from the bestselling Japanese autobiography of the same title, this gentle coming-of-age drama concerns an adolescent boy, Boku - Masaya, torn between the inherited recklessness of his father Oton and the inherited responsibility, wisdom and emotional strength of his mother Okan. Following a period of intensely rebellious behavior, Boku learns that his mom has contracted cancer; suddenly, his mother comes to live with him in Tokyo the entire emotional landscape of his life is altered.
Red Whale, White Snake
2006 · 1h 42m
country: Japan
On her way to Chikura to live with her son, Yasue Amami gets off at the Tateyama train station. She wants to see her old house. The a new owner, Mitsuko Kawahara, intends to demolish the place and replace it with a modern new house. With Mitsuko's permission, Yasue enters her old home. Her family had rented it during World War II to escape air raids over the city, and they stayed on for a few years after the war. As Yasue visits the grounds, memories come flooding back.
Our War
2006
country: Japan
"Our War" is a special drama produced by Japanese TBS TV. This is the third bomb of the war-themed TV series after the "Song of Sugarcane Field" and "Guangzhou·Showa August 6th, 20th." It is said that in 2005, young people from the end of the island, Kenji and Showa’s 19-year-old pilot, Shi Tingwu, changed their identity because of time and space, and then used their respective perspectives to look at the Pacific War and the youthful story of peaceful modern life.
Tokyo Tower
2005 · 2h 5m
country: Japan
Toru Kojima and his friend Koji are young student boys with one thing in common - they both love to date older women. Koji is a playboy with several women, young and older, whereas Toru is a romantic with his heart set on on certain lady.
Izo
2004 · 2h 8m
country: Japan
Izo is an assassin in the service of a Tosa lord and Imperial supporter. After killing dozens of the Shogun's men, Izo is captured and crucified. Instead of being extinguished, his rage propels him through the space-time continuum to present-day Tokyo. Here Izo transforms himself into a new, improved killing machine.
The Taste of Tea
2004 · 2h 23m
country: Japan
A spell of time in the life of a family in rural Tochigi prefecture. Yoshiko is not an ordinary housewife, instead working on an animated film project. Uncle Ayano, a successful music producer, is looking to get his head together after living in Tokyo. Meanwhile, Sachiko is concerned with why she seems to be followed by a giant version of herself. As the lazy days pass by, each member of the family is followed in a series of episodic vignettes.
Fireflies: River of Light
2004 · 1h 41m
country: Japan
After finally passing his teacher's exam, Miwa (Yukiyoshi Ozawa) devoted himself to teaching in a rustic primary school. He struggles to get through to his students, until he creates a class project to raise fireflies to fly over it once again. All students, even the reserved girl Hikari (Risako Sugaya), become passionately involved in the project. However, it brings them into conflict with parents and the school, one problem after another stands in his way.
Kamikaze Girls
2004 · 1h 42m
country: Japan
Momoko, a strange and seemingly emotionless girl obsessed with 18th century France, befriends a Yanki biker and the two experience the ups and downs of their unusual lives in a rural Japanese town.
Half a Confession
2004 · 2h 1m
country: Japan
Half a Confession introduces itself as a thriller and abruptly changes gears, transforming into a tale of morality with deeper insights into its characters than we had anticipated. It begins when Soichiro Kaji (Terao), a retired detective, walks into police headquarters and confesses to the murder of his wife. We learn that the victim had prematurely developed Alzheimer's after the tragic death of their son, and in her suffering, had asked to die. The police chiefs would be far more content to take him at his word if it were not for a conspicuous hole in his story: 48-hour gap between the alleged murder and his confession. Fearing a public relations nightmare, they are eager to bury the incident and keep the press in the dark.
Teacher's suitcase
2003 · 2h 35m
country: Japan
Tsukiko is in her late 30s and living alone when one night she happens to meet one of her former high school teachers, 'Sensei', in a bar. He is at least thirty years her senior, retired and, she presumes, a widower. After this initial encounter, the pair continue to meet occasionally to share food and drink sake, and as the seasons pass - from spring cherry blossom to autumnal mushrooms - Tsukiko and Sensei come to develop a hesitant intimacy which tilts awkwardly and poignantly into love.
Through the Night
2002 · 2h 13m
country: Japan
When poverty-stricken Korean-Japanese (Zainichi) discover there is valuable iron ore in the rubble of a destroyed shantytown they plan to haul it out for profit. Amidst this plan there is discrimination, war and an infatuation between a man and a woman, but like everything around them there and owing to the forces around them, there is as much chance that these may burn to ashes and be destroyed or be the beginning of something new.
Inochi
2002 · 1h 51m
country: Japan
Yu Miri is a writer who's just become pregnant by her married lover. When she decides to keep the baby without his help, her ex-boyfriend Yutaka, decides to help raise him.
Returner
2002 · 1h 56m
country: Japan
A young woman from the future forces a local gunman to help her stop an impending alien invasion which will wipe out the human race.
Pistol Opera
2001 · 1h 52m
country: Japan
An assassin fends off numerous attacks from her comrades, who are trying to move up in rank by killing off the competition.
Cardboard House Girl
2001 · 1h 40m
country: Japan
Anzu, an office worker, has been steadily saving money to move to the U.S. and live freely. When she finally reaches her goal of 5 million yen, her apartment is broken into and all of her money is stolen. She quits her job, cancels her apartment lease, and then discovers that her boyfriend has been with another woman. With no family to rely to, she finds herself living on the brink of homelessness.
Tokyo Marigold
2001 · 1h 37m
country: Japan
Eriko – lonely, aimless and self-absorbed – falls for Tamura. Despite knowing that he is waiting for his girlfriend to return from overseas, she requests to enter into a relationship with him for just one year.
The Whispered City
2000 · 1h 45m
country: Japan
Director Jun Ichikawa spins this affectionate portrait of the people who populate Shimokitazawa, a bohemian corner of Tokyo filled with small theater companies and smoky coffeehouses.
Keiho
1999 · 2h 13m
country: Japan
The psychiatric evaluation of a young actor arrested for a brutal double murder concludes he may be unfit for trial. Further investigation, however, reveals the crime was a well-planned statement against the section of Japan's criminal code granting diminished responsibility to the mentally impaired.
Magnitude: Bridge to Tomorrow
1997 · 1h 30m
country: Unknown
A drama about a father and his son centered around the Great Hanshin earthquake.
The Best Bad Thing
1997 · 1h 29m
country: United States
After her husband's death, Mrs. Hata desperately needs help on her cucumber farm. Rinko' mother wants her to spend the summer helping Mrs. Hata, her life-long friend. But 12-year-old Rinko sees Mrs. Hata's traditional Japanese ways as being backward and "crazy." When she gives in to her mother's request, she discovers Mrs. Hata is kind and courageous, fighting to save her farm. Before summer ends, RInko comes to appreciate and defend "crazy" Mrs. Hata.
Hissatsu shimatsunin
1997 · 1h 28m
country: Japan
A former assassin is drawn into a conspiracy which leads him to return to his old ways, endangering his brother who suspects that something is afoot...
Fireworks, Ferris Wheels and Love
1997 · 1h 41m
country: Japan
Morihara was left a widower 8 years ago when his wife passed away. He attends his first mixer party under the guidance of his daughter. There he meets Fumika and starts conversation. Morihara is too shy to show his love since he is much older than Fumika. On learning that Fumika goes to England to study about English Tea, Morihara rushes to the airport but his effort is in vain. He takes out his dead wife's photo and consults her: "I love Fumika, what should I do?"
Oishinbo
1996 · 1h 45m
country: Japan
Based on the comic by Tatsu Kariya. Featuring journalist Shiro Yamaoka who works for Touzai Shimbun. He is a cynical food critic who is tasked by the newspaper's owner, along with the young Yuko Kurita, to provide recipes for the "ultimate menu".
Mitabi no kaikyô
1995 · 2h 3m
country: Japan
Toki no kagayaki
1995 · 1h 39m
country: Japan
Yuka came to work as an intern nurse at a hospital and she met Shunichi again. They were school friends, and she liked him. But, she found out that Shunichi had an osteosarcoma.
The Mystery of Rampo
1994 · 1h 40m
country: Japan
Edogawa Rampo is a writer whose latest work is censored by the government, deemed too disturbing and injurious to the public to be allowed to be published. However, after burning his drafts, his publisher shows him a newspaper with an account of events just like his forbidden story. As the film progresses, fantasy and reality intermingle in a tale that draws heavily on influences from Poe and Stoker's Dracula. The film's strongly Expressionistic direction skillfully combines a variety of media (animation, computer-generated imagery, grainy black-and-white fast film stock, color negatives) for artistic effect.
Sakura
1994 · 1h 48m
country: Japan
The story of a bus conductor who dedicates his life to the cherished Japanese symbol.
Rex: A Dinosaur's Story
1993 · 1h 46m
country: Japan
A young girl befriends an infant T-rex after her paleontologist father nurtures a lair of lost dinosaur eggs.
Yearning
1993 · 1h 38m
country: Japan
Set during the Meiji period (1868-1912), Kaede is the former mistress of a wealthy merchant. When he dies, she is forced out on the street and forced to give up her young daughter to the merchant’s family.
The Triple Cross
1992 · 1h 48m
country: Japan
Following the bloody aftermath of a heist, three robbers are double-crossed by a new accomplice, who is then tracked down amid escalating carnage and spectacular car chases.
Ritsuko: Her Love, Her Death
1992
country: Unknown
Winner of the 1992 Galaxy Award Encouragement Prize and the 1992 Japan Commercial Broadcasters Association Award Excellence Prize. Winner of the 10th ATP Award '93 Grand Prix. Winner of the 10th ATP Award '93 Excellence Prize. Selected as one of the "Best 20 Programmes" at the 10th ATP Award '93. "Through the story of a couple, we ask what it means to live and love. Kazuo (Sato Koichi) and Ritsuko (Imai Miki) were happily married through an arranged marriage during the war. One year later, Kazuo is sent to the city as a member of an army press corps. When he returns home after completing his mission, he finds Ritsuko, who has contracted intestinal tuberculosis and is bedridden. [This section is taken from "J-com magazine" 2004/02 (published by J-com Kansai)]"
The Games Teachers Play
1992 · 1h 46m
country: Japan
The story of an unconventional teacher facing up to his unruly and apathetic class.
The Voyage Of Little Sinbad
1991 · 1h 49m
country: Japan
Story about the adventures and the friendship of two Japanese-Malaysian boys.
Kim's War
1991 · 2h 19m
country: Japan
After shooting a gangster in self-defense, Kim Hui Ro takes refuge at a hotel and takes the guest hostages. Realising his position, he invites the press inside and explains why he was driven to his crime.
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.
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.
ママ母戦争
1990
country: Unknown
Misty Kid of Wind – The Glass Cape
1989 · 1h 47m
country: Japan
Karin has lived alone in a secluded mountain village with her consumptive mother since her father died. Her worried grandfather advises her to send her mother to a sanatorium and be adopted by him, although she refuses to accept. On the Buddhist All Soul’s Day Festival in August, a messenger from her grandfather pays a sudden visit to her house.
Crane
1988 · 1h 33m
country: Japan
Based on the folk tales "Repayment from a crane". One snowy night a beautiful woman named Tsuru (Crane) visits poor peasant Taiju and says she will become his wife...
Remembrance
1988 · 1h 55m
country: Japan
The Yamaoki family moved from Kyoto to Tosa around the turn of the '50s; local school teacher Hirao becomes involved with Yasuko, sister to Sumio.
冷たいのがお好き
冷たいのがお好き
1987
country: Japan
Harue Hashimoto is a popular mystery writer. She always talks about murder tricks to make it look like an accident with her friends Mayumi Tsukasa, a singer, and Miki Kitamura, an editor. Miki has a habit of saying that she wants to kill her boyfriend Kyosuke Takamaki.
The Ballad of the Sea of Genkai
1986 · 2h 15m
country: Japan
A young woman's life is turned upside down when her husband suddenly disappears, leaving behind numerous debts and his illegitimate child. Desperate to track down her missing husband, she travels to Kyushu in hopes of finding clues to his whereabouts and in the process discovers disturbing secrets about the man she loves.
Yume-Chiyo
1985 · 2h 8m
country: Japan
Yumechiyo, a geisha house madam recently diagnosed with a terminal illness, yearns to do something constructive with the little time she has left. Though her responsibility lies in taking care of her girls, she finds purpose in helping a man wrongfully accused of murder and in the process discovers love.
Lonely Heart
1985 · 1h 52m
country: Japan
Lonely and love-stricken high-school student Hiroki pursues a girl, but another one mysteriously appears in his life. Is she a figment of his psyche, or is she real?
Song of the Spring Pony
Song of the Spring Pony
1985 · 1h 48m
country: Japan
Hoshino Bunzo raises up his orphan grandson, Keiji whose right leg gets paralyzed when he was an infant. Bunzo loves Keiji so much that he does every thing to protect his grandson. Sonoda Keiko, a new young teacher comes to the school when a new term starts. She wants Keiji to go back to school. After two years absence from school, Keiji tries to attend the class but he cannot continue. All pupils hold an exhibition of Keiji’s paintings in the village shrine to make him happy. He is very pleased and gives his paintings to them and to Keiko, he gives a painting entitled "Spring Pony". When this picture is awarded a prize in the National Friendship Painting Compettition, it is like a new beginning for Keiji’s family.
Capone Cries a Lot
1985 · 2h 10m
country: Japan
Umiemon is a naniwa-bushi singer who travels with his wife to the United States in hopes of achieving fame and fortune.
Private Detective DOBU 6: The Origami Murder Case
1983 · 1h 31m
country: Japan
A spree of murders in the city targets peddlers and komuso monks, all killed in the same method. Dobu investigates after a ronin's death with a unique clue.
Hometown
1983 · 1h 46m
country: Japan
Deep in the mountains of Japan a dam is scheduled to be built, thus forcing a relocation of the farmers. One of them is 78-year-old Denzo, whose son and his wife consider him senile. Left alone, he befriends a young boy, Sentaro, who has heard that the old man was once a great angler. The unlikely pair spend lots of happy time together, until Denzo has a heart attack and dies far upstream. The dam is completed and the entire area is inundated. Everyone will move away, except Denzo.
Private Detective DOBU 5: The Pinwheel Murder Case
1983 · 1h 31m
country: Japan
After two thugs are killed, Dobu and his crew have three days to catch the murderers. Dobu suspects a hidden mastermind influencing the magistrate.
Amagi Pass
1983 · 1h 39m
country: Japan
Japan in the 1940s. A high school boy went into a magic encounter with Ozuka Hana, a geisha (pub-girl) when he traveled through Amagi Pass. A mysterious murder took place afterwards, an Ozuka was held responsible. 40 years later, the boy, who became a printing shop owner, was visited by a retired policeman who came from Amagi Pass. The truth then started to reveal itself.
Private Detective DOBU 4: The Mysterious Kite Murders Case
1983 · 1h 31m
country: Japan
In Edo's autumn, a wave of murders hits, targeting those linked to an old case. A young man, Utaro, takes charge, but Dobu's love interest is involved.
Highschool Scramble
1982 · 1h 30m
country: Japan
Private Detective DOBU 3: The Exile Island Murder Case
1982 · 1h 31m
country: Japan
After six exiles return to Edo, four are mysteriously killed. Two survivors, Kosuke and Kingo, lead a search to uncover a hidden motive behind the murders.
Private Detective DOBU 2: The Kyoto Murder Case
1982 · 1h 31m
country: Japan
Dobu, an Edo samurai, is tasked with investigating a string of noble murders in Kyoto, disrupting his routine in Shimotani.
I Are You, You Am Me
1982 · 1h 53m
country: Japan
9th-graders Kazuo and Kazumi take a tumble at a temple in a small seacoast town in Japan. Through supernatural intervention, their minds and bodies are switched, and the result is a touching and hilarious coming-of-age comedy as they attempt to survive the pressures of junior high school life.
Karate Cop
1982 · 1h 49m
country: Japan
A martial arts master/detective investigates a series of murders and helps a deaf bathhouse attendant, Hisako.
The Wild Daisy
1981 · 1h 31m
country: Japan
Born in affluent families among the Japanese mountains, two close cousins fall in love and have to suffer through the social constraints of their time.
Return of the Champ
1981 · 1h 39m
country: Japan
A not-so-young "Young Guy" (Kayama) returns in this reunion feature, which takes Yuichi and Ishiyama to New York, where the former runs in the New York Marathon and romances TV producer Minagawa. A delightful throwback to Toho's '60s style filmmaking.
Private Detective DOBU 1
1981 · 1h 31m
country: Japan
Dobu (Kunie Tanaka) used to be a soldier but now is a private detective. Three vagrants were killed in a shrine, and Dobu found out that those three had a grudge on a timber whole seller, Hinokiya. He reunited with Zirokichi (Takeo Chii), one of his friends and Nezumi Kozo (a thief) , and he infiltrates Hinokiya together.
The First Catch
1980 · 1h 31m
country: Japan
Based on the comic book series of the same name by Yûsuke Aoyagi.
Nurse's Husband
Nurse's Husband
1980 · 1h 55m
country: Japan
“Quit working as a nurse!” “All right, I will!” thus began the married life of Yasuo and Keiko. But the reality is harsh. Keiko even had to work on the first night after her marriage. Ten years later, the married couple is still at it. Yauso tends to the house and their children, while Keiko sacrifices family life for life as an overworked nurse. One day, after Keiko comes home utterly exhausted and dejected from her work, Yasuo makes up his mind and writes a letter of resignation in her place. Upon learning of this, Keiko angrily declares that nursing is what she lives for and she will keep on working. Realising that that is one battle he will never win, Yasuo sends a letter to a newspaper -- “Nurses’ husbands, aren’t you having a hard time? Get together nurses’ husbands. Contact me.” There is a tremendous response. This leads to the formation of many unions of nurses’ husbands throughout the country.
Zigeunerweisen
1980 · 2h 24m
country: Japan
A surreal period film following a university professor and his eerie nomad friend as they go through loose romantic triangles and face death in peculiar ways.
Heaven Sent
1979 · 1h 31m
country: Japan
Sayoko is desperate to bear a child of her own, but her live-in boyfriend Shinsaku strenuously objects to the idea. One day, someone leaves behind a six-year-old child at their door, claiming that Shinsaku—or four other men—is the child's father! Sayoko and Shinsaku set out on a journey to find the real father.
The Adventures of Kosuke Kindaichi
1979 · 1h 53m
country: Japan
Obayashi's take on the famous Kosuke Kindaichi series, made popular partly thanks to the numerous movie-adaptions by Kon Ichikawa, the most known being The Inugami Family. Kosuke Kindaichi is the most famous detective in Japan. Kindaichi gets a new case to figure out who has beheaded a valuable statue and made off with its head.
Down with The Big Boss
1979 · 2h 17m
country: Japan
In pre-war Japan, two members of a large yakuza syndicate instigate a turf war that embroils the highest echelons of Tokyo's underworld.
Taro the Dragon Boy
1979 · 1h 15m
country: Japan
Patterned after Japanese art and silk screens, Taro, The Dragon Boy is an animated feature about Japanese mythology and cultures, focusing on Taro, a young boy who has to make a voyage to a distant lake to save his mother, who has been turned into a dragon.
Truck Rascals: Another Odyssey of Momojiro
1978 · 1h 43m
country: Japan
Hoping to romance an alien, Momojiro meets beautiful animal trainer Eriko instead. Then he and Jonathan get drawn into her old friend's fraud.
Crocodile, Parrot and Fur Seal
1977 · 1h 26m
country: Japan
A comedy farce depicting the noise that occurs when two unemployed circus participants discover a debt bond in a basket with parrots, which they received instead of pension money. At that time, Hiromi Go and Kirin Kiki, who were gaining popularity, play the main roles, demonstrating an exquisite combination.
Ballad of Orin
1977 · 1h 58m
country: Japan
A blind traveling musician is abused and oppressed wherever she goes, even as the modern world imposes change around her.
Tomorrow Evening
1977 · 1h 15m
country: Japan
Ayako is a 7-year-old girl with a dark, tanned face and a somewhat mysterious expression on her face. She shows up at the elementary school and acts strangely, but the children don't know her name and just call her "that girl". There are two groups of children at the elementary school, and the conflict between the groups intensifies...
Female Teacher
1977 · 1h 40m
country: Japan
A female teacher is raped by a gang of students in her school. The repercussions of this lead to scandal, blackmail and murder.
Sachiko no sachi
1976 · 1h 27m
country: Japan
Based on the manga of the same name by Kazuo Kamimura.
The Sea of Eden
1976 · 1h 26m
country: Japan
Nanjo, a new teacher at a girls' high school, unwittingly becomes the object of gossip when he buys underwear for Shimizu and spends his vacation with a female teacher. It turns out that Nanjo and Shimizu have fallen in love.
The Viper Brothers and the Young General
1975 · 1h 31m
country: Japan
The last in the series. Sugawara runs into two mahjong cheaters (Ichiro Araki and Mako Midori + sidekick Takuzo Kawatani) whom he takes for friends in need as his naivety prevents him from seeing their true nature.
Without Complaint
1975 · 1h 30m
country: Japan
Based on the novel of the same name by Seichô Matsumoto.
Statue in Fire
1974 · 1h 36m
country: Japan
Drama about young people in the Japanese rock scene starring the lead singer of Japanese rock band The Tigers (1966-1971, 1981-1983).
The Four Roughnecks
1974 · 1h 33m
country: Japan
Gimme gimme gimme! Yusaku Matsuda and his gang are on the hunt for women, money and more money! Takeo Natsuki (Yusaku Matsuda) was just released from prison. He was the leader of three rascals; all they did was cause trouble. When they meet a girl whose father is resisting a forced eviction to make way for a construction site, they come up with their own plans to solve the problem.
Jack and the Beanstalk
1974 · 1h 38m
country: United States
An adventurous young boy named Jack climbs a giant beanstalk to a magical kingdom governed by a greedy, tyrannical giant.
Akumyo: Notorious Dragon
1974 · 1h 45m
country: Japan
About small-time gangster Asakichi's chaotic life in the 1930s. His gambling addiction means that he must not continue working in the family business. Instead he supports himself by arranging cockfights. He becomes ex-geisha Okinu's patron and lover, and falls directly into disfavor with the yakuza.
Red Paper Lantern
1974 · 1h 33m
country: Japan
A young and newly-married couple in Tokyo lives a hard life moving repeatedly because of their unfamiliar relationships with their surroundings.
My Voiceless Friends
1972 · 1h 45m
country: Japan
A man who survived the war carries the will of his comrades in arms, walking across the country visiting the bereaved families.
Go As Messy As Messy Can Be
1971 · 1h 24m
country: Japan
Comedy about a young man who causes pandemonium by raiding a bar patronized by his father, winning the favors of a hostess and ends up feeling the breasts and hips of all the girls in his father's office.
Live My Share, Mother
Live My Share, Mother
1970 · 1h 26m
country: Japan
At school, Fumio is good in everything. His cheerful, out-going personality makes him a great favorite with teachers and classmates alike. He is in perfect health and there does not seem to be a single shadow to cloud his life. Then, one day, he feels a sudden pain in his shoulder. His parents take him to a doctor who tells them that their son has bone cancer and must be hospitalized. The parents cannot believe their ears, for Fumio had always been the picture of abounding health. The whole family with the exception of Fumio is cast into the depths of despair. They wonder why it had to happen to their Fumio and their happy family. The father who recovers first and decides to fight cancer to save his son's life.
Tora-san, His Tender Love
1970 · 1h 29m
country: Japan
Traveling salesman Kuruma Torajirō falls in love with an inn manager as New Year's approaches.
Crazy Big Explosion
1969 · 1h 23m
country: Japan
Chaos ensues when a secret agent gathers a group of criminals (The Crazy Cats) to steal gold from a bank.
Angel's Lover
1968 · 1h 29m
country: Japan
Comedy about two employees who work against their boss.
Nunnery Confidential
1968 · 1h 29m
country: Japan
Erotic Pinku film showcasing he life of Buddhist nuns during the Edo Period.
Journey
1967 · 1h 47m
country: Japan
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.
Dynamite Doctor Returns
1966 · 1h 24m
country: Japan
Second movie in the yoidore hakase serie
3 Raccoon Dogs
1966 · 1h 30m
country: Japan
A conman team swindles through jewel scams, marriage fraud, and fake school admissions. Their schemes bring quick riches but collapse before escape, landing them in prison—while a former mark prospers by stealing their tricks.
Dianas of the Campus
1966 · 1h 24m
country: Japan