Known for Directing
Born
August 20, 1940 (age 86)
Birthplace
Numazu, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan
Filmography
42 films, 18 shows


One Arm
2019 · 31m
country: Japan
A woman lends an admirer her arm for the course of one night for him to find pleasure with it... An eerie erotic short story by Nobel Prize laureat Kawabata Yasunari is turned into minimalist animation of dazzling beauty indebted to Alfons Maria Mucha. A true gem created by two anime giants.


The Life of Budori Gusuko
2012 · 1h 46m
country: Japan
The fairy tale follows a young man named Gusukō in the Tōhoku forests of northeastern Japan in the 1920s. After an onslaught of droughts and natural disasters, Gusukō is forced to leave his home and search for a better life elsewhere. Gusukō joins a group of scientists at the Ihatov Volcano Department, which deals with the same natural disasters that drove Gusukō from his home.


Little Ghostly Adventures of Tofu Boy
2011 · 1h 24m
country: Japan
Long time ago in ancient Japan, human beings could still see Yokai monsters and were afraid of them. However, as time passed and civilization and enlightenment progressed, people started forgetting about them... Though a son of the leader of all Yokai monsters, Mikoshi Nyudo, an adorable looking monster, Tofu Boy, has no talent in scaring the human beings. He is always scolded by his father and laughed at by his monster friends. One day, he decides to go on a journey to find out about the meaning of his life as a Yokai monster and to see his mother he's never met before.


Cinnamon the Movie
2007 · 45m
country: Japan
Mocha, Chiffon, Cappuccino, Espresso, and Milk go with Cinnamoroll in this adventure of a lifetime. Join them in their quest, meeting new friends like Anna (the girl who found Cinnamoroll/Cinnamon) and discovering new places like the Forest of Pastries and Bread and the Coffee Waterfalls.


Stormy Night
2005 · 1h 47m
country: Japan
After hiding together in an abandoned barn one stormy night, wolf Gabu and goat Mei pledge to be secret friends, despite being natural enemies. They must overcome hardship and persecution in hopes of finding another forest where they can be together in peace.


Touch 5: Cross Road
2001 · 1h 32m
country: Japan
Trying to find his own game of baseball, and not that of his brothers, Tatsuya moves to America and pitches for a poor, struggling minor league baseball team called the Emeralds. Meanwhile, Minami is still in Japan, trying to find her own path after quitting gymnastics. Inspired by a photograph of her final performance, she becomes the photographers assistant.


Touch 4: Miss Lonely Yesterday
1998 · 1h 33m
country: Japan
This fourth movie takes place a couple of years after the series. Minami and Tatsuya are both in college now. Different colleges, I might add. Tatsuya has quit playing baseball. Nitta is still pursuing Minami. And Tatsuya has a mysterious girl named Kaori at his college that seems to like him. So, how will all this affect the relationship between Minami and Tatsuya?


Lupin the Third: The Secret of Twilight Gemini
1996 · 1h 30m
country: Japan
As Lupin's mentor Don Dolune lies on his deathbed, he hands the master thief a gift, the diamond named Twilight. Though it's only half the treasure — the other half of the Twilight can be found in Morocco. Lupin must contend with his on-again-off-again-partner Fujiko, his feelings for the mysterious Lara, and the relentless whip-wielding maniac Sadachiyo in order to bring Twilight back to its full glory.


Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie
1994 · 1h 42m
country: Japan
Bison, the ruthless leader of the international terrorist organization Shadowlaw, has been desperately searching for the greatest fighter on the planet for years. He finds it in Ryu, a young wanderer who never stays in one place long enough for Bison to find him. He does, however, get a fix on Ken Masters, an American martial arts champion who studied with Ryu as a child under the same master. Meanwhile, Major Guile of the United States Army is forced to team up with Chun Li from China in hopes of apprehending Bison and putting a stop his international ring of crime.


Sweet Spot
1991 · 45m
country: Japan
Based on a manga by Chuusonji Yutsuko, it tells the story of OL (office lady) extraordinaire and golf fanatic Oyamada Non. She is 23 and works at Major Products in Tokyo's commercial district, Marunouchi. Between bossing her bosses and managing her managers, she finds time to golf, shop, party, and pursue the important things in life, i.e., marriageable men.


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


Touch: The Ace Without a Number
1986 · 1h 33m
country: Japan
Tatsuya Uesugi is the twin brother of Kazuya, pitcher of the Meisei High School baseball team. Irresolute about his feelings towards baseball, his next door neighbor, and his brother; Tatsuya ends up joining his school's boxing club. From the sidelines, he quietly watches the ascension of Kazuya.


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


Nine: Final
1984 · 1h 13m
country: Japan
The Nine saga comes to a close with the third installment


Nine 2: Sweetheart Declaration
1983 · 1h 7m
country: Japan
Second part of the Nine film series


Nine
1983 · 1h 10m
country: Japan
Just before entering Seishuu High School, track star Katsuya Niimi and judo champion Susumu Karasawa see a girl crying as the school loses a baseball game. The boys decide to join the team and improve it in order to make her smile. The girl turns out to be Yuri Nakao, daughter of the baseball coach, and they learn the baseball team will be shut down if it doesn't start winning. The series follows the three, as well as pitcher Eiji Kurahashi, as Niimi and Karasawa learn about baseball and what it means to be one of nine players on a team, as they work together through high school make it to Koushien.


Jack and the Beanstalk
1974 · 1h 38m
country: Japan
An adventurous young boy named Jack climbs a giant beanstalk to a magical kingdom governed by a greedy, tyrannical giant.


助け合いの歴史 生命保険物語
1973 · 25m
country: Japan
An educational film aimed at promoting understanding of life insurance among the general public.


The Firefighter of Animal Village
1972 · 18m
country: Japan
A fire safety anime involving animals in an anime village. It teaches how to use electrical appliances and what to look out for so that electrical fires do not occur. The anime was commissioned by the Japan Insurance Association, as at the time Japan's economic miracle was rapidly changing the average life of a Japanese citizen. Families who used to live in a simple wooden home suddenly had the luxuries of TV, refrigerators, kotatsu, rice cookers, etc. Unfortunately the rapid progression left a gap of ignorance which led to many fires most commonly from leaving heat-generating products unattended as well as overloading sockets.


Dororo
1968 · 14m
country: Japan
Before producing a TV series, a pilot film was made to let sponsors and television stations grasp the work's pervasive quality. This is the pilot film for "Dororo" in which the characters are closer to those of the original story compared to the characters in the TV series. The faces and personalities of the characters in the TV series are altered from time to time to gain popularity among its viewers. As a result, sometimes viewers really loved it, but at other times it didn't go over as well. The pilot for "Dororo" was made in color, but the TV series was monochrome due to a tighter budget. The story depicts a journey in which the boy thief named Dororo and a cursed man called Hyakkimaru destroy monsters. Hyakkimaru can be a complete "human" only after he destroys 48 devils.


Gokū no Daibōken
1967 · 23m
country: Japan